Worst Super 8 camera

[Matthew Buick]

Now I know the 'Bentley BX-720' often wins this contest, but I want to see more people's opinions.

[Mike Crane]

The Pro8mm "Kinoflex" has got to be one of the worst super 8 cameras I have ever used. Soft picture and easily broken wind-up S8 camera at a very high price.

[David Mullen ASC]

The Pro8mm "Kinoflex" has got to be one of the worst super 8 cameras I have ever used. Soft picture and easily broken wind-up S8 camera at a very high price.

 

Here is the camera:

http://pro8mm.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Sc...Product_Count=0

 

So what is it? Who makes it? The name makes it sound Russian-made.

[Matthew Buick]

It's a Russian wind up Super 8 camera, made by Zenit I believe.

[Mike Crane]

I am sure they must be quite cheap if purchased from Pro8mm's source in Russia.

 

Blades to the iris sticking in closed position seems to be a common problem with these cameras.

[Bernhard Zitz]

The Pro8mm "Kinoflex" has got to be one of the worst super 8 cameras I have ever used. Soft picture and easily broken wind-up S8 camera at a very high price.

if you purchase the camera under it's real name "Zenit Quarz 1x8S-2" you'll get it for arround 10$. Yes, the lens is soft. If you screw the lens off, it becomes something like a 18mm fixed focus lens, some peoble ad anamorphic adapters for cinemascope this way.

 

I like this camera, it's handy, no need for batteries, different speeds, single frame... i wouldn't say it's the worst, but if you buy it at pro8mm for $295.00 it might be the worst value/money ratio

 

cheers

Edited August 13, 2006 by Bernhard Zitz

[Guest shutter bug]

if you purchase the camera under it's real name "Zenit Quarz 1x8S-2" you'll get it for arround 10$. Yes, the lens is soft. If you screw the lens off, it becomes something like a 18mm fixed focus lens, some peoble ad anamorphic adapters for cinemascope this way.

 

I like this camera, it's handy, no need for batteries, different speeds, single frame... i wouldn't say it's the worst, but if you buy it at pro8mm for $295.00 it might be the worst value/money ratio

 

cheers

 

 

how about the agfa super8 camera that came with the viewing scree as a seperate tabletop unit. it made kinder surprise toys look like they were designed by JPL

[Guest Retrogorilla]

Now I know the 'Bentley BX-720' often wins this contest, but I want to see more people's opinions.

 

I'm the "proud" owner of one of these babies...that being said, I've never actually used it nor do I intend to blow a roll of film in one. I am curious though as to what kind of images I'd get from the plastic lens!

 

I don't actully mind the Bentley BX-11 projector/mini tv style thingie. The bulb is dim, but so far I haven't had any jamming problems with running film through it like some people describe.

[Matthew Buick]

Weren't you that one who spent $30 or something in a Goodwill Store for a BX 720, believe it or not, I'm going to buy a BX 720, just to see how bad it can possibly get.

[Mike Crane]

if you purchase the camera under it's real name "Zenit Quarz 1x8S-2" you'll get it for arround 10$. Yes, the lens is soft. If you screw the lens off, it becomes something like a 18mm fixed focus lens, some peoble ad anamorphic adapters for cinemascope this way.

 

I like this camera, it's handy, no need for batteries, different speeds, single frame... i wouldn't say it's the worst, but if you buy it at pro8mm for $295.00 it might be the worst value/money ratio

 

cheers

 

The 10.00 price for this camera is not bad all things considered. Where do you buy the "Zenit Quarz 1x8S-2" at such a good price? I may order 5 of them just for stunt cameras.

[Guest Retrogorilla]

Weren't you that one who spent $30 or something in a Goodwill Store for a BX 720, believe it or not, I'm going to buy a BX 720, just to see how bad it can possibly get.

 

Nah - I got the camera and the TV style projector for $20 off eBay. I figure the projector is worth it just for the convenience factor of not having to set up a screen and all that if you don't want to.

 

I'd be interested in seeing anything you might shoot with the camera!! Maybe it will inspire me to create my own Bentley masterpiece...perhaps a remake of "The Fog" or something.

[Matthew Buick]

Tis a deal, I'll send you a DVD if I can, or just do yootube.com when it's done may not be for a month.

 

Matthew Buick

 

P.S Can you PM me some info on the camera.

[Marc Guerriero]

The Bently B-3 is the ultimate worst Super 8 camera ever made. It is a small piece of plastic that runs on 2 AA batteries with a fixed focus lens made of plastic and no auto exposure.

[Pete Von Tews]

I'll keep an eye out for a "Bentley" super 8 camera. I can't afford the car, at least I can afford the camera. All I'll need when I shoot is those fake Gucci or DG sunglasses and the shoot is going to look like a pretty legit production! Could this be the Holga of the super8 world?

[Tony Hudson]

It's also a design rip-off of the great little Fujica P2 single 8 camera:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alessandro Machi]

Apparently there is an annual Bentley film festival in Kansas City.

 

Although I can't seem to find any mention of it for this year.

[Marc Guerriero]

Apparently there is an annual Bentley film festival in Kansas City.

 

Although I can't seem to find any mention of it for this year.

 

 

Do they only accept films that are shot on the Bentley Super 8 cameras?

[Matthew Buick]

I'd be interested in seeing anything you might shoot with the camera!! Maybe it will inspire me to create my own Bentley masterpiece...perhaps a remake of "The Fog" or something.

