8mm

angelina · May 10, 2006

I am about to experiment shooting in 8mm. So I need to purchase an 8mm camera. What kind should I get or what should I look for when I am purchasing. is there a name brand that i should look for? Does it have to be pricey?

and what kind of film goes with 8mm? It will be all ambient lighting.

Thank you! all the information I could get will be helpful.

A.Oliver · May 10, 2006

Hi, cameras that i recommend in the super 8 format are. Beaulieu 6008 and 7008, leicina special, look out for a primitive looking zeiss moviflex MS8 the camera is fitted with a 9-36 lens, often sell cheap on ebay but the lens is very,very sharp.. Canon 814/1014xls are good and reliable cameras but the optics are not good in low lite, image goes soft. People often rave about the nikon R10, be carefull i know the auto exposure is totally unrepairable if it fails. Basically you need a camera that can read all film speeds from say 25 to 400/500 asa, and a camera with a decent auto exposure as someday auto exp could be of immense use. Whats you budget for a camera?

angelina · May 10, 2006

HI again. Well, i seethem on ebay for really cheap. So maybe between $50-$250 at the most is my budget.

angelina · May 11, 2006

What's your opinion on Nikon 8x super zoom? OR THE NIZO 4080? or bolex pailard for shooting in ambient natural light? Do they have interchangeable lenses? or are they fixed?

A.Oliver · May 11, 2006

Hi, cannot comment on the nikon R8, auto exp requires those 1.35v cell i think. Imi, avoid any nizo sound cameras, unless they come with a full warranty, nizo sound cams have a belt that drives the core or claw, can't remember which, the belt stretches over time, resulting in no claw/core operation. With your budget, look out for that zeiss camera, spend any remaining cash on film stock. Since around 1970ish Bolex super 8 cameras are rebadged eumigs model i think. Not sure which bolex/eumigs if any, can read all the filmstocks speeds in auto mode correctly. Also given your budget either look for a canon 814xls, or perhaps a canon 814xle, i believe the 814xle can read film speeds from 25-400 asa. May be worth you posting this question in the super 8 forum.

Matt Wells · May 11, 2006

Hi there,

see my post on to your thread in the super8 forum.

Also, I have filmed one wedding on super8 and one on 16mm before - looked excellent. Plus my own wedding last year was shot on 16mm - by two people from this forum!

Matt