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| Cinematographer Chris Hart getting light levels in the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula. |
The ARRIFLEX 416 was introduced in April at the NAB trade show to much positive feedback in the press and online. Since then, we have introduced sixteen 416 pre-production cameras into the market. Such a large number of pre-production units not only gives us a lot of feedback, but also puts the cameras earlier into the hands of cinematographers, and thus further strengthens the Super 16 format. Final production units will ship in December 2006.
Many have looked at the 416 during trade shows and special showings, and Cinematographers and assistants have used 416 cameras now in the US, France, Austria, Germany and England on TV films, TV series, commercials and documentaries.The feedback has been extremely positive, exceeding our expectations.
Various features of older 16 mm cameras had been identified in May of 2005 by the 416 focus groups as in need of improvement. The most important being viewfinder, video assist, sound level, weight and ergonomics. It is particularly gratifying to the 416 development team that it is exactly those features of the 416 that are being praised by the first users. Here is a small sample of opinions from the field.
The full interviews with more photos can be found at:
For detailed information on the products visit:
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"We used the 416 on a Steadicam, on a dolly and hand held, and it was terrific. The viewfinder system is dynamite, the video tap is fantastic and the ARRIGLOW works great. The 416 is incredibly light, well balanced and really comfortable."
Cinematographer Will Rexer (center) with First Camera Assistant John Schwartz (left) and Second Camera Assistant Gregg De Domenico. |
"The 416 is a fantastic camera. It has a nice size and is very quiet. The biggest issue for operators is the viewfinder, and the 416 viewfinder is outstanding. We have Super 16 and HD cameras for rent, but I personally think Super 16 makes more financial sense. Super 16 is certainly a format with a future, especially if you consider the archival issue."
Denny Clairmont, President of Clairmont Camera (right), discussing the 416 magazine here with Marc Shipman-Mueller (left). |
"I used to shoot a lot of 16 mm, and looking at this new camera, it makes me feel like I want to start shooting again. The viewfinder is great and the sound level is fantastic, it is an absolute delight. My customers who have seen the camera and my staff feel the same way, they are enthusiastic."
Otto Nemenz, president of Otto Nemenz International with the ARRIFLEX 416 on his shoulder. |
416 Viewfinder
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"The image in the viewfinder is very bright and has a lot of contrast, it is really a class above other 16 mm cameras. Especially during our night shoots I had for the first time on a 16 mm camera the feeling that I could see as well as the film does."
Cinematographer Christoph Chassée (third from left) with Camera Assistant Matthias Wrage (left), Dolly Grip Florian Klein (second from left) and Director Thomas Kronthaler (right). |
Cinematographer Peter von Haller: The best feature is the new viewfinder. It has a bigger image that is brighter and shows more detail. I can judge focus better, which was especially useful during our night shoots. Even in wide shots I can now see details.
Cinematographer Will Rexer: The viewing system is the key thing - it is so sharp and so bright, you can really see what you are doing. The image is very clean, and even in bright backlight situations I had no strange artifacts in the viewfinder. And it is comfortable in terms of operating on a dolly in awkward positions.
Cinematographer Lothar Stickelbrucks: The most important improvement is the viewfinder system. With the 416 viewfinder I can see everything! I see the whole picture, but it is so sharp that I can also examine details at the same time. Because it is so sharp, I can judge the focus, I can see immediately if something in the shot is in focus or not. I also love the fact that the color balance of the viewfinder is just like what I saw in dailies.
Cinematographer Christoph Chassée: It is great that on the 416 the viewfinder does not collide with the bigger lenses anymore. The 416 sets a new standard: the image looks great even with the extensions, and I was happy on more than one occasion to have both lengths of extensions with me, the medium and the long one.
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"The 416 is a huge improvement over all other 16 mm cameras because its viewfinder is so big, bright and beautiful. Everyone who looked through that viewfinder said 'Wow, look at that!'."
Cinematographer Chris Hart setting up a night shoot. |
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"The viewing system on the 416 is intense! All the cameramen I have worked with that have used the 416 fell in love with it, since it makes their job so much easier. The moment they put their eyes on the viewfinder it blows them away how bright it is!"
Camera Assistant Jay Feather (right), here on a commercial with Cinematographer Joost Von Starrenburg (left). |
Sound
Camera Assistant Alannah Sennheiser: It is so quiet that we sometimes did not know if it was running or not. A really quiet camera is great, as it saves time that we would have spent in the past dealing with sound issues. Our soundman said: "I cannot hear this camera at all, even when the mic was pointed directly at the camera."
Weight and Ergonomics
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"The lighter weight of the camera really helped!" Cinematographer Chris Hart going hand held with the 416 and a 9.5 mm Ultra 16 lens. |
Camera Assistant Jay Feather: The 416 is spectacular! The SR 3 was a great camera, but lots of people go to 16 if they want hand held, and the SR 3 was always a bit awkward on the shoulder. The 416 in contrast is unbelievably comfortable, and so much lighter. I don't even know how that is possible, but it makes hand held much easier.
Cinematographer August Jakobsson: The weight of the camera is amazing. I thought it was very lightweight for hand held. I usually leave everything on the camera, the full six-by matte box and everything, and I was really happy with how light it was.
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"We really did put the camera through its paces, and it was great to see how well it did. I had it on my shoulder, then would throw it on the ground for a low shot, then put it on a tripod, and it was very easy." Cinematographer Matt Siegel, here with and assistant Rainy Rau setting up a scenic shot in the mountains. |
Cinematographer Christoph Chassée: The handling on the shoulder is sensational. And we made use of that a lot in Tango, Tango; there are a lot of hand held shots. The camera is very easy to use, so we could work very fast and comfortably.
Camera Assistant Armin Golisano: The 416 is lighter and thus easier to transport. Oh, and we really love the new camera handle! It is properly balanced, has many attachment points and I can grip it securely. This makes a big difference.
Cinematographer Peter von Haller: I agree. That seems like such a small detail, but if you cannot grip a camera securely by the handle, and if you cannot attach anything to it, it slows everything down. The 416 handle is great.
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