Arri offers a wide array of 16mm film cameras. You can purchase these new or as used units from various dealers from all over the world. The Arriflex 16mm cameras are very sturdy and reliable; their older versions were widely used in guerilla shoots and war documentaries. They allow the use of prime lenses, offering the needed "film look" through right lighting and visual composition from the cinematographer or camera operator.
Some of the rock-steady Arriflex 16mm cameras still in wide use for independent films, low-budget mainstream movies and documentary projects today include the Arri 16S and 16SB, Arri SR I, II and III and the Arri 16BL.
The Bolex 16mm cameras generally have excellent mechanics and a user-friendly interface. A Bolex camera also is a great first camera for its cost. The most popular Bolex 16mm camera in the market is the Bolex H-16. It requires no batteries so the filmmaker simply winds the film and the camera is ready to shoot.
Bolex cameras were widely favored by many war news reporters because of its tough exterior and versatile features. Currently, they are ideal cameras for documentaries, travelogues and wildlife filming for filmmakers on a very tight budget, yet still preferring to shoot in 16mm over the digital format.
The Krasnogorsk, more popularly referred to as K-3, is a solid, rugged and durable spring-wound 16mm camera best known for its quality and very low-cost. It derived its name from its place of origin, Krasnogorsk, Russia.
This clockwork camera is very versatile, as it allows many options for upgrades such as adding electric motors, shooting with sync sound, attaching adapters to use major lens mounts and even non-standard lenses and modifying for super-16 film use. It also offers a zoom precision lens with a clear image view and an image electronic exposure meter. Favored by many independent filmmakers, this camera is able to accommodate many types of film lenses at a very affordable cost.
The Aaton LTR series, particularly the LTR and LTR-54, and the Aaton XTR series, particularly the XTR, XTRplus and XTRProd, are top 16mm film camera choices for many filmmakers. During the 1970s, these cameras were also utilized by many professional productions due to the pioneering use of timecode to synchronize the visuals with live sound recording.
Although Aaton cameras are quite expensive compared to other 16mm cameras, many cinematographers prefer using these cameras when shooting in 16mm format. Aaton mainly focused on producing sound-friendly motion picture cameras that also are portable and suitable for guerilla-style filmmaking. It also is widely used in professional work as it can accommodate Aaton, PL and Panavision lens when using the correct lens mounts.