You can’t buy ARRI Ultra Primes new any more. On ARRI’s own website they sit in the Legacy section, next to the Aluras and the Ultra Prime LDS: discontinued, archive catalogue. And yet they’re still on set every week, and used prices haven’t dropped a cent. That’s exactly the situation where renting isn’t a compromise — it’s the only sensible way to get your hands on a set.

What they actually are

They came out of the ARRI and ZEISS partnership — built by ZEISS, sold exclusively by ARRI — and the full series runs from 8 to 180 mm at a constant T1.9. PL mount, Super 35 coverage. Our ARRI Ultra Prime kit in 16, 24, 32, 50, 85 and 135 mm is the selection that covers about 90% of what a drama or a commercial needs, without adding another case to the truck.

The character is exactly what it says on the tin: neutral. Even sharpness edge to edge, faithful colour, no charming flaws to sell in the grade. If you want flare, contrast falloff and nervous bokeh, look elsewhere — that’s what rehoused vintage glass is for. Ultra Primes are for when you build the look yourself, with light and in post, and you want the glass to stay out of the conversation.

Who we hand them to most

  • Drama and episodic: consistency between focal lengths is the whole point. Swap a lens mid-scene and nobody spots it in the edit.
  • Commercials and branded content: when the client has colour brand guidelines, neutral glass saves you half a day of corrections.
  • High-end documentary shot in controlled conditions. For run-and-gun doc work with one operator they stay awkward: they’re PL, they need motors, they need an AC.

If you shoot cine weddings or music videos with a two-person crew, in our opinion you’re better off with an autofocus set. Ultra Primes are crew lenses.

Why rent them, here in Abruzzo

A used six-lens set today costs about what a new car costs, and it doesn’t depreciate because rental demand keeps it propped up. If you shoot two or three projects a year, five days each, the maths never works out: you’re paying for idle capital, insurance, and above all servicing. That’s the line nobody puts in the spreadsheet — a PL set needs collimation and back focus checks, and when a focus ring starts to play, the overhaul costs about as much as a few rental days.

We check the kit before every job and deliver it in a dedicated flight case, with delivery and pickup on set anywhere in the region. Whether you’re shooting between L’Aquila and the Marsica, or down on the coast between Pescara and Teramo, the glass turns up where it’s needed without a crew member losing half a day to driving.

Three things to know before you book

Coverage is Super 35, not full frame. Obvious on paper, yet every season somebody turns up with a full-frame body and discovers the image circle at seven in the morning. On a Sony BURANO or any other large sensor they need Super 35 mode, or a crop agreed in prep — not improvised on the day.

The 16 mm is for environments, not for close-ups. Faces stretch towards the edges, as they do on any wide of this generation. It’s a directing choice, not a fault, but make it on purpose.

They’re light, and that’s an underrated advantage. For cine glass they’re compact: they balance well on gimbals and Steadicam, and lens changes are quick. The one thing to watch is recalibrating the follow focus motors after a swap, because the barrel travel isn’t identical across focal lengths.

What we pair them with

The natural match is the ARRI ALEXA Mini: same house, same philosophy, and a Log C image your colourist can work with blindfolded. On the control side we almost always add the Tilta Nucleus-M II for wireless focus and the three-stage Tilta MB-T12 matte box, because with glass this clean, filtration becomes the real creative lever: a light mist or a graduated ND changes the image more than you’d expect.

If you need the full package — camera, glass, focus control and filters — take a look at our complete kits, or send us your shooting dates: you’ll get a quote within 24 hours. The rest of the inventory is in the equipment catalogue.

Manufacturer’s official page: ARRI Ultra Prime Lenses.