A super 8 camera that is affordable and has features

[Jim Simon]

Grant,

 

What do you prefer about the Beaulieu over the Canon. I'll be making a purchase in the next couple of months, and user experience in this regard is very valuable to me.

 

One thing that concerns me about the Beaulieus is their guillotine shutter. I've never used a camera with one, but I recall reading how the shutter action always exposes one edge of film longer than the opposite edge because of the way the shutter lifts up, then closes down.

[Alessandro Machi]

How are the Bauers? There are a lot on eBay.

 

Spectra rents Super 8s for $150/day! Thats ridiculous!

 

Only if you are visualizing yourself going out to shoot some fun but non-professional footage.

 

If however you have been hired to make a film, that rental price is actually a bargain. The camera comes in a custom designed case with spare compartments for other items. Keep in mind that a well serviced and maintained Super-8 camera has a cost built in far beyond the actual cost of what the same camera sells for on eBay. If that Super-8 camera comes back damaged in anyway, that becomes a much bigger problem than the rental charge put on the camera to begin with, so the risk is really more to the rental company when it comes to Super-8 because the cameras are not made anymore. It's also easier to accidentally drop as super-8 camera than a bigger heavier camera because Super-8 cameras are probably used more for handheld work or more likely to be put on tripods that are too small and light.

[Sean McHenry]

Silent vs sound (XL-S takes sound cartridges and is slightly quieter).

 

 

Wow. the difference between my 814 Autozoom and my 814 XL-S was night and day on sound. The 814AZ was a lot like a sewing machine and the XL-S is sooo much quieter.

 

I will say that the year or more that I have been watching cameras on Ebay (where I have bought all of mine) I have seen the prices climbing on the typical "good" cameras. Nikons, Minoltas and my favorites, the Canons. I bought my 814XL-S from a very nice gentleman. When I got it it needed a cleaning as it was slipping on higher speeds. I sent mine to Bernie at Super16Inc. It has been great and the registration is really good. I love it. All told, with the Ebay purchase and Bernie's magic, it ran me about $450 total as I recall. But it has been looked at and given a clean bill of health by a trusted independent professional film camera repair guy (Hi Bernie).

 

Another great thing about the Canons is that it seems most of the line accepted nearly ever ASA stock ever conceived. Someone had a chart stating, in easy to follow format, what cameras accepted what stock speeds. I did find out the hard way that not all cameras read all carts correctly. External metering will become a good friend to you if you ignore that part.

 

Good luck. Good ones are out there but it's a crap shoot on Ebay - and it's more money from trusted pros. Take your pick.

Sean

Edited May 18, 2007 by Sean McHenry