ARRI 35BL User manual

••
Arri 35B .L
Manual
INSTRUCTION MANUAL

9 10 1112 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Fig.1
1 Lock screw fo r matte box beam
2 Release latch t
or matte box
3 Handle and lock for !/stop ring
4 Lock release
for universal lens housing
5 Thumb screw
tor standard malle box
6
Window to view lens sailings
7 Knurled lock ring for eyepiece
8 Lock-ring t
or diopter adjustment
9 Diopter adjustment
for eyepiece
10 Camera carrying handle
11 Loop length marking for magazine threading
12 Magazine cover lock, take-up side
13 Filter stages
14 Focusing handle
15 Tachometer
16 Reset button for footage counter
17 Film plane marker
18 Lever for manual shut te r advance
19 Camera door lock
20 Magazine cover, take-up side
Fig. 2 1
2 Magazine cover lock,
supply side
Supply rootage
indicator
3 Tape hook
4 Release
bullon for standard matte box
5 Plug
for malle box receptacle
6 Lens release
lever
7 Zoom handle
B Steel
b:1nd for zoom lens su;;port
9 Magazine cover, supply side
10 Mode selec tor switch
11 Fuse holder
12 Volume co ntr ol for "o ut of sync" warning
13 Camera mechanism cover
14 Lock screw f or zoom lens support
15 Lock screw for hand grip
16 Camera start/stop switch
17 Locat ing bushings for universal lens housing
18 Thumb screw for support adjustment
19
Zoom support rod
20 Bayonet adapter tor support
21 Zoom support base

Content s
Magazine load ing
Camera threading
Aperture plate replacement
Ground glass replacement
Mounting lenses witho ut housing
Mount ing lens support brackets '
Standard matte
box for fixed lenses
Universal
hous ing for fixed lenses
Focus and f/stop scales
Filters
Camera
power connection
Electronic /e lectrical features
Camera speed selecti
on
Pilotone and start marking system
El
ectronic accessor ies
Preventive maintenance and
minor service:
Cleaning
of aperture plate and film channel
Lubrication of film transport mechani sm
Other lubrication points
Repl
acing signal lamps
Replacement
of el ectrical fuses
Maintenance of the magazine
Magazine
guide roll ers for high speed operation
Removal of the camera mechanism cover
Checking drive belt tension
Adjus ting of the dr ive belts
Page
3/4
4/5
6
6/7
7
8
8
10
10
11
11
11 /12/13
13
13/14
14/15/16
16
16/17
17/18
18
20/21
21/22
22
22
22
22/24/25

Fi g. 3
Fig. 4
Magazine
loading
To detach the magazine from the camera body, turn the
camera
door lock (fig. 1/19) counter clockwise and open
camera
door . Turn magazine lock (Fig. 3/1) counter
clockwise to the "AO" position. Slide magazine out of
the dovetail guides toward you .' For loading, lay the
magazine with the take-up
side (F ig. 1/20) down. Remove
the magazine
cover by slightly lifting and sliding the
magazine
lock (Fig. 2/1) in the direction of the arrow
marked "A". Swing film counter arm out towards the
perimeter
of the magazine..casting where it will l ock into
position. Feed the beginning of the film roll into the slot
(Fig. 4/ 1) between the loop . guide and the idler roller as
marked by the long arrow in the magazine supply com-
partmen t.
Note: Use film wo' und "emulsion in" and feed off the core
counterc lockwise. When using "short ends", make sure
the head of the roll is cut clean, preferably through the
perforation.
Push the film gently into the slot until the resistance of
the sprocket teeth is fel t. Film should feed freely, and by
turning the drive coupling (Fig. 4/2) counterclockwise
continue feeding until the film exits from the supply
compartment of the magazine throat. After ascertaining
that the film is proper ly fed, put the film roll on to the
supply
core and close the cover. Lock it securely by slid-
ing the cover J ock (Fig. 2/1) forward towards the throat.
When magazine
cover is properly mounted, film counter
arm will release automatically.
Once the film is fed through the supply throat and the
magazine cover is secure ly fastened, the remaining load-
ing can be performed in the light.
