Brand new to film cameras, saw a Super 8 on FB marketplace and wondering if it's a good find/idea

[Matthew Weinstein]

Hello everyone! Just discovered and joined this forum today, and it seems like a great place. I recently became interested in the concept of purchasing a film camera to keep and use as a hobby and have found that Facebook Marketplace is a trove for them. I don't, however, know if these deals are good or what to look out for to figure out how well the cameras work if I go to inspect them. I'm particularly looking at two postings, which I'll share the details of below, and would love your advice and insight on! 

The first is a "GAF XL/2 Sound Super 8" according to the post. I've included a photo of it below, and here is a video. When I asked if it was operable, the seller told me: "Yes I believe it still works. Don’t have any film to try it out" which doesn't inspire a TON of confidence. The cost is listed at $35.

The second is actually a listing with multiple cameras and I've included some photos below. They're titled as "Keystone 8mm film camera, a Yashica-U film video camera and a Beacon II camera" and priced at $15. The seller said "The Keystone camera seems like it would work because it’s film rotation mechanism properly turns and than the rest of the job is just exposing the film. The smaller one at the end should also work because it’s all about just exposing the film too. But the bigger trigger one I don’t really know. It might need a battery." 

So, what does everyone think. Do these look like they might work? What would it be like getting them running if not? Do I have a huge learning curve ahead of me? Thanks! Looking forward to being a part of the community.

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Hi!

a) These are cameras for completely different film formats. Are you sure that you want to dive into several formats at once?

b) There’s no pre-striped film anymore. Hence, avoid buying any sound camera - unless it’s a Fujica ZS400 that records sound as an optical soundtrack. (The recording part for magnetic soundtracks is now useless, but adds 500g and makes the camera more bulky and more prone to flaws. Etc..)

c) Avoid buying any film camera that is sold/advertised as a video camera. This only shows that the seller hasn’t got any clue.

d) There are brands that are normally recommended and there are brands that aren’t. And even among the recommended brands, there are cameras that should be avoided. (Yashica is the only recommended brand in your list. But that specific model is not a Super8-camera.)

e) Avoid buying cameras with a selenium light meter (as they usually fail to work after only 50 years).

f) Avoid buying cameras that need a separate coin cell for their light meter. As a rule of thumb, these coin cells aren’t available as mercury batteries with the correct voltage anymore.

g) When buying a Super8-camera, ensure selecting a model with an automatic exposure that knows more than just 40 and 160 ASA (both Tungsten balanced). Otherwise, your selection of films will be limited.

h) Check http://www.super8wiki.com/ and https://www.filmkorn.org/super8data/ before buying. Also listen to https://filmphotographyproject.com/film-photography-podcast-318/ and https://filmphotographyproject.com/film-photography-podcast-ep-344-super-8/ - sometimes the FPP isn’t correct and these lists will never be complete and always subjective, but it’s a start. Also take a look at https://cameracrate.com/ultimate-super-8-guide/ as a start.

i) Good luck and have a great third Sunday of Advent!

[Matthew Weinstein]

51 minutes ago, Joerg Polzfusz said:

Hi!

a) These are cameras for completely different film formats. Are you sure that you want to dive into several formats at once?

b) There’s no pre-striped film anymore. Hence, avoid buying any sound camera - unless it’s a Fujica ZS400 that records sound as an optical soundtrack. (The recording part for magnetic soundtracks is now useless, but adds 500g and makes the camera more bulky and more prone to flaws. Etc..)

c) Avoid buying any film camera that is sold/advertised as a video camera. This only shows that the seller hasn’t got any clue.

d) There are brands that are normally recommended and there are brands that aren’t. And even among the recommended brands, there are cameras that should be avoided. (Yashica is the only recommended brand in your list. But that specific model is not a Super8-camera.)

e) Avoid buying cameras with a selenium light meter (as they usually fail to work after only 50 years).

f) Avoid buying cameras that need a separate coin cell for their light meter. As a rule of thumb, these coin cells aren’t available as mercury batteries with the correct voltage anymore.

g) When buying a Super8-camera, ensure selecting a model with an automatic exposure that knows more than just 40 and 160 ASA (both Tungsten balanced). Otherwise, your selection of films will be limited.

h) Check http://www.super8wiki.com/ and https://www.filmkorn.org/super8data/ before buying. Also listen to https://filmphotographyproject.com/film-photography-podcast-318/ and https://filmphotographyproject.com/film-photography-podcast-ep-344-super-8/ - sometimes the FPP isn’t correct and these lists will never be complete and always subjective, but it’s a start. Also take a look at https://cameracrate.com/ultimate-super-8-guide/ as a start.

i) Good luck and have a great third Sunday of Advent!

Thank you so much for the detailed response! I truly appreciate it. I understand that these are completely different film formats. I figured, given the low price, I might be able to purchase the lot of three and see if any work, and then decide which I wanted to start with. Since you mentioned that the Yashica is the only recommended brand, it may be best for me to start with that one.

Thank you for explaining that it's not a Super 8 camera. I must admit that I didn't know the difference between 8mm and Super 8. If I were to buy the Yashica camera, would any sort of 8mm film work, or would a specific one be best? And, if I wanted to focus on Super 8, is there a brand or camera that would be best/easiest for me as a beginner?

Thank you! 

[Tyler Purcell]

The problem isn't the cost of the camera, the problem is the cost of the film, processing and scan/projection. A lot of people focus on the camera, but never really take into account the other costs. 

If I were starting out right now, I'd buy a really basic camera like a Canon 310XL, that's probably the best beginner camera. The 514XL is a slightly more advanced version, but the 310XL is probably the best over-all beginner camera. If you buy one of those, they're most likely going to work because the people who buy/own them, generally know what they are and their value vs quality. 

Super 8 is the cartridge format, and 8mm is a film on reels. So if you see a big square hole for the film, that's super 8. If you see a take up spool, that's 8mm.  I suggest staying away from 8mm entirely, it's really just for people who are messing around with old stuff and the cameras for the most part, don't have any of the nice automated features which make super 8 such a step up in quality. 

The other thing to think about is if you care about projecting or if you just want a digital file for your computer. Some people have old Super 8 projectors they want to play with, that's why I ask. 

Pricing right now on average is around $80 - $90 for cart, processing and low quality scan. With a production scan, you can add $30 - $50 to each roll. So the costs do increase exponentially.