Camera Profiles – Arriflex 16BL

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CinemaTechnic Camera Profiles – Arriflex 16BL

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NOTE: CinemaTechnic does NOT support the Arriflex 16BL.

The Arriflex 16BL cameras are now nearly 60 years old. They should be considered collectibles and not working cameras at this point. Spare parts have been unavailable for over 30 years. Questions about this camera will not be answered. 

This page is being maintained as a resource.

Arriflex 16BL

Arriflex 16BL

  • Predecessor:  Arriflex 16S
  • Successor:      Arriflex 16SR
  • Format:      Standard 16mm only
  • Movement:      Claw and registration pin
  • Viewfinder:      Mirror reflex, pivoting, non-orientable
  • Lens Mount:      ARRI Bayonet
  • Drive:      12V DC
  • Speeds:      24 or 25 fps fixed, 5 – 50 fps with variable speed motor
  • Film capacity:      400 ft (120m) magazines
  • Silent operation:     Yes
  • Crystal sync:       Only with aftermarket accessory

Introduced in 1965, the 16 BL is ARRI’s first silent 16mm camera. The 16 BL is essentially a self-blimped Arriflex 16M, (the “BL”  an abbreviation for “Blimped”) which refers to encasing the camera in a wrap-around sound deadening hard case. The ARRI 16S type film transport used in the 16BL was not designed to operate quietly so the blimping (a sound deadening enclosure) was neccessary.

To avoid camera noise escaping through the taking lens, lenses on the 16BL have to be blimped along with the camera body. For this reason it is almost always used with zoom lenses.

The 16BL operates with gear driven 400ft displacement magazines that can only be used on the 16BL

The 16BL came factory equipped with a zoom lens.

The 16BL is NOT suitable for Super 16 conversion.

16BL Items and Accessories for Sale

We have a high quality copy of the ARRI parts catalog for the 16BL, and some original ARRI photos (not copies) from the 16BL manual. Please inquire via email if you are interested in any of these items.

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Last Update: 2022-02-02

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