Remove magazine cover of supply side. Transport the
film via the
drive coupling (Fig. 4/ 2) until the exiting piece
is long enough (9") to reach the loop length indicator
(Fig.1/11). The proper loop length is measured by simply
laying the fi lm back over the loop chamber and feeding
until it reaches the i ndex mark. Then Insert the film into
the slit in the take-up throat, engaging the film on the
take-up sprocket by gently rocking the dr ive coupling.
Once properly engaged, the film will exit through the
loop guide on the take-up side where it is now fastened
to the collapsible core in the proper manner.
3

Not e: When feeding the film into the take- up throat make
sure that the overall length of the loop is conserved as
measured against the loop length indicator. Ascertain
that the lock ing lever of the collapsible core (Fig. 15/ 1)
is securely locked. Advance the film by hand via the drive
coupling until several revolutions of the collapsible core
confirm proper film winding without "dishing ". Then
attach
and l ock magazine cover .
Cam
er a thr eading
Make sure camera is placed in a secure position so that
both hands are free to attach the magazine and to thread
the camera.
To open the film channel, pull the release lever (Fig. 5/ 2)
out towards the door castinC) with your left index linger.
This releases the mechanism lock and allows you to
sl ide the fi lm transport mechanism back toward the ma-
gazine opening.
Not e: Pull the lever only for the initial releasing of the
transport mechanism, than let it return to its
orig inal
position.
The film transport mechanism will encounter its
first stop after an approximately 3/ /' wide gap has been
created between aperture plate and back plate. If the
release l ever is now pulled once more , the mechanism
can be slid back f urther by an additiona l '/ .'' to facilitate
cleaning. However , in this position it is not possible to
mo u nt a magazine to the camera body because th e
magazine throat will hit the film transport mechanism.
With the film channel open, turn the
knurled inching knob
(Fig. 5/1) until its red
index mark is in line with the index
on the mechanism plate above it. If this is
done properly ,
the transport claws should extend approximately '/ ""
(2 mm) out of the back plate.
Hold the
loaded magazine with the right hand and slide
it into the dovetail mount on the rear of the camera, by
engaging the steel rail (Fig. 5/ 3) with the matching steel
guide on the magazine. At the same time, with the Jell
hand,
guide the film loop into the open film channel. Seat
the magazine proper ly and lock it in place by pushing in,
and turning the magazine lock (Fig. 3/ 1) clockwise to po-
sition "ZC." Arrang e the fi lm in the open film channel so
the top
loop corresponds with the loop indicator on the
mechanism plate. A
locating pin (Fig. 5/ 4) holds the film
in the desired
position by e ngaging a perfor ation. Onc e
the proper loop distribution has been achieved, slide the
Fig. 5
fi lm transport mechanism forward, making sure the index
lines on the inching knob are matched, unti l an audible
"cl i ck " indicates the secure locking of the transport
mechanism. If all this is done properly, the film will auto-
matically engage the four pull down pins of the transport
mechanism. The locating pin is automatically retreated
when the film channel is closed.
Activate the buckle switch (Fig. 5/ 5) by swinging it
'· counter-clockwise
into the "on " position.lt is advisable to
assure proper film transport by turning the manual inch-
ing
knob while the camera door is sti ll open. Only after
this is done , lock the camera door. The digital footage
counter in front of the camera door can be reset with the
grooved push button (Fig. 1/16) located just above the
Tachometer. The inching lever (Fi g. 1/18) below the
camera door lock is for the manual advance of the
mirror-shutter when no power is attached to the camera.
With
power attached, th e mirror-shutter will automati-
cally stop in the viewing
position every time the camera
is turned off.
Not
e: Whenever the ARRIFLEX 35 BL camera is stored
without a magazine, the magazine opening cover should
be in its place to close up the came ra housing.
4 5

Aperture plate replacement
To remove the aperture plate for exchange or repl ace-
ment, the magazine should first be detached from the
camera head. Then open film channel all the way as
d
escribed previously. As a safety measure, remove the
lens and advance the mirror-shutter with the manual
inching
knob (Fig. 5/ 1) until it is away from the aperture
area.
To
unlock the apert ur e pl ate , push vertically up against
the rim of the aperture (Fig. 5/6) or the cut-out on the
lower e dge of the apert ure plate. Once the ape rtur e
pl ate is pushed up by approximately 1
/1/' (11 /2
mm), sl ant
i ts lower en d back towards the transport mechanism.
