ARRI Arriflex 35 (1937)
Seventeen thousand cameras, two Academy Awards, and a spinning mirror that rewrote how movies get focused.
Overview
In 1937, at the Leipzig Spring Fair, ARRI (Arnold & Richter Cine Technik) showed a camera that fixed a problem filmmakers had put up with for decades: you couldn't see exactly what the lens saw. The documentation describes the ARRIFLEX 35 as the first mass-produced reflex film camera, and in a related phrasing, the first reflex 35mm production motion picture camera. The operator could view the precise frame and focus distribution through the viewfinder with no parallax error.
The numbers are modest but telling. More than 17,000 Arriflex 35s were built over the years, which is a lot for professional motion picture gear, and it's why the camera turns up regularly on the secondary market today. The design won two Scientific and Technical Academy Awards, in 1966 and 1982.
What collectors are buying is a mechanism. The original Arriflex 35 was a newsreel camera in WWII, and it was built to be carried and used, not displayed.
Key Features
The Rotating Mirror Shutter
The core of the ARRIFLEX 35 is the world's first reflex mirror shutter. It was an invention of longtime ARRI engineer Erich Kästner, who brought the rotating mirror shutter to production readiness in motion picture cameras. A rotating mirror lets a continuous motor run the camera while giving the operator parallax-free reflex viewing. You can also focus the image by eye through the viewfinder, much like an SLR camera for photography. The basic design is still used today in ARRI's digital ALEXA line, and the reflex design was subsequently used in almost every professional motion picture film camera, still appearing in the Arri Alexa Studio digital camera.
Three-Lens Turret and Arri Standard Mounts
The camera uses a three lens turret with three aluminum Arri lens mounts. Later 35 IIC/B bodies moved to one stainless steel bayonet mount alongside two aluminum Arri mounts. The Arri standard mount was developed by Arri for both 16mm and 35mm movie cameras, with lenses distinguished by a tab inside an outer ring. It's a simple, durable interface that made swapping glass fast on a working set. The Arriflex 35 II carried three Arri standard mounts, and a surviving II B listing describes the same standard three-position turret with ARRI standard lens mounts.
Film Transport and Magazines
Early cameras used a simple eccentric screw pull down mechanism. It was crude by later standards, but reliable enough to keep running in the field. The camera could load 400 ft magazines, and magazine compatibility carried forward across the family. According to a later ARRIFLEX 235 manual, ARRIFLEX 35 III and 35 II magazines can be used, with the exception of the shoulder magazine and all 300m/1000ft magazines.
Speed and Shutter Revisions
With an accessory speed unit, the camera can run at up to 80 frames per second. The 35 IIA, introduced in 1953, brought a 180º shutter and a steel gate. The 35 IIC added a larger ground glass and a movable viewfinder, along with an improved viewing system. That system has larger viewfinder optics that allow viewing of the full anamorphic format, an interchangeable ground glass system, and an interchangeable eyepiece.
Techniscope Variant
The Arriflex 35 II CT/B was the Techniscope format model. It uses a 2-perf pulldown and a half-height gate to give an anamorphic aspect ratio of 2.35:1 with normal lenses, and it cuts film use in half. For productions watching negative costs, that was the whole argument.
Historical Context
The ARRIFLEX 35 arrived in 1937 as a newsreel camera. From 1939 onwards the German military became a major customer for ARRIFLEX cameras, which were used for propaganda purposes, and sales to the film industry were largely restricted. During the war, a copy of the ARRIFLEX, called the Cineflex, was developed in the United States, primarily for military applications. After 1945, ARRI was again able to deliver precision-engineered ARRIFLEX cameras from U.S.-occupied Bavaria, and the American copy disappeared from the market.
The first Hollywood film to use an Arriflex was the 1947 Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall film Dark Passage. The Arriflex 35 II followed in 1946, manufactured in a new ARRI factory, with three Arri standard mounts, 400 ft magazine capability, and the eccentric screw pull down. ARRI began importing the camera to the US in 1947. The IIA arrived in 1953 with its 180º shutter and steel gate. The IIC was introduced in 1963 (some sources say 1964) with the improved viewing system, and it became the most popular model. The Arriflex 35BL followed in 1972 as a lightweight, quiet alternative to the rather heavy and cumbersome blimped cameras of the time. The family lineup runs Arriflex 35, 35II, 35 IIA, 35 IIB, 35 IIC, and 35 IIIC. The sources describe the Arriflex 35 II as one of the most significant motion picture cameras of all time.
Collectibility & Value
Prices on the secondary market are all over the map, which is what happens when a camera was made in six major variants across four decades. Recent listings include an Arriflex 35 IIA set at €3499.00, an Arriflex 35 IIB at €1780.00, a 35mm IIB at €550.00, a 35mm IIC at €450.00, and a "come nuovo" (like new) Arriflex 35 at €1982.29. A 200ft/60m film magazine accessory has listed at €340.86. Higher-end offerings include a used ARRI Arriflex 35 HS Techniscope 2 Perf standalone module listed as "make an offer," and a fully-serviced ARRI Arriflex 35III camera package sold with a 7-day money-back guarantee and a 6-month parts and labor warranty.
Maintenance is not optional on these bodies. The service manual advises owners to lubricate the movement after 25,000 feet of film, or every 6 months, whichever comes first. A camera that has sat unused for years will need attention before it runs at speed, so buyers should check service history. No common failure points or spare parts availability information was found in the available documentation.
eBay Listings
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