Cooke S3 on Aaton XTR

Hi guys.

Does anyone see a reason why the Cooke S3, actually meant for 35 mm should not fit and work properly on a Aaton XTR Prod ?
PL mount being PL mount...Back of the lens in the way of the mirror ?
Lack of space ?

Anyone tried it already ?

Thanks.

Jean Marc Selva,

D.P. Paris.

Just used my Cooke MK III zoom on a 16 mm Aaton and sr III.

Worked fine.

Gerard Brigante

Should be a pretty easy test.

Mirror clearance is usually only an issue with wide angle lenses, so it's a question of which lens you're referring to. And since the old Cookes were only manufactured in Arri standard or Arri Bayonet mount, I'll assume this is a re-housed lens. In this case it can be an issue as to whether the housing itself will fit onto the little Aaton. The mount might be right but the viewfinder might not clear.

Should be able to test without causing harm, and if not possible then a simple set of physical measurements will tell you what will fit.

Mitch Gross
NYC DP

There is an explanation I read years ago :

35mm lenses are (or used to be?) optimized taking into account the fact that the most interesting part of the image is not lying in the center of it but offset, probably around the golden section. So best resolution is located at the edges of a S16 frame.

Apart from that if the S3's are on the original Arri S mount you simply cannot use them because their mount rotates during focus and all adapters need to securely lock the mount.

So you need to re-barell the entire lens in order to use it.

Regards
Argyris Theos
DoP
Athens Greece

Argyris Theos wrote :

> Apart from that if the S3's are on the original Arri S mount you simply >cannot use them because their mount rotates during focus and all >adapters need to securely lock the mount.

There are Cooke-specific Arri standard to PL adapters that have a little arm that locks the Cooke, and their weird mounts, in place. No rebarreling required.

Jeff Kreines

> There are Cooke-specific Arri standard to PL adapters that have a little >arm that locks the Cooke, and their weird mounts, in place. No >rebarreling required.

I admit I did not know that. Are there such adapters from Arri standard to
Aaton?

Regards
Argyris Theos
DoP
Athens Greece

Argyris Theos wrote:

> Are there such adapters from Arri standard to Aaton?

There certainly were when I bought my first Aaton, in 1980...
someone's got them, I'm sure. Perhaps Les Bosher?

Jeff Kreines

Jeff Kreines writes:

> There certainly were when I bought my first Aaton, in 1980...
> someone's got them, I'm sure. Perhaps Les Bosher?

Perhaps Peter Abel, Abel Cine Tech, NYC.

I think we got one there a while ago.

Brian Heller
IA 600 DP

Try one of the British Aaton houses, such as ICE.

Mitch Gross
NYC DP

There are two common adapters from Arri mount to Aaton mount. One uses a toggle handle to quick release the mount and is for Arri Bayonet mount lenses only. The other is for Arri standard and uses set screws. I own one of each. Neither is good for the Cooke lenses mentioned in this thread.

The mount has to have a little tab in it so that the lens can rotate as needed. There's no reason why an adapter cannot be made from this to fit Aaton mount, although I can't recall having ever seen one myself.

Mitch Gross
NYC DP

Mitch Gross writes :

>The other is for Arri standard and uses set screws. I own one of each.

I do too. But Mitch, do most Arri standard mount lenses work with the set screw adaptor? I had mine on a bayonet mt lens, and use the fast adaptor mostly since I donÂ´t have standard mt lenses but come to think of it itÂ´s good to have both then...

Thanks and best regards

John Babl

I don't think that anyone should ever use series 2/3, they should be pulped/crushed.

That way I'd be the only person with a full set and I could sleep easy...

Why does anyone want to use such old lenses ?

Cheers

Geoff Boyle FBKS
Director of Photography
EU Based
www.cinematography.net

John Babl writes :

>But Mitch, do most Arri standard mount lenses work with the set screw >adaptor?

Yes. Most Arri standards only use the tab to keep from rotating in the mount, but the cylinder of the mount is a solid ring of metal so the tab doesn't serve any other function. The Cookes need the tab because they NEED to rotate within.

I have the Arri Bayonet quick-release adapter for my Arri Bayo mount primes. The set screw adapter could work on Bayo or standard, but I use it permanently mounted on an old Kinoptik 5.7 standard mount. I have a Nikon adapter sitting in the kit and used to have Leica, Pentax and a couple of others that I can't recall anymore. Every now and then I see some of the most unique Aaton mount adapters come up on eBay or emailed to me asking "just what is this sucker?" Heck if I know! Some machinist had a party I guess.

Mitch Gross
NYC DP

>Why does anyone want to use such old lenses ?

I dunno... Saves using a '85 filter???

Andy Taylor
Camera Engineer
Arri Media
UK

> Every now and then I see some of the most unique Aaton mount >adapters come up on eBay or emailed to me asking "just what is this >sucker?"

I have a C-mount adapter that only works with un-metered Aaton's -- modified my 10mm Switar for it (shaved the threads a bit).

Works great!

Jeff Kreines

Andy Taylor writes :

> I dunno... Saves using a '85 filter???

Only with the 75mm

Cheers

Geoff Boyle FBKS
Director of Photography
EU Based
www.cinematography.net

I'm pretty sure we have a few in used and I know we have a few Aaton - Arri Std. screw type adapters in our rental dept. I'm sure Jeff or Milton could find you one at a good price, but it's almost a moot point because those lenses focus by turning in the mount. The screw-type adaptor has no locating tab for the mount so you lose the ability to focus the lens if I recall correctly. I might be daft thought. I have a few Cookes for my Arri SB at home.

I think I saw a new C-mount adapter in the new parts drawers yesterday. Nutty stuff. Jon, our lens guy has a Leica M-mount to C-mount adapter I believe.

>Why does anyone want to use such old lenses ?

They have a rather distinct look. I rather like it.

Nathan Milford
Camera Technician
AbelCineTech
New York, USA

>>Why does anyone want to use such old lenses ?

NM> They have a rather distinct look. I rather like it.

Sorry, I was being difficult.

Cheers

Geoff Boyle FBKS
Director of Photography
EU Based

Geoff wrote :

>I don't think that anyone should ever use series 2/3, they should be >pulped/crushed.

If anybody has a set in PL mounts, that they want to crush, let me know!

Stephen Williams DoP
Zurich
www.stephenw.com