Re tr ieve the aperture plate from the fi lm channel without
scratching or damaging any part in the process.
Before mounting the aperture plate make sure no dirt
or dust has accumulated on the back or on its seal in
the casting.
To reinsert the aperture plate, reverse t
he desc ribed pro-
cedure by engaging the upper edge with the spring
loaded
pro n gs and push vertically up unt il the plate lies
parallel against the front castin
g. Then l et it sli de down
to engage the retaining wedges.
Ground glass replacement
The gr
ound glass image area in the ARRIFLEX 35 BL dis-
plays the full apertur e. The markings for different com -
position areas are e tch ed directly onto the ground glass
and
are avail able for all popular formats. To retr ieve the
gro und glass, first remove the lens and advance the
mirror shutter away from the aperture area so it is pro-
tected against scratching. En gage the small eyelet on
the ground glass frame (F ig. 6) with an appropriate
instrument
and pull down sli gh tly until the frame is re-
leased.
Be sure to have a good grip on the ground glass
hol der so it will not drop and get ch ip ped or scratched.
Before inserting a ground gl.ass, ascer tain that the
ground glass and the ground glass frame are absolutely
clean, si
nc e impr oper seating might impair the sharp-
ness and parallax adjustment of the finder. Arter the
gro und glass has been inserted into t he frame and
seated, pull it forward
ge ntly to mak e sure it is pos itioned
properly .
Fig. 6
Note: All
groun d glasses on th , e,..ARRlt~BL are
precis i on mo unted aQ>! .• are · rea dil y interch~~ . a~ ~~~ ~ e from
camera to cam~nl.To insure that .the- · g-"r'Q~ugjass is
indeed properly,
sEJaif~d in. -i, ts. ~oJder ! ch : E?ck with c\ short
f ocal !ength l e ~s ~'6, 24 m,n:l. };P. 'tt!J::Jj : inf~n _ i!>\ b~ ! ~te\ ~com -
mencmg shootm g. ' . •· :; . ,('."~:'{ : .;· .'· ' · . ~
(
~ ·· . ' · ··'~·~f · ·. ~·:. -> " 7' , . .. _ .. ~
Mounting of lenses witho~t l e-~s .: · ~ous i ng ., · '\
The ARRIFLEX 35 BL is· equ ipped with the "ARRI Steel
Bayonet" lens mount. Th ere f dre , virtually all ARRIFLEX
mounted lenses can be used on the camer a, provi ding
they are designed to cover the 35 mm format. Caution is
necessary when using lenses of extremely short focal
length which
might have been especially adapted for the
ARRIFL
EX 35 II C, s ince they mi'ght touch and damage
the mirror s hutter in the ARRIFLEX 35 BL.
Heavy zoom and tete lenses can
be used on the ARRI-
FL
EX 35 BL only when supporting them on the avail able
lens support brackets. If not properly supported , they
will sag and compress the camera sound insul
ation
material, possibly raising the camera noise level con-
side r ably .
G 7

Mounting of lens sup port brackets
To attach the lens support bracket, remove the camera
hand
grip and mount in its place (Fig. 2/14) the extension
which contarns
both the lens support bracket receptacle
and the
hand gnp mount. Refit the handgrip to the
bracket.
Attach to the zoom lens
either the bracket with the steel
band (Fig. 218) , or a similar screw-on bracket. This
bracket has a bayonet lock arrangement which corres-
ponds in its rotational angle with that of the ARRI
bayonet lens mount. Thus. once the bracket has been
aligned, slide the zoom lens into the lens mount of the
camera while at the same time sl iding it into the keyway
of the zoom suppor t base (Fig. 2/21 ). Then twist the lens
to the right
until it is securely locked in the camera lens
mount and in th e suppor t base.
The support base (F ig. 2/21) of the bracket can be moved
along the support r od (Fig. 2/19) so it can be aligned f or
various lens types. Very 11 eavy zoom lenses, for example
the Ang enieux 20- 120 or the Cooke 20-100, require a
special heavy
duty support arm whrch will lit t11e standard
support rod.
