by Keith Tate~ April 26, 2006
NAB DAILY NEWS
Celebrating almost 90 years, ARRI shows no signs of slowing down. The company unveiled camera and lighting products at its Monday press conference that could give an amateur director a leg up on the way to becoming the next Steven Spielberg.
ARRI introduced the ARRIFLEX 416, its compact and ergonomic Super 16 film camera with a running noise less than 20 dB, yet providing 1-75 fps. The company says the ARRIFLEX 416 was designed to determine the voltage of a Lithium-ion battery, as well as the remaining running time and how many additional magazines the battery's charge can run.
Accompanying the ARRIFLEX 416 are ARRI's new line of Ultra 16 lenses, which consist of five prime lenses with focal lengths of 6 mm, 8 mm, 9.5 mm, 12 mm and 14 mm. The lenses all share T*XP coating, which gives the lenses greater resistance to flares and ghosting, in addition to improving contrast.
Concluding the press conference was the presentation of the Arrimax 18/12.
Used in films such as "Munich" and the upcoming films "Mission: Impossible 3" and "Smokin' Aces," ARRI said in a recent press release the ARRIMAX 18/12 is "the most powerful HMI light on the planet." The optical system has a 580 mm (22.8 inch) diameter specular, adjustable reflector, and provides continuous focus from 15 degrees to 50 degrees.
Because the ARRIMAX does not require a set of spread lenses, the shadow quality is sharper and easily cut. In short, night can become day at the flick of a switch.
In a recent press release, Klaus Feix, a member of ARRI's executive board, stated, "ARRI is well prepared for the future, be it digital, analog or, as we believe, hybrid." If the development of ARRIFLEX 416, Ultra 16 lenses or ARRIMAX 18/12 are any indication, ARRI is off to a good start.
© 2006 NAB
