Vintage movie cameras

[silverscape]

Okay, I know this might be a little bit off topic, since mostly we talk about still cameras here. But I have a collection

of 8mm movie cameras, and Joseph Ohlsen mentioned some of the 8mm cameras he had. So I was just curious if

anyone had any old 8mm or 16mm cameras they wanted to show? Do any of you still use them? I just sent a

couple of rolls to Dwayne's Photo to get developed, and I ordered some more film.<p>

 

I'm mostly over my blues about *breaking* my Argus C-44....a big thanks to people here for helping me with that.

This is definitely not the first time people on Photo.net have helped me, especially on the Classic Cameras forum.<p>

 

Anyway, I thought I'd get things started. Here's my Cine Kodak 8 (model 60):<p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/100_6209b.jpg"><p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/100_6210b.jpg"><p>

 

And here's my collection of 8mm cameras. (There's one 16mm magazine camera, but I've never used that one).

This picture is from about a year ago, I have even more now! By the way, I don't just collect these, I've actually

filmed with probably half of these cameras...<p>

 

<img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/100_5728bsmall.jpg">

[Rick_van_Nooij]

I have a Keystone A7 + leather case that I'm selling. <br>

<br>

<img src="http://www.flibweb.nl/flibweb/cpg143/albums/userpics/10001/keystone1.jpg"><br>

It still has a roll of film in it<br>

<br>

And I've got a Bell & Howell Filmo in my collection. But never attempted to use it.

[randall ellis]

I have a couple of Keystone tri-lens 8mm and super8 cameras. Lots of fun to use, and they look awesome too. If I weren't at work :) I'd post some pics.

 

- R

[chuck_foreman1]

Chris,

 

Glad to see you chipper and ready to go... I think they must of made these "entry-level" There was one laying around

my house that must've belonged to my grandfather. In my memory it's similar to the one on the far right in your

picture with a wind key and a simple lens. I remember then thinking Wow look at this old thing and it still works. This

was probaly in the mid 70s, only God knows whatever happened to it...

probably still in that house somewhere. Is Dwaynes the only provider/developer of this kind of film? Is it because the

film is "Kodachrome" Proably both! How do you view it? Do you have an old projektor?

Can/does anybody still convert this? My Aunt must have some old footage of me and my brothers playing football

with my Dad. I'd love to see that again. Aren't there some indie "film" producers actually shooting in this format for

that special look? These are then "silent" films right? I guess digital is taking over in film making too.. but still aren't

many films still "shot" in transparency film like Ektachrome? Or am I showing my ignorance??

[scott_stadler]

Most motion pictures are shot on color negative film like the excellent Kodak Vision 2 series. There is still a lot of

resistance to digital movie making in Hollywood. A few film makers like George Lucas are pushing digital, and it is popular

for movies with lots of CGI, but the majority are still shot on film. That will probably change in the future though.

[razondetre]

When it comes to cine I turn to Chambless Cine (http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/). They even have reg. 8mm

film.

 

Ok Chris, forgot to mention I once had the Model A Kodak 16mm with the crank. It was cool but I sold it because,

well, my "collection" grows or shrinks depending on the economy. Right now, the "collection" is shrinking as it goes

on a certain auction website. Hey, had a few Keystone A-7. There is an A8 around here somewhere. Oh, once I

had the smallest movie camera ever built - the Bolsey 8. Long ago also had a French Sept 35mm (half frame) that

supposedly could do 7 functions - movie, single shot, enlarge, project and I forgot what else. It had large film

cartridges which could be loaded with 250 exposures/frames. On the side it had a big wind up motor that could be

removed. You can see it on the web at http://camerapedia.org/wiki/Debrie_Sept but mine had the round motor box

(2nd version) and the pic.s there don't show you the Sept logo of a devil holding a camera (next to the name plate).

 

Hey, I found the "autofocus" movie lens. It was made by Zeika Optco.

[silverscape]

Chuck,

 

There's a lot of places that sell and develop regular ("double-run") 8mm film, you just have to look online. I found another place, called Spectrum Film and Video. They sell regular 8mm and all kinds of Super-8 film. They're actually in Hollywood, so I might go out there sometime just to take a look. (What's with all these places being in LA?)