Standard
matte box for fixed lenses
This matte box is very practical when usrng fixed focal
length lenses from 16 mm to approximately 150 mm. The
matte box has two filter holders adaptable for three
or four inch filters. The rear frlter stage, intended for
graduated or polarizing filters, is rotatable. To mount the
matte box,
simply remove the blind cap at the end of the
camera handle casting (Fig. 2/5) and slide the square
runner of the malte box into the square openin g. The
knurled thumb
screw (Fig. 7/ 1) serves to lock the square
runner.
After th e rear frame of the matte box has been
pos itioned and tl1e square runner is locked, pull the front
frame out to the desired pos ition and lock it with the
knurled
screw on top of t he rear frame. To remove the
matte box, unl ock the knurled t11umb screw on the handle
casting and push the button on the underside of the
casting (Fig. 7/ 2) to release the square runner .
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
8 9

Universal housi ng lor 1i xed lenses
The universal lens housing is designed to keep camera
noise emissi
on to an absolute minimum for crillcal sync
sound fi lm ing. At the same time it serves as a follow
focus device and a filter stage.
To
mount the universal lens housing on the camera, the
lens must be removed first. Engage the lens housing into
the two loca ting bushin gs (F ig. 2/17) tilting it down
sl ight ly. Once seated. swing it up and press it aga inst
the face of the camera until it locks in the spring loaded
latch (Fig. 1/4 & Fig.
19 /3). To mount a lens. open the
filter
door by unlocking the swivel latch (Fig. 19/1), turn
the f
ocusing ring to infinity (Fig. 1/14) and flip the iris
follower (Fig. 8/1) forward. Now the lens with its focusing
ring, also set at infinity, can be entered into the lens
housing, simultaneously engaging the rubber padded
followers of the focusing ring (Fig. 8/2) and the camera
lens mount. With one hand, activate the scissor-l
ike grip
(F1g. 19 /2) for the lens locking mechanism. Make absolu-
tely
certain that the lens is seated correctly and the lens
locks are ~ngaged properly. After the lens is securely
mounted, turn the !/stop foll ower (Fig. 8/ 1) un ti l it meets
with the coupling wedge on the front ring of the lens and
engage it.
Focus and
fls top scales
As mentioned, the universal lens
housing serves mor e \
than one function . Among others, il is a follow locus
device for two-man camera operation. For this, inter-
changeable distance and rlstop scales can be mounted
on the hous ing, matching exactly each fixed l ocal length
lens. For utmost accuracy, all scales are mark ed with the
~erial numbe~ of their co rresponding lens. When chang-
mg a lens , s1mply select the appropriate set of scales
and slide them into t11e sl ots (Fig. 19/4) of the focus and
diaphragm rings until they "click" into place.
Note:
Up to camera serial number 35060. these scales
are fastened to spring-loaded hooks on the lens housing.
In addition to the pre-marked.scales, blank white scales
for random
mark ing are al so availabl e.
Wherever the circumstances allow, both focusing and
diaphragm setting or the lens can be checked through a
small w1ndow in the lens housmg (Fig. 1/6) Lenses not
equipped with the special di aphragm coupling ring can
be used, but require opening of the filter door for chang-
ing
of the f /s top setting.
Filters
The universal lens hous i ng serves as a fi lter stage for
fixed focal length lenses and can accept one 3 x 3" and
two 4 x 4" filters.
In
order to get minimum camera noise , il is recom-
mended that eith er a 3 x 3" filter or t he clear op t ica l
flat, delivered with the camera, is mounted
in the 3 x 3"
filter stage. To reach this stage, open the lens hous-
i~g and flip down the fi. !ter holder. After inserting the
filter, simply swing the
ho l der back up until it locks,
and close the door. The standard three stage filter
holder can be used for all fixed focal length lenses
from 16 mm to 85 mm
except for the 18 mm Cooke
series Ill. This lens, because of its extended mecha-
nical co ns tr uc tion, requires a special two-stage filter
holder which accepts only two 4 x 4" filters. To mount
it, remove the matte box by releasing its snap lock
(Fig. 1/2), open the
housing swivel latch (Fig. 19/ 1)
and depress both ends of the fi l ler hinge until the
ho l der can be disengage d. Remount the replacement
holder in the reverse order. A special polarizing filter can
be used in both filter holders except when the 18 mm
Cooke is being used.
