17 October, 2011

R.I.P. Motion Picture Film Cameras

Sad news. ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have all stopped manufacturing motion picture film cameras.

While the debate has raged over whether or not film is dead, ARRI, Panavision and Aaton have quietly ceased production of film cameras within the last year to focus exclusively on design and manufacture of digital cameras. That's right: someone, somewhere in the world is now holding the last film camera ever to roll off the line.

"The demand for film cameras on a global basis has all but disappeared," says ARRI VP of Cameras, Bill Russell, who notes that the company has only built film cameras on demand since 2009. "There are still some markets--not in the U.S.--where film cameras are still sold, but those numbers are far fewer than they used to be. If you talk to the people in camera rentals, the amount of film camera utilization in the overall schedule is probably between 30 to 40 percent."


How good are digital motion picture cameras these days? Can they match the resolution of film? Color reproduction? Do they really look as good as a nice 70mm print?



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