The Most Popular Cinema Cameras (Part 3)

INTRODUCTION

The camera is an important tool in the cinematographer’s toolbox. Different cameras offer different mediums and influence the look and capabilities of how footage is shot.

In the third part of this video I’ll go over a few more of the most popular cinema cameras which have been used in the film and commercials industry. I’ll look at a variety of formats and go over their ergonomics as well as the look which each can create.  

IMAX MSM 9802

Let’s start with a niche but pretty incredible format - Imax - in particular the Imax MSM 9802. Almost all other film cameras for other mediums such as 16mm or 35mm use a vertical pulldown, where the film goes through the magazine, passes through the gate from top to bottom and re-enters the exposed side of the magazine.

Imax is different.

To get the greatest possible exposure area of the negative, Imax cameras use 65mm film which leaves the magazine, passes through the film gate horizontally and then re-renters the magazine. 35mm usually exposes an area which is 3 or 4 perforations long. Imax exposes 15 horizontal perforations for each frame of footage. 

This technique produces a negative that is nine times larger than the 35mm format, and three times larger than regular 70 mm film - making it the largest, highest resolution film camera available.

The camera uses 65mm film stock which is then printed to 70mm for screening, with the extra 5mm used for the camera’s audio tracks. It can also be scanned and converted to digital files usually at high resolutions like 4K, 6K or 8K.

It has incredible fidelity, contrast and no trace of grain with an estimated horizontal resolution of around 12K.

But this monster of a format does come with a few limitations, one of the biggest of which is price. A single 1000’ roll, which lasts for a measly 200 seconds of shooting time, costs almost $1,300. 

Renting a MSM 9802 will be about $16,000 a week. Factor in development costs and you’re probably looking at the most expensive motion picture format in the world to shoot. Roughly four times the cost of 35mm.

It’s outrageous price tag, as well as it’s large, ungainly ergonomic design which is needed to house the 65mm stock that passes through the camera, means that it is usually used for specific set pieces in films and is always shot very sparingly and deliberately. 

This isn’t exactly what you’d call a run and gun camera.

The cameras come with their own rulebook and standard protocol dictates that a specific Imax trained DOP is hired to shoot with the camera. However, on The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister tore up the rulebook and decided to shoot it without the aid of a dedicated Imax DP.

They broke Imax protocol which stipulates maintaining an enormous amount of headroom, to avoid the audience craning their necks in order to see the top of the image in most Imax theaters. Instead of putting the central crosshair on top of the head, they placed them on the eyes for close ups.

Due to the enormous resolution of the negative, small errors like make up flaws or camera tape on the floor can be picked up far more easily.

Imax cameras need to be used with large format lenses that will cover the 65mm negative without vignetting. For example, Hasselblad medium format stills lenses are a common choice. The huge Imax negative, combined with the longer focal lengths which need to be used, creates an extremely shallow depth of field, making the focus puller’s job very challenging.

The MSM is the lightest Imax camera and is therefore preferred for rigs that require a smaller camera build, such as stabilised heads or even a ridiculously heavy steadicam build.

Although these bulky, hefty cameras were designed to be shot in studio mode from a dolly, tripod or stabilised head, convention has occasionally been broken and cinematographers like Hoyte Van Hoytema have even shot with them handheld.

Imax is therefore mainly used by productions with a large budget, who are aware of its ergonomic difficulties, challenging focus and short roll time but which require a 65mm film image with the highest possible fidelity available on the market.

ARRI AMIRA

In past episodes I’ve looked at the Alexa Mini and the Mini LF. Well, the Amira is another camera in Arri’s lineup but for a slightly different market. Although it has the same Super 35 ALEV III CMOS sensor as the Mini it is used less frequently in feature films.

Ergonomically, what makes it different is that the Amira is set up for single operator use, meaning it is ready to shoot without having to be built or configured much. It has great ergonomics for handheld work right out of the box, making it perfect for productions where the operator shoots from the shoulder, such as documentaries, TV shows, or independent films that work with smaller crews and require an easy to operate setup.

Its dust-proof, splash-proof, sealed-off electronics make it a hardy camera and a good pick for the challenging environments of documentary shoots, while its sensor still is able to produce the classic Arri digital look. This makes it possible to easily cut Amira footage alongside shots taken with other Arri cameras.