 

I think Dwayne's is the only place that develops Kodachrome. I did use that for a while, but lately I've been using Ektachrome 100D...there's a lot of places that sell and develop it. You can get 8mm transferred to DVD. A lot of places will do that. I know Dwayne's Photo and Spectrum Film and Video will do it. Google is your friend :)

 

But yeah, I do have a projector. It's a Kodak Brownie 300 projector. It works great. I don't bother getting my 8mm movies transferred...I figured if I'm going to film movies the old school way with vintage cameras, I might as well do it the right way and watch it on a projector! I've shown a few of them to my friends...it's so weird watching an 8mm film, you feel like you're going back in time, but then you see moder cars and buildings. I really do recommend everyone to try it at least once. The only problem is that 8mm film is expensive, and also they don't make low ISO Kodachrome anymore. I just used 100D on my Kodak Cine 8 camera, but I probably overexposed it. I'll see how it turns out. You might need a neutral density filter with some cameras. I have a Bolex K2, and it has a variable shutter, so I think you can use pretty much any film with it.

[silverscape]

...oh yeah, Rick, I have a Bell and Howell "Filmo" camera too. Actually, I have a couple of them. They're really neat

little cameras. Unfortunately though, every single one of them that I've come across had a problem with the pressure

plate...none of them will stay closed anymore :(

 

I guess a spring or something just wears out after a while. Everything else on the Filmo camera seems pretty

reliable and both of mine still work otherwise. But one time I was playing around with it, and I noticed that the film

wasn't advancing through the gate. Then I saw that the pressure plate wasn't staying closed. I wonder if there's

some way to fix that. Well, other than with duct tape!

[dan_b.4]

Is that a Bell & Howell 414 PD among your arsenal there? I bought one of those a few months back just before I became unemployed so I haven't had spare cash to run any film through it and get it processed. The camera also had a roll of film exposed on the first side which I want to send off when I can afford to do so to find out what's on it!

[silverscape]

yup, Daniel...Bell and Howell "Director's Series." It's a really neat camera. It has auto exposure, but you can also use manual mode. The auto exposure still works though...at least, I know it did as of a year ago, the last time I actually filmed with it. I used Cinechrome40 (Kodachrome) film though, and it doesn't seem to be available anymore. I haven't tried Ektrachrome 100D with that camera yet. I'm planning to send out a roll of 100D that I shot in my old Kodak Cine 8, so we'll see what happens. If it's totally overexposed, then I guess you have to use a neutral density filter in order to use it in really old cameras. If you ever do want to use the B&H camera, the good news is that it has a separate sensor for the light meter, and you can also switch the aperture to completely manual mode. And it goes down to F/22.

[mark_medin]

I have a couple of old 8mm double-run cameras, both battery-powered. A Yashica 8-up with CdS meter, and a Konica which I love because it has everything I'd ever want in an 8mm in a very small package. I also have a 16mm Filmo 70DL which works fine (well, at least the last time I used it). It's a pain to get the loops correct, but other than that, it couldn't have had a more steady frame rate for a spring-wound camera. Never had a problem with the gate, either. I don't have a good lens for it anymore, I used to have a nice C-mount zoom with dogleg that I sold. I still have the camera with the original lenses, but the lenses are all in pretty bad shape.

[patrick j dempsey]

I used to have one like the one front and center... it had a handle with a trigger which could be mounted to is and used to fire the shutter. I never got film for it and over the years it got lost. It was fun to wind up and play with when I was a kid though.

[richard_]

It was probably Super 8mm movie cameras which inspired my love for photography in general. The Kodachrome color film with its 'washed-out' yet vibrant colours gave it that almost surreal "look" - which i love. Now i use a NIZO S56 with the Schneider 7-56mm lens which give excellent results, though the Bell & Howell models i used in the early 70's were also great...... !<div></div>

[JDMvW]

Here is the only movie camera featured in my little guide to DDR cameras, the AK8 from Pentacon. It is a "Schmalfilmkamera" 8mm spring wound camera. It works mechanically, but where does one get film for these?

 

It has a Zeiss Triotar f/2.8 fixed focus lens.<div></div>

[clay2]

I still have and use movie projectors, 8mm, super 8mm , 16 mm, etc.

I would love to find a Bolex-16 camera in good condition.

 

/Clay

[Brian1664876441]

Still have some, but they are relegated to the Basement. I let my daughter play with a Super-8 GAF with Zoom. Still have a GAF Sound Super-8. Also a Yashica SU-600E.

