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Surf Film


angelina

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Hi, I am about to make a purchase of an 8mm for a small surf film I want to put together. It's all going to be in natural light. What kind of 8mm camera do you recommend for beautiful colors, and that nice home movie look (or is that films stocks job) basically I want to shoot in ambient light is the bolex pailard good? Nizo 4080? or cannon xl? What do you recommend? I could use all the help I can get. i have never shot on 8mm. so it will be my first.

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Hi there Angelina.

 

First, the Bolex is not a super8 camera - they only made standar8 and 16mm cameras. Standard8 film (also called double 8) is available but very limited choice of emulsions and frankly, whilst the bolex cameras a beautiful to behold (and you can get service on them at the factory in Switzerland still) you will be better off with a super8 camera.

 

You mention the Nizo 4080. This, and the 6080, are very good cameras and identical for modern purposes (the 6080 can take a 200ft mag but these have not been available for years)

 

I would say for a surf film you want a camera with as high a frame fate you can afford so as to give you the possibility of great fluid slow motion. The Nizos above have up to 54 frames per second (fps) and I have shot sking with a 6080 - you gen a nice effect, beautiful and smooth.

 

The only camera to go faster is the Beaulieu 4008 (and some of its younder siblings such as the 6008pro and 7008pro) They run to 70fps and with the 4008ZM IV up to 80fps.

 

If your budget can run to it I would suggest tje Beaulieu as this also has the possibility of interchangeable lenses - you can get adaptors to use 35mm stills lenses and the increased focal length means you can get in very close indeed if need be! (50mm lens in 35mm is standard angle of view, 10mm is about standard in super8 so a 50mm lens becomes telephoto if stuck on a super8 camera)

 

Of course the lenses on the Nizos, whilst fixed, are beautiful and excellent with a focal length up to 80mm, which, for me, has always been plenty.

 

So basically hunt around for a Beaulieu or Nizo.

 

The film you use will give different looks. Are you going to be finishing (editing and presenting) on video? if so I would definitely try one of the Vision negative films. If you have bright light (which I presume you will on a beach) you could also try the Ektachrome 64T, which as a reversal (positive) film is sometime cheaper to transfer to tape.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Matt

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Guest Ronney Ross

Hi,

 

I know everyone has their own views and opinons but if you shoot super 8 I think that 64T is a great film stock. I shot a test roll about a two weeks ago, considered sending to Forde film labs but b/c it was just a test roll I sent to Dewayne's in Parsons KS ($9 processing and $5 shipping.) and got some nice shot. Kinda shocked since kodak recommends shooting with a 85b filter (I used an 81 A) my outdoor shots were great just tried to snag a few shots in doors( a clothing store that has some very large windows and Flourescents.) and it was a no go. Only the windows can be seen everthing else is silhouetted. But the outdoor stuff looks very good the stock is grainy but looks okay to me. Just my 2pennies.

 

 

-Ronney Ross

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