ARRI is expanding its CPO (Certified Pre-Owned) program by offering also old and special cine glass: Master Primes, ALURA Zooms, and Ultra 16. What about the cost? Read below.
ARRI’s Stamp of Approval
We wrote here before about ARRI Approved Certified Pre-Owned program which offers second hand ALEXA cameras that underwent an aggressive certification process by ARRI. This meticulous procedure includes image sensor quality, recording functions, connectors, audio system, ARRI Lens Control System, and updates to the latest Software Update Packet (SUP).
1-year warranty from ARRI
The best thing about the program is the 1-year warranty from ARRI. That is an excellent opportunity for filmmakers who desire a genuinely professional cinema solution for their productions without breaking the bank. However, the cameras in the CPO program are not cheap. The average price stands at $25,000. The most inexpensive camera stands at $10,000 give or take. Sure you can find more affordable options on eBay, but if you want to sleep well at night, go with the CPO.
As opposed to the certification process of the cameras, ARRI doesn’t elaborate much regarding the testing procedure of this old glass. However, the lenses are also covered by a one-year warranty by ARRI. For now, don’t expect to find there the Signature Primes, but more like an older glass yet extremely unique, like the Master Primes, Ultra 16 and even the ALURA Zoom glass.
Expanding the program with more possibilities
Recently, ARRI expanded the stock of pre-owned by adding a couple of ALEXA Mini into the pool. The birth of the ALEXA Mini LF caused many ALEXA Mini owners to sell their Mini and to upgrade to the larger sensor version of the Mini. That might be one of the reasons we see so many Mini offered by CPO, which, by the way, have already been sold out. Furthermore, there are also interesting combinations, for instance, ALEXA XT combined with ALURA glass which cost (FYI) more than $39,000.
Cine lenses
According to ARRI, the cine lenses included in the CPO are not exactly pre-owned, but demo and showroom products. ARRI says those cine lenses are carefully selected demo and showroom products, which were checked and certified.
As opposed to the certification process of the cameras, ARRI doesn’t elaborate much regarding the testing procedure of this old glass. However, the lenses are also covered by a one-year warranty by ARRI. For now, don’t expect to find there the Signature Primes, but more like an older glass yet extremely unique, like the Master Primes, Ultra 16 and even the ALURA Zoom glass.
ARRI Master Primes
The Master Primes are Super 35 prime lenses that are compatible with digital and film cameras. They create images of high resolution and contrast. The ARRI/Zeiss Master Primes provide optimal image quality and clean chroma-keying. High resolution is maintained in image corners even when the lens is used wide open and at close focus.
Master Primes highlights
- Covers Super-35 Sensor Size
- Fast T1.3 Aperture for Shallow D.O.F.
- Virtually No Lens Breathing
- Greatly Reduced Flare
- 20″ Minimum Focus Distance
- 114 mm Front Diameter
- Weighs about 6 Pounds
- PL Mount with LDS (Lens Data System)
- Aspherical Elements / Minimal Aberration
Price
ARRI 50mm Master Prime Lens will cost you $24,350 on B&H. However, in ARRI’s CPO, you will pay $14,000 for the 35mm and $16,000 for the 18mm lens.
Ultra 16
The ARRI Ultra16s are manual focus primes with a PL mount that covers the Super 16 format. The lens provides rich contrast, veiling glare protection, and helps deliver that well-known ARRI Look to your image. Featuring a fast maximum aperture of T1.3, the lens allows for shallow depth of field cinematography, which can be challenging to achieve in Super 16.
Ultra 16 Product Highlights
- Covers Super 16 Format
- Color Matched to Other ARRI Lenses
- T* XP Lens Coatings
- T1.3 Maximum Aperture
- Minimal Breathing
- Dual Focus Markings
- Integrated 0.8 MOD Lens Gears
- Consistent Gear Positions Among Series
- Consistent 95mm Lens Front Among Series
Price
An ARRI Ultra16 50mm T1.3 Prime Lens will cost you $15,500 on B&H. On ARRI’s CPO, you can get it for $5,000, which is a significant saving on that lens!
ALURA Zoom
The ALURA is a long PL-mount zoom lens that covers up to Super 35mm-sized camera sensors and is optimized for the ARRI ALEXA 2K 16:9 format. The ALURA zooms’ optical features include high resolution and contrast performance, with a multi-layer coating, reduced chromatic aberration, and minimized breathing while focusing. A nine-bladed iris produces a rounded, natural-looking bokeh (out-of-focus highlights).
Price
On B&H an ARRI ALURA 45-250mm T2.6 will cost you $35,500 and $29,000 for the 18-80mm T2.6, comparing to the ALURA from the CPO that costs $21,000 and $16,800 respectively.
Final thoughts
Although ARRI Approved Certified Pre-Owned Program does not include any large format solutions (cameras and glass), it’s a good thing that this program is expanding to allow more options to filmmakers that are eager to shoot with ARRI products but have a limited budget.
Regarding lenses, we can see a significant price reduction. The CPO allows filmmakers the privilege of owning an ARRI glass with a fraction of the cost. Nevertheless, modern filmmakers must not forget that this is the era of large-format glass which means there is a chance for obsolesces in the Super 35 glass and especially regarding the Super 16 format.
Would you purchase those lenses from ARRI’s Approved Certified Pre-Owned Program? Let’s know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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