 

Still have some Double-8 Kodachrome in the refrigerator. And I mean Kodachrome, 1957 vintage. Probably a couple of rolls of Super-8 Ektachrome, long out of date but refrigerated.

[jack_welsh]

Great collection, Chris! I don't have any movie cameras now. But, years ago, I bought a new Gaf super 8 with 10-1 zoom and different film speeds, including single frame. Loaned it to someone and never got it back. Loaned a Gaf dual 8 projector to some one else, never got that back. And, (three strikes I'm out) loaned several Blackhawk films of Laurel and Hardy,etc to a third person and never got those back. I do have a Bell and Howell projector that needs a lamp and one Laurel and Hardy film.

[Andy Collins]

I have several movie cameras, but these are probably my favorites-- a Revere Model "88", a Kodak Brownie, and a Kodak Instamatic M12. Fun thread, Chris!<div></div>

[Andy Collins]

and this one...<div></div>

[mark_medin]

Oh, I forgot my Super-8 camera. A Canon XL-310 AF. Yes, it's an autofocus cine camera and I was surprised how well it worked when I got used to using the one-shot AF system. I basically got it for nearly nothing in a bin at a photo shop, and it looked to be unused. It was fun to use in the late '90s, and I could still use it if I had the time, money, and inclination. What I never understood about the camera is why it had such a fast (f/1.0) lens.

[mark_medin]

Sorry, my error. I just located the camera, it's the AF310 XL-S. It had sound, but I never used it.

[silverscape]

Wow! It's great to see so many people interested in this! I wasn't expecting this kind of response.

 

Andy, I have that Revere camera too! It's in good condition, and the spring motor and shutter seem to run okay...except that while it's running every once in a while it jerks a little. It might be running a little bit rough, but it never seems to jam. I haven't tried to actually shoot film in it yet. I don't see any reason why it shouldn't work. Except that I have the same concern with all my really old 8mm cameras...that the shutter speed might be too slow and it might overexpose 100D film. I can't seem to find Cinechrome 40 (Kodachrome) film anywhere. Well, at least not in regular 8mm. It's still seems to be available in 16mm though. Ektachrome 100D is a good film and it's daylight balanced so you don't have to use a color filter to shoot outside. But I'm wondering if maybe the ISO is too high for those old mechanical cameras.

 

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...I also have a Super-8 camera. I only have one so far. It's a Sankyo Sound XL-40S. It's battery powered and runs on 4 AA batteries. At first, I wasn't really all that interested in Super-8. I like Regular 8mm because I just like spool cameras better...they're older and have a more solid and "retro" feel to them. But I just happened to see the Sankyo camera in an antique shop. I noticed that it has a completely manual aperture setting. It has auto exposure through the lens, but there is also a full manual mode. I had never seen that in any of the Super-8 cameras I've looked at, so I didn't want to pass that up. I only paid $20 for it! Everything seems to work. There's a couple of stuck switches. The sound switch is stuck, and the framerate switch is stuck on 18 FPS, which is fine anyway. But all the important things work. Even the power zoom still works fine. Sometime soon, I want to get a couple of Super-8 cartridges and try it out. Of course, I also have to get a Super-8 projector. That's one more thing on my list...

[jack_welsh]

Chris, in looking for a super 8 projector. A dual 8 would also be a good choice.

[leon_b1]

I've got a Bolex B8L and B8SL, as well as a P2 (no pictures, sadly), all of which see regular use.

 

As far as standard-8 film stocks go, Cinechrome 40 (i.e. Kodachrome) was still available until a couple of months back, when I last used it - have you tried contacting the supplier directly? Otherwise 100D is a beautiful film stock - you just have to be careful in very bright conditions. There's also a 10ASA B&W stock which can look beautiful if exposed correctly....

[steve_sheppard]

Here's a picture of my Keystone K-4C Standard-8mm, bought here in the UK at a jumble sale back in the 1980s, probably similar to the ones Randall Ellis mentions. The standard lens (12.7mm f2.0) is built-in to the body, and the turret carries a hood in the standard lens position, and two supplementary lenses, a 9mm f2.0 wide-angle, and a 25mm f2.0 telephoto, both by Elgeet, Rochester, N.Y. Was/is this a separate company, or did they also make the Keystone cameras?

 

Ashamed to say it is about 20 years since I used it, but results then were very satisfactory. In mitigation, I didn't realise until recently that Standard-8 film was still obtainable! Everything appears to be still in working order, including the auto-aperture.<div></div>