For example, on Nomadland cinematographer Joshua James Richards paired the Amira with floating gimbal footage shot on the smaller Alexa Mini, which cuts together seamlessly.

It’s ergonomics reflect that it’s designed for use by solo operators. It has three internal FSND filters. The switch for them is well placed just under the lens mount, making it easy for operators who are pulling their own focus or changing their iris to quickly adjust filters on the fly.

It also comes with three XLR inputs so that operators can record sync sound straight into the camera to cut down on post production synchronising work and be able to mix their own sound quickly and easily on the camera - which is often a necessity for documentaries.

The rest of its accessories such as the top handle and viewfinder menu are solid, easy to use and pretty standardised across the Arri range. The Amira can shoot up to 4K UHD in ProRes or in ARRIRAW at 2.8K with a  license. It also has the interesting option to use less photosites and shoot in a Super 16 mode with 16mm lenses. 

Overall, the Amira’s larger form factor meant that the Mini became Arri’s most popular cinema camera due its greater modularity and ability to more easily be configured into multiple lightweight rigs and forms such as a gimbal or rigs in tight spaces.

However, its larger size and operator focused ergonomics make it perfect for solo shooters who require the Alexa look.

ARRICAM

The Arricam, introduced in 2000, is Arri's most modern, flagship 35mm sync-sound camera line, which replaced the large Arriflex 535. 

There are two variations: the Arricam Lite or LT and the Arricam Studio or ST.

The Arricam is a competitor of Panavision’s Millennium XL line. The two share the spot of the most used modern 35mm camera today. Like the Millennium it can shoot 3 or 4 perf 35mm film and comes with an array of updated conveniences, such as: a clear, modern viewfinder, LDS, a low operating noise of 20 decibels or less for 4 perf and an updated video tap system. 

The Arricam Integrated Video System outputs a 1080p video feed that is colour accurate and removes the grain and texture from the ground glass. This means focus pullers, cinematographers, directors or any other crew member or client can watch a fairly accurate video approximation of what the final 35mm shot will look like once developed.  

On large enough productions an Arricam ST and LT may be carried for different applications. But, if there is only the option to rent a single camera the LT is often the go-to. This is due to it being a more modular camera that can be configured into a greater variety of builds.

A LT Magazine Adapter can be used to mount a 1000’ studio magazine onto the Arricam LT for the ability to roll for longer than the 400’ film magazines it comes with.

 The ST usually comes with a 1000’ mag, and, as its name suggests, is better for studio builds where the camera is on a rig where weight and size don’t matter like a tripod or dolly. 

An advantage of the ST is its ability to shoot at higher frame rates up to 60FPS, while the LT tops out at 40FPS.

The Arricam is therefore a great modern 35mm camera that comes with all the necessary bells and whistles for modern shoots using film.

CANON 1014 XL-S

Finally, for something different let’s look at a camera that shoots in a format which isn’t as popular, but which still gets plenty of use to this day - Super 8.

When it comes to modern Super 8 cameras, the Canon 1014 XL-S is top draw. Although 8mm isn’t the most common format it is used for it’s lower fidelity look, or in combination with other formats on mixed medium shoots for artistic or creative effect. 

It’s tiny negative size, very high grain levels and lack of resolution and sharpness mean that it is rarely used as the sole medium on a project. Although it has been used on some music videos, commercials and no budget films from the past.

Due to its historic use as a low-cost medium to capture so-called ‘home video footage’ by regular people and families, it has associations with nostalgia.

The Canon 1014 is easy to operate but also comes with about all the additional extras possible for people who are more serious about shooting Super 8. It can shoot both sync sound or silent 8mm film, which is easily loaded into the camera by inserting a cartridge without the need to load it in the dark.

The camera comes with a hot shoe mount on top which can hold a microphone and record sound through a 3.5mm mini jack.

The camera comes with a 6.5-65mm f/1.4 zoom lens which has a 72mm front thread for screw in filters. Although I’ve also stuck standard 4x5.6” filters straight onto the lens before with gaffer tape. 

Its ease of use and many capabilities such as its ability to shoot at various frame rates, including a slow mo setting of around 36FPS, manual aperture control and automatic ISO setting by the 8mm cartridges, make it one of the most popular Super 8 cameras used for professional usage today.