Arri Sr2
- Thread starter D_and_G
- Start date
Mike Parker
Active member
If I ever win the lottery or manage to get my color printer to turn out perfect $100 replicas, I'm going to buy an aaton XTR Prod. I really think the aaton's are THE sexiest 16mm cameras out there and have been in love with them ever since I put a LTR 7 on my shoulder back in the early '70's.
What would I do with it? I'd walk around South Beach and let it be a babe-magnet. When I wasn't doing that, I'd mount it on a pedestal in my living room with mini spotlights on it.
Sigh...
What would I do with it? I'd walk around South Beach and let it be a babe-magnet. When I wasn't doing that, I'd mount it on a pedestal in my living room with mini spotlights on it.
Sigh...
CharlesPapert
Director of Photography
Overlandfilms, you'd probably be dead jealous of the original Elaine poster that I have framed in my office--bought it in the mid-80's from Panavision; it's signed to me from Elaine herself (not that I knew her) and it's got great graphics. And no, ya can't have it!
I do have to say--it was a clever piece of gear in its time, and the Pana-engineers were able to use the advancements within in their next effort, the Platinum--but other than that historical tidbit, I can't call myself a fan in this day and age. I find the viewing optics undersized and dark, the camera itself is a real pig for handholding or Steadicam (I've hauled 'em around on episodic series, but not for a while), and in light of the SR3 and the XTR Prod, it's hard to make a case for it...especially since you can mount up some great modern glass on those cameras (Ultra primes? S4's? etc). But listen, to each his own.
If I had to pick between Arri and Aaton, I think I'd probably give the nod to the SR3 (I don't have any beef with the SR2, it's kind of nice and simple, but it better have a late-model video tap on it or else). The Aaton is a solid camera but the accessories can be a bit finicky and funky. The fiber-optic viewfinder is great for handheld but once you start to get into the longer eyepieces, it starts to lose some charm--the long eyepiece is actually the one from the Aaton 35-3 and it will eventually trash the bayonet mount under its own weight. (I spent 2 years with the XTR Prod on "Scrubs"). So for me, for a big handheld show I'd go XTR, but for a mixed or primarily studio-style shoot I'd go SR3.
I do have to say--it was a clever piece of gear in its time, and the Pana-engineers were able to use the advancements within in their next effort, the Platinum--but other than that historical tidbit, I can't call myself a fan in this day and age. I find the viewing optics undersized and dark, the camera itself is a real pig for handholding or Steadicam (I've hauled 'em around on episodic series, but not for a while), and in light of the SR3 and the XTR Prod, it's hard to make a case for it...especially since you can mount up some great modern glass on those cameras (Ultra primes? S4's? etc). But listen, to each his own.
If I had to pick between Arri and Aaton, I think I'd probably give the nod to the SR3 (I don't have any beef with the SR2, it's kind of nice and simple, but it better have a late-model video tap on it or else). The Aaton is a solid camera but the accessories can be a bit finicky and funky. The fiber-optic viewfinder is great for handheld but once you start to get into the longer eyepieces, it starts to lose some charm--the long eyepiece is actually the one from the Aaton 35-3 and it will eventually trash the bayonet mount under its own weight. (I spent 2 years with the XTR Prod on "Scrubs"). So for me, for a big handheld show I'd go XTR, but for a mixed or primarily studio-style shoot I'd go SR3.