C
am era p ower c on nec ti on
Connect the camera to a 12 volt battery with the proper
battery cable (Type KCU or KCUSp). To insert the four-
pin Cannon plug on the flange receptacle, the lockmg
latch should be pointing upward so that the raised guide
wedge engages the gui de sl ot In the receptac le. Only
batteries of a reasonably large capacity (recommended
5 Ah) should be used. The battery voltage should never
drop b31ow 10.5 volts or exceed 16 volts.
Note: Batteries which have either a dead cell, or
du e to
age or misuse do not reach their full capacity , should not
be used with the ARRIFLEX 35 BL camera. A sure indi-
cation of insufficient battery voltage is when the camera
either does not reach speed, or sounds the "out of sync"
Wprning buzzer while running.
Electron ic/el ectrical features
Once the camera is con nected to the power supply, and
the bridge plug (Fig. 9/4 a) is in place, it is advisable to
10
11

Fig. 9
check all
camera functions f or proper ope ration. For this,
turn
mode selector switch (Fig. 9/10) to position "L"
(l amp check) and activate camera switch (Fig. 2/ 1 6) .
Camera should
now run unless the buckle sw itch
(Fig. 5/5) is in the :.OFF"
pos ition. If this is so, move it
forward into the "O N" position.
Running
the camera, with the mode selector in posi ti on
"L", tw o indicator lamps should be visible in the finder
area. In the center of the finder, the br ight, white, full
frame st
art mark lamp should be visible, and in the
l
ower right co rner, the red ,out of sync" warning light.
AI the same time, (f rom came ra No. 35026 on) an acousti-
ca l "out of sync" monitor should deliver a buzz er signal
whose volume ca n be regulated by the vo lume con tr ol
knob (Fig. 9/12). The edge marking lamp for the auto-
matic start mark system can be checked by ope ning the
fi lm channe l which should show t he il luminated pin hole
to the r
ight of the aperture . .
The mode sel ec t or sw itch (Fig. 9/10) must now be
turned to the desired fps/Hz (frames per second /fre-
quency) co mbinat ion. The "out of sync" moni tor will only
be
active for approxima tely 500 ms afler the camera is
switched "ON" , as well as immedia t ely after switching it
"OF F" while the camera is coasting to a stop. Th e "out
of sync" warning buzzer has a doub le pote n tiometer f or
lhe volume of the warning buzzer, and s imult aneous ad-
just ment of the start mark ing signal.
Position
of Start Marker :
"Out of Sync"
Volume
Knob:
Warning:
0 0 0
1
/4 turn loud low
1h
turn loud me diu m
full turn loud
loud
If the camera buckle-swiich is tripped duri ng a take, the
warning buz zer will 'so und unt il the problem is corrected
and the buckle- sw itch returned to its "O N" position so
lhe camera mirro r- shutter can pulse back to the vi ewing
position. It is a dv isable that proper funct ion of the
buckle-switch is checked by
simply tripp ing it by hand,
before running the camera wit h film.
From camera No. 35080 on, a blinking running
light is
installed in th e rear pl ate of the camera.
Camera speed
selection
The ARRIFL EX 35 BL, wi thout any ad di tional accessories,
is equippe d to run crysta l con tr olled at 24 or 25 frames
pe r second. The des ired combination of speed and Pli o-
tone frequency is se l ec t ed with the mode selector swit ch
(Fig. 9/10).
With th e var i ab le speed attachment (VS 35 BL), f ixed
speeds (24/25 fps) as well as va riable speeds from
approximate ly 5 f ps to 30 fps can be obtained. (Refer
to page 14)
Pilotone
and start marking system
TheARRIFLEX
35 BL is equipped with a crystal con tr ol l ed
dr ive system and can therefore, in con juncti on with any
app r opriately equipped sync so und recorder, be used
tor wireless double system sy nc so und recording. How-
ever,
for those in stances where it might be necessary to
use a conventional Pilotone cab le set -u p, the came ra is
also equipped with the standard Pilotone system.
When sel
ecting a camera speed on t he mode selector
switch (Fig. 9/10) it is importan t to asce rtain that the com-
bination of speed and Pil otone frequency is indeed the
desired on e. Frame rate and frequency combinations are
as follows: 25/50, 24/50, 24/60.
