Hi Ari,
I used an Elaine this summer. Don't know the exact weight, but without a doubt it is the heaviest 16mm camera I have come across. Felt more like a Moviecam Compact. The videotap is built-in and worked fine, and with the eyepiece removed there were no serious side-to-side balance issues. I'm not sure what questions you have about the lenses, but there is a full set of Panavision primes available and they all work fine, with no size/weight issues. Go for the clip-on matte box, of course. All in all, the camera worked like a charm, so I don't see any reason to avoid it.
One thing that you should be aware of is the power connector. I called Panavision LA and asked them whether the power connector was the same as on the 35mm cameras and they said yes. It is not, at least on the camera that we had. It looks like a smaller version of the Panavision connector, so be prepared for some possible splicing.
David Schwartz
d.a.schwartz@verizon.net
By the way, does anyone know the genesis of this camera's name? I heard that it was named after a Panavision receptionist, possibly as a prototype title only that somehow took hold, much to PV's chagrin. When I called to inquire about the connector, I was corrected with a somewhat sniffy "The Elaine? Oh, you must mean the Panavision 16."