ARRIFLEX 235 Accessories

As we were walking on the ibc and cinec show floors we could not help but notice the enormous number of third party products that are being made and/or retrofitted to work with the ARRIFLEX 235.

Consensus seems to be that the 235 is not just another camera body, but a whole new camera platform. Among many other items, we saw 235 specific cases, lenses, remote heads, barneys, splash housings, underwater housings and more.

The makers and users of camera support systems that are attached to the human body, that is the people involved in Steadicams, Easy Rigs, Pogo-cams, etc, were also very interested in our lightweight new member of the ARRIFLEX family.

Among the many who took a closer look was Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam. He immediately put the 235 on the latest Steadicam version, the Flyer, and even though the 235 Steadicam magazine was not even on the camera, he was very pleased. After walking around with the 235 for a bit, he exclaimed "I have waited for this camera all my life! It is just fantastic!".

Thomas Howie, Marketing Manager for Glidecam Industries, wore the 235 with their Glidecam Gold Series System. After a few rounds around the booth he found that: "The 235 balances very well on the Glidecam Gold Series, due to the camera's symmetrical design and accurate center of gravity.  The 235's lightweight design makes it very versatile...and operating the 235 on the Glidecam is nearly effortless. What a great camera!"

Curt Schaller, a Steadicam Operator and Cinematographer, explained that little weight and small size are great features not only because they allow him to work for longer, but also because they allow him to make the whole rig smaller. To balance a Steadicam, the weight and size of the camera has to be compensated for by extending the center post and by adding counter weights to the bottom assembly.

With a  smaller and lighter camera, the center post can be shortened and less counter weight can be used. Thus the whole rig is more compact and has less mass, which means that it can be moved much faster than a heavier, bigger configuration. "With the 235, " he adds "I can operate almost as fast as if the camera was on my shoulder, but with the added benefit of the Steadicam's smoothness."

Another interesting contraption that wandered into the ARRI booth was the Easy Rig. Its inventor, Johan Hellsten, was quickly outfitted with a 235, and had the following comments: "You don't feel the small weight of the camera. The camera is just flouting around nice and easy.  Using the Easy Rig and the 235 gives the cinematographer more freedom than shooting hand held. "

We, of course, have our own new accessories for the 235. The Universal Motor Controller 3 (UMC-3) allows the 235 to use the ARRI Wireless Remote System, and a new Side Bracket, Lightweight Follow Focus (LFF-1) and an External Display (EXD-1) increase the 235's flexibility.