In recent years we have seen standard 4-perf cameras increasingly passed over in favor of 3-perforation setups —which is primarily due to a 25% savings in film and processing costs. Many feature films are being shot Super 35 composed for 2.40 with spherical lenses, as well as in 1.85.

Even greater savings are available through employing 2-perf cameras, which use half the film of a standard 4-perf, and also provide a 50% savings in processing costs. What’s more, a 1000-foot magazine will run 22.2 minutes and a 400-foot mag 8.8 minutes —significantly reducing down time on the set for reloading. The 2-perf configuration also allows scenes to be filmed with short ends that might normally be wasted.

With today’s high quality film stocks, lenses plus the wide range of adjustment and enhancements available through the DI process, 2-perf 35mm makes a lot of sense for 2.40 releases on the big screen. What’s more, because the spherical lenses are more efficient than anamorphics, you can shoot with a bigger lens opening and save a substantial amount of money on lighting!

2-perf 35mm cameras with 1.78 composing work well for TV productions and are an artistic and cost-effective alternative to HD video. The image area for 2-perf 35mm is 2-1/2 times larger than 16mm cameras, resulting in a much higher quality.

Currently, we offer Arricam LT, BL4, BL3, 435 and Arri-3 cameras in 2-perf configurations. As an interesting side note, we’ve tested these conversions in our sound lab and found the Bls to be almost as quiet as the Arricam. Please check out the enclosed drawings to show the ground glass and aperture sizes for most popular combinations.

Also available upon request, we have beautiful 2-perf footage to share with you that once seen on the big screen it will knock your socks off. Seeing is believing and then you'll fully understand why this is so popular in Europe.