16 mm camera with best OVERALL PERFORMANCE! What should i buy?

[John Murray]

My previous post about which camera is more handsome was not about physical looks. I put the word handsome in place of best. SO I laughed because i am dumb and it sounded so vain. ANyway i narrowed down to three cameras:

Which one should i purchase? Which one is best overall?

 

1 the EUMIG C16 16mm camera

2 Bolex H16 Reflex camera or

3 the Krasnogorsk (K-3) 16mm Russian movie camera?

 

I would love everyone's opinion.

If there are any other models you want to suggest thats great too.

THANKS FOR TIME

[Kenny N Suleimanagich]

What do you intend on using it for?

 

Go the extra mile and get an Arri S or something of that parameter.

[John Thomas]

What do you intend on using it for?

 

Go the extra mile and get an Arri S or something of that parameter.

 

When your done shooting with the Arri S for the day you can use it to hammer nails and help build the sets. Those cameras are dependable and durable.

[Guest Ian Marks]

Of the three you mention, I'd go for the Bolex. The Eumig is a non-reflex camera, somewhat rare, and I'm not sure about lens interchangeability for it. It is an interesting design, however, something that would be nice to have on a shelf as a conversation piece (the ones I have seen had a nice green finish, too).

 

The K-3 has some exciting features, but essentially you're limited by the camera's spring motor and odd-ball lens mount. Yes, I know that Clive Tobin made a crystal motor for the camera, but it's been discontinued for some time AND required professional installation. If you do get K-3, opt for the one with the M42 (Pentax) mount, so you'll at least have a variety of lenses to choose from. Also, the camera has iffy build quality... but you might get lucky and get one that works right out of the box.

 

The Bolex comes from a company that is still in business, can be serviced the world over, has many lens options (up to and including PL mounted lenses, but I'm basically talking about the C-mount), can be fitted with a variety of electric motors (sync and non-sync), can be modified to Super-16 (including viewfinder) by many technicians, is built by Swiss trolls who live under bridges, and puts you in a world-wide club with millions of members. Late model Bolexes (meaning 1965 and after) seem to hold their value well, in part for all the reasons I just gave you. A well-maintained Rex 4 or 5, or SB or SBm, is a thing of beauty. Or forget the spring motor thing and get yourself an EBM, which is electric, and coincidentally the least expensive to modify to Super-16. Just avoid the older (non-flat-base) models, many of which won't work with modern, single perf film.

 

Hope this helps.