ARRI’s New cforce MAX Lens Motor Promises to Be Twice as Fast as Its Previous Model

Well, that was quick: less than a few weeks after the announced acquisition of ARRI by Thomas Riedel and the Riedel Group, the mystery of whether the company would continue to develop and release new products might already be solved.

Of course, this was likely a new product that had already been developed and was set to launch, so it might be a while before we know for sure how ARRI will operate with this new owner, but for now, it’s a win for new products and options for filmmakers.

The news here is that ARRI is introducing its next-gen cforce MAX lens motor, which is set to be an enhancement of the Hi-5 lens control system and feature exceptional speed and intelligent onboard controls. Here’s what you need to know.

ARRI cforce MAX

Designed to be twice as fast, yet just as strong and durable as the previous cforce plus model it replaces, the ARRI cforce MAX is set to be 15% smaller and lighter. With this new compact and lightweight design, it’s also set to be just as fast and powerful, with plenty of versatile mounting options, easy setup, and total reliability in the most demanding shooting environments.

Ideally, a nice complement to the cforce mini and wireless cforce mini RF in ARRI’s lens motor lineup, this new cforce MAX lens motor is an option for your larger cine primes, zoom lenses, vintage glass, and other specialty optics that might require greater strength and precision. However, it’s also just a solid option all-around and could be easily used across other handheld, gimbal, and studio configurations.

What’s cool about this cforce MAX, too, is that it will now feature a physical button for core functions, such as changing the motor axis, and an integrated display with a touchscreen for further intuitive configuration and status monitoring directly on the motor.

Price and Availability

Overall, while this was likely a new product on the roadmap and developed over the past several months, it’s a good sign nonetheless that business will continue as usual for ARRI here in the short term, and hopefully get a boost in the future.

If you’re curious to learn more about the ARRI cforce MAX and find out more about its compatibility with the cforce mini and cforce mini RF, then you can head to the company's website here for full details—with pricing set to be announced soon.