 

Wow! This thread has been a while.

 

Anyway, I bought the BX-720, I must say I wasn't impressed. I then popped a roll of 800T in, and the dmn thing broke after about 80 frames, I don't blame it, I wouldn't be best happy pulling that poop myself. :P

[Jean Beaudoin]

For me the worst ever camera is this Kodak Ektasound piece of ...that would jam film, even break it, consume batteries like a carnivore.

The lens with an approximate focus and a wopping 3x zoom ! Man I did shoot my first sound movie with it back in 74.

[Joe Taylor]

I chucked a Bentley out of an airplane at 13,000 and it was still chugging away when we found it an hour later in a soggy field. I'm so damn proud of that piece of crap that I gave it a place on my mantel, dirt and all.

 

It run out of film long before it hit the ground. My next sacrifice was a Canon XL something at 3,000. It still runs too.

[Edward Koehler]

I had a couple of those Bentley portable viewers with the DC variable motors. I know they're crap, but they're a lot of fun! I wouldn't trust it with footage of any value, and for that reason they become worthless to us... but in the day they were also intended to view super8mm digests of hollywood films and cartoons. I don't know of any other DC powered portable projector for super8.

[Michael Lehnert]

Just to put a different perspective on this thread's topic...

 

Why are people assuming that the worst camera is automatically one made of low-quality material, inexpensive componentry, a fix-focus plastic lens, and no features, in fact no functions apart from a green 'RUN' button?

 

Is the new Arriflex 416 hence worse than a Beaulieu R 16 APZ then as well? Or a Polaroid EE 66 worse than a Leica M3? Is EasyJet worse than British Airways?

 

In fact, I think that the Bentley B-3 is actually (like its Single 8 inspiration, the Fujica P 2) a very good camera because it achieves perfectly what it sets out to be: a cheap, über-easy-to-use, no-nonsense, no-hassle, throwaway device to capture raw images without fuzzy sophistication whatever the circumstances might be. Cameras which are much more expensive, want to change the world, have rubys and diamonds and gold in its innards, yet achieve nothing they claim to set-out to, those are the ones I would consider the worst. Because they are pretentious and fail at delivering... anything, really. The Bentley (any Bentley, it seems) does not come along with a chip on its shoulder and claims to know every answer to any question the Super Hadron Collider might through up in the future. It just wants to run forward at 18fps and happily expose some silver halides to light.

 

Now, I am not a Bentley aficionado or member of the AMC Pacer Drivers Club, quite the contrary. In fact, I never heard of Bentley before super8wiki.com came along, and I wouldn't like to be seen dead in anything but the best of US- or UK- classic automobile marques.

 

But I think the worst Super 8 camera ever made is the Beaulieu 5008-series, particularly the Beaulieu 5008 S! A complete waste of time that is only worth buying if it comes with the Angénieux f/1,2 | T/1,4-2,1 / 6-80mm (C-Mount). Keep that lens, throw away the body. It's not even worth the scrap metal!

[Kevin Olmsted]

Here, here, Michael...

 

I agree. About a year ago I bought a B-3 from ebay ($4... and that was $3 for shipping!) to see just how 'bad' this legendary camera was. It sat in the bench for a long while; I was nervous to waste a roll of film on it. Then a few months ago a friend gave me an Agfa 'Family' Super 8 camera he found at some antique store or swap meet. I loved the bizarre styling of it and it seemed in the same 'quality' league as the Bentley. So I shot half a roll on the B-3 and the other half on the Family.

 

And guess what... the film didn't look horrible! Okay it wasn't fabulous, and I'm not a professional cinematographer, but compared to film I'd shot on my Bauer and other Super 8 footage I've seen posted on various sites, it wasn't the worst footage in the world.

 

I think you summed it up perfectly: It is what it was meant and aspires to be. Just a simple cheap camera.

 

I recently started seeing commercials on TV for a (I think Fisher Price) digital camera designed for kids. It was a tiny thing that had a big happy impact resistant housing and little viewer; couldn't be more than 2Mp, but it isn't setting out to be a great camera. Just a cheap, simple and fun way to get kids into taking pictures. Those ads made me think of this thread.

 

Kevin

[Emil Soderman]

Wow! Michael..

What is wrong whit the 5008? does that include the 5008MS?

Im wondering since i just shot a test roll whit that, the 5008MS, that i havent got delivered yet.

So i havent seen any pictures from it, but we're gonna make a short movie using it next week.

Any special problem whit it?

[Tony Hudson]

Wow! Michael..

What is wrong whit the 5008? does that include the 5008MS?

Im wondering since i just shot a test roll whit that, the 5008MS, that i havent got delivered yet.

So i havent seen any pictures from it, but we're gonna make a short movie using it next week.

Any special problem whit it?

 

 

There's nothing wrong with it, the 5008's a decent camera with the 2 best super 8 zoom lenses ever made -either the Anegenieux 6-80 or the Schneider Optivaron6-66. It's an underated camera that's better than most and nowhere is it remotely as bad as a Bentley or any other cheap cameras. It's also one of the quietest cameras around.

 

Any comparison between the Bentley and the Fujica P2 should only be made in regard to it's shape not in the P2's function or quality. The P2 is far superior and has a proper glass lens not a plastic one like the Bentley's.