The Pilotone output is provided via t he 5-pin flange
12 13

mounted receptacle (Fig. 9/3) and is wired the same way
as all
Pilotone connectors on other ARRIFLEX came ras.
The Pilotone voltage conforms to the standard 1 Veff /
60 ohm.
The Pilotone frequ ency :s der ived from the motor
feed back circuit and is a direct ind i cat i on of camera
speed.
The ARRIFLEX 35 BL is also equipped with the standard
start mark system which, through pin 3 of the Pilotone
receptacle , delivers the 12 volt DC current for the opera-
tion of a start mark osci ll ator in the recorder. Simul-
taneously, during the run up of the camera , the full frame
start mark lamp in the aperture will fog the film. Once
the camera has reached sync sound speed, both the
12 volt DC
and the fogging lamp are switched off, and
the Pilotone frequency is deli vered through pins 1 and 2.
Pilotone cables for the mo_st popular recorders are avail-
able from stock.
KPN 1 (15 feet) and KPN 1L (30 feet)
are suitable for use
with all ARRIFLEX cameras in conjunction with the
ARRIVOX-TANDBERG, the Nagra 3 and the Uher "Report
Pilot 1 000" and "1200".
KPN 4 (15feet)
and KPN 4L (30 feet) is suited for aiiARRI-
FLEX cafl'eras in connection with the N agra 4.
KPS 1 (15 feet) is suited
for ARRIFLEX cameras in con -
nection with the Stellavox SM 5 and SP 7. (All cab les for
Stell
avox reco rder s are specia l orde r items.)
Electronic accesso ries
Several
important and useful power accessor ies are
available- fur the ARRIFLEX 35 BL, most of which are
attached· via the flange receptac le (Fig. 9 /2) on top of
the r ea r connector board.
A) Remote control / panhandle sw it ch
The panhandle switch (Type RCS) makes it possible to
switch the camera "ON" and "OFF "· from a co nv enient
posit i on when operating off a tripod.
B) Variable speed control
A variable speed control for the lower framing rates
(5-30 tps) is -avail ab le for the ARRIFLEX 35 BL It em-
pl
oys a clampin g arrangement si milar to the one on the
panhandle switch so it can be fastened in a conveni ent
pos ition. The variable speed contro l (Type VS 35 BL) con-
tains a remote camera "ON / OFF " switch as well as a
selector for variab le speed or crys tal controlled fixed
speeds.
C) External
sync input
With
the external synchronizer (Type EXS) it is possible
to synchronize the camera from external sources such
as
pre-recorded Pilotones, Pil otone signals from other
cameras or any other external signal source which con-
forms to the current and frequency requirements of the
camera. This includes, for example,
the synchronization
of the came ra with a television sig nal through a suitable
circuit.
D) Multi-camera synchronizati
on
To run two ARRIFLEX 35 BL cameras in synchronization
with each other requires a special cable type KSY. This
cable al so all ows for the r emote start and stop of the
seco n da ry, the "slave d" camera , from the primary sync
camera .
High speed
accessory
The ARRIFLEX 35 BL can be ope rated at speeds of up
to 100 frames per second. For this, the camera requires
a
36 volt operating current whi ch can either be derived
from three 12 volt batteries or one special 36 volt battery.
The high-speed attachment fits in pl
ace of the bridge
plug (Fig. 9/4 a) in the flange mounted receptacle
(Fig. 9/4).
It is imp ortant that whenever the high-speed cable is
connected to this plug, all other power con n ections via
the standard
battery cable are disconnected to pr event
damage to
the circuit or the power source.
Emergen cy operation
It the electronic motor control circuit of the ARRIFLEX
35 BL fails, a spec ial emergency cable (Type KCN) can
be
connected to the receptacle (Fig. 9/4) in place of the
bridge plug. This cable is wired so the 12 volt current
from the battery is fed direct to the motor , bypassing all
the control circuits. A potentiometer on the cable allows
for speed adjustments according to the Tachometer. In
this
manner , the camera motor runs as a "wi ld" motor
and synchronous sound takes are not possible.
Converter power supplies
A) For the stationary, in door operation up to 30 tps of
the ARRIFLEX 35 BL it is possible to use a conve rter
14 15