FAQs -Film Cameras Camera Manuals

Obviously not a definitive list, just a few things to look out for.... please e-mail us (webmasterfilmcentre.co.uk) with additions for these pages
see also: neg size comparisons. Connector pin-outs .

Best Lenses:
Well this might be a contentious list! but on fairly safe ground to say:
The best 16mm zooms are the Cooke Varokinetal 9-50mm T2.5 lens for 16mm, and the Zeiss 10-100mm f2.4.
As a single lens the the Zeiss 10-100 is more practical but, like almost all zooms, tends to breathe on focus pulls. The Cooke Varokinetal 9-50mm doesn't noticably breathe.
Neither fully cover S16 without conversion, and this changes the range slightly, the Zeiss becomes closer to 14-120mm in S16 conversion.
Primes: Generally Arri-Zeiss are a quality lens, (although the 35/16mm, 35mm focal length f1.3 has a poor reputation, the older Zeiss-Contax is better but not found in PL mount). Of more recent lenses, Canon lenses derived from Canon stills lenses have a good reputation.
Wider stills lenses are a problem for unwanted light scatter behind the lens which reduces contrast (a problem using 35mm lenses on 16mm too, it can be minimised by using matte box and close frame mattes).
Primes/C-mount: Bolex/Beulieu best lenses are the Swiss Kern-Pallaird/Switar lenses.

Lens Mounts

Cine Mount	Flange focal distance	Diameter
Aaton (16) "Aaton universal" 16mm (three-pronged flange)	40.00 mm	50.00 mm
Arri PL "Positive Lock" (16/35) c. 1980-present (four-pronged flange)	52.00 mm	54.00 mm
Arri PL "Positive Lock" (16/35) SR high speed models 51.97 mm	51.97 mm	54.00 mm
Arri Bayonet Arri-B, (16/35) 1965-1980	52.00 mm	41.00 mm
Arri Standard Arri-S (16/35) c. 1950s-1965	52.00 mm	41.00 mm
B4, typically HDTV 2/3" and other like digibeta,	48.00 mm (in air)
BNC (Mitchell Blimp, news camera) (four-pronged flange). On this older style the rear of the lens protrudes as a cylinder and cannot be used with reflex cameras, it will foul the mirror	61.468 mm	68.00 mm
BNCR (Mitchell reflex 35mm) rear of lens is cone shaped	61.468 mm	68.00 mm
Bolex (breech lock)	23.22 mm
Bolex H8RX (1" x 32tpi thread)	15.31 mm
C-mount (Beulieu, Bolex, 1970/80s video cameras) 1 inch wide (25.4mm) with 32 threads per inch	17.526 mm (0.69")	25.4mm
CS Mount (similar to C mount, but cheaper to mfr due to fewer glass elements used in Industrial and CCTV cameras, also known as 1-32 UN 2A)	12.50 mm	25.4mm
D-mount (0.625 inch wide with 32 threads per inch) used in Industrial and CCTV cameras	12.29 mm
Eclair CA-1 (two-pronged flange)	48.00 mm
Fastax (typically Wollensak cameras)
Kinor 16mm similar to the ARRI Standard mount in appearance, but slightly larger, and with 2 side lugs		43mm
Konvas OCT18 (16/35) similar to the ARRI Standard mount in appearance, but larger	57 mm	47 mm
Konvas OCT19 (16/35) similar to BNC-BNCR mount in appearance, but no reference to lens protrusion behind the mount	~ 61 mm	68 mm
Mitchell standard (16/35mm) 1930s-1950s	~ 44 mm	46 mm
Panavison PV (16/35) 1972-present (four-pronged flange, with locating pin on one flange)	57.15 mm	49.50 mm
Wollensak (16 ?)
Cinema Products mount (CP-16 and CP-GSMO cameras) very similar to Aaton mount
Stills Mount, sometimes used on cine camera with adapters
M42, Praktica/Pentax or Universal screw mount 1949-1980s (42 mm dia and 1 mm thread pitch)	45.46 mm	42 mm
Tamron T2 mount similar M42 but 0.75 mm thread pitch	55.00 mm
Nikon F 1959-1980s bayonet	46.5 mm
Hasselblad bayonet	74.90 mm

Adapters

arri bayonet lenses to Aaton mount camera
BNCR to PL (PS technic mini 35 style, reduced flange focal distance)	TBA
PL to Canon XL1, XL2 etc
BNCR to Red camera	see: http://www.visualproducts.com
PL to Red camera	TBA

Links:
Arriflex Arri Media (3 Highbridge Oxford Road Uxbridge Middlesex UB8 1LX ) Tel: 01895 457100 Fax: 01895 457101
Van Diemen
Old Camera database http://www.xs4all.nl/%7Ewichm/cinelist.html