Arriflex 16 ST

Designed by Erric Kneastner, Arri 16ST is of the most iconic 16 mm cameras in the world with a unique ergonomic body design. In this camera, the cameraman essentially grabs the 45 degree angled mirror/shutter housing with his/her four fingers, and rests his/her thumb on a curved extrusion that looks like a hook (below, right).

 

This camera takes lenses with Arri standard mount that are locked in place by pushing two tabs together for each lens on the lens turret. Each lens is aligned exactly like the other lenses so the lens controls are always at the same position. Arri 16S, and later 16 ST was first released in 1952, and was Kubrick's favorite test shot camera.

Arri 16ST Film gate

In Arri 16ST, the film advance pin (left) is engaged from the back of the film. There are two pins that are involved: One pin advances the film while the shutter swings closed , and the other engages with the film perforation while the shutter swings open to prevent film from moving during each exposure. The Film advance mechanism in Arri 16ST, and SRII are made with extreme precision to insure film steadiness during each exposure. Arri claims it could keep the film as steady as 1/400 of the film aperture's height.

Holding the 16 ST you are actually holding the housing for its disc shutter. It's a very unique design.

Requires Timing Alignment