P+S Digital Mag for Arri 16 SR 3 cameras

[Stephen Williams]

P+S see to have gone down the same path as Joe Dunton showed at IBC in 2002.

Interesting to see the price & the product at IBC

 

[Scott Webster]

Got the email Stephen. How do you get 2K from a film camera body with no conversion to the camera body itself? That's one hell of a magazine!

So is this the rumored Arri Digital SR camera or do Arri have something else to offer?

 

[Karl Gustav H.]

One would imagine the SI-2K mini is a good jumping off point for this kind of project.

 

[Stephen Williams]

Got the email Stephen. How do you get 2K from a film camera body with no conversion to the camera body itself? That's one hell of a magazine!

So is this the rumored Arri Digital SR camera or do Arri have something else to offer?

Hi Scott,

It's easy enough on an Arri SR, just put the sensor in the mag on the film plane, then you can switch between film & video in 10 seconds.
I saw Joe's camera working at IBC 7 years ago, magazine just dropped in. I believe his daughter shot a short film with the set up.
http://www.urbanfox.tv/articles/cameras/c19joedunton.htm

Stephen

 

[Michael Hastings]

Got the email Stephen. How do you get 2K from a film camera body with no conversion to the camera body itself? That's one hell of a magazine!

Hi Scott,

It's easy enough on an Arri SR, just put the sensor in the mag on the film plane, then you can switch between film & video in 10 seconds.
I saw Joe's camera working at IBC 7 years ago, magazine just dropped in. I believe his daughter shot a short film with the set up.
http://www.urbanfox.tv/articles/cameras/c19joedunton.htm

Stephen

They have been doing this (interchangeable digital backs) for medium format Hasselblad, Contax etc for years. What makes it relatively easy is if the camera was designed to have interchangeable backs - like medium format or a lot of movie cameras (so most 35mm SLRs would be a lot harder to adapt). And enough of a market to make it financially worthwhile.

 

[hunterrichards]

Glad I still have my sr3!

Where can I see it? Is there a picture or specs on it somewhere?

 

[Larry Gebhardt]

Yeah...I still have an Arri SR2 that I thought was probably not worth anything at this point (not S-16).. there may be new life for these old cameras if someone makes a digital magazine for them and can sync them up to the shutter...would be really cool to have the optical VF.

Larry

 

[Mitch Gross]

My guess is that the syncing to the shutter aspect is why it is for the SR3 and not earlier models.

 

[Scott Webster]

Mitch, Can they retain the optical viewfinder? What are the advantages/disadvantages of a hybrid SRIII?

 

[Mitch Gross]

I know nothing about this particular product, so it is all speculation and general knowledge base. But adding a "digital back" to a pre-existing camera means that all (or at least most) of that camera's accessories and functionality will be retained. The optical viewfinder will remain, the excellent mechanical engineering will remain, all of the camera's original accessories will remain. I see no reason why the optical viewfinder would not function, in fact see no reason to attempt the project at all unless the optical viewfinder remained functional. The camera will have to "roll" the shutter in order to get an image to both the viewfinder and the sensor even when not recording, same as on the D21. Of course if there is an original videotap on the camera then that will work while the shutter is parked in the viewfinder position. This is fine for everyone else on set to see framing while the cinematographer can see through an optical finder for proper lighting.

Disadvantages include the limitation that the shutter must remain, so the max shutter angle is 180 degrees. Additionally, there's a lot built into a film camera that becomes unnecessary when a digital back is used. Certainly the motor doesn't need to be so strong since no film is being pulled through the gate. And while I love the ergonomics of the modern 16mm film cameras (the Aaton is still my personal favorite best-designed-camera-ever), there are physical limitations of a mirror shutter, mechanical film drive design that do not particularly need to be there on a digital camera.

I still know what I'd consider the ultimate camera body design, and I have not seen it from RED or anybody else. And no I'm not telling unless you're payin' me!

 

[Tony Covell]

Interesting idea first manufactured by Joe Dunton some years ago. He used an Arri mag front and a box on the back of it. The glass was a flat-ish prism mounted on the gate area and Ikegami chip and electronics. It worked ok but was too early to market. He shot a couple of his own shorts on it. I will be keen to see how P&S go about this, especially as I cannot sell at even a low price Arri SR3 units or lenses. Off to IBC tomorrow at sparrows. Kindest Tony Covell. London.

 

[Tony Covell]

They have a new Digital camera but probably in a back room for those who know!!Threaten to order one, show them your Bank balance and your in!! Tony Covell.

 

[Stephen Williams]

It's quite simple, pricing expected sub 30000 Euro

 

[hunterrichards]

Want it, but that's pretty expensive- I would rather run film though my camera @ 30,000 Euro.

 

[hunterrichards]

The new page is up at pstecknik: here

 

[filip kovcin]

somoe additional info here also

http://www.imago.org/index.php?new=143


filip