Here Are the Cameras Used By this Year’s Oscar-Nominated Cinematographers

It goes without saying that there’s much more involved in cinematography than just choosing the right camera and lenses. But those decisions ultimately influence what we see on screen. Below we list the five films nominated for Best Cinematography and the cameras and lenses they used (with technical specifications culled from imdb.com).

You’ll notice that the Arri is by far the most popular camera used (as was the case last year). In fact, the Arri was also used to shoot Best Picture nominees “Theory of Everything,” “Whiplash,” “Selma” and “American Snper.” And film hasn’t been entirely eclipsed by digital cameras — it’s worth noting that Oscar nominees “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “Foxcatcher” and “The Imitation Game” were shot on film, as were “Nightcrawler” and “Interstellar.”

“Birdman” – DP Emmanuel Lubezki
Cameras: Arri Alexa M, Arri Alexa XT
Lenses: Leica Summilux-C, Zeiss Master Prime Lenses

READ MORE: 2015 Oscar Predictions: Best Cinematography
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” DP Robert Yeoman
Camera: Arricam ST
Lenses: Technovision/Cooke, Cooke S4, Varotal and Angenieux Optimo Lenses

“Ida,” DP Lukasz Zal and Ryszard Lenczewski
Camera: Arri Alexa Plus 4:3
Lenses: Zeiss Ultra Prime Lenses

“Mr. Turner,” DP Dick Pope
Cameras: Arri Alexa Plus, Canon EOS C500
Cooke Speed Panchro Lenses