kevin jackman Posted February 1, 2010 Share Posted February 1, 2010 hey pepole, I have a bolex ds8 that i want to retrofit with a 16mm prism so i can use 16mm lenses on it. otherwise does anybody know if i could just transplant the h8 bits in a reflex 16mm body? either way, does anybody have a 16mm prism assembly or a reflex 16mm camera with a broken spring for sale? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Oliver Christoph Kochs Posted February 2, 2010 Premium Member Share Posted February 2, 2010 IMHO the parts of the H8RX and a converted DS8 Bolex should be ident except for film gate with pressure plate and rollers. The DS8 never was officially sold by Paillard so there are conversions only. You should be fine with changing the prism when you know how change parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Louis Seguin Posted February 2, 2010 Share Posted February 2, 2010 IMHO the parts of the H8RX and a converted DS8 Bolex should be ident except for film gate with pressure plate and rollers. The DS8 never was officially sold by Paillard so there are conversions only. You should be fine with changing the prism when you know how change parts. Oliver, DS8 conversions of an H8 Reflex have different sprockets, as well as and different advance and reverse claws. Kevin, If you want to use H16RX lenses on your DS8, yes, it would be best to have a different front with a 16mm type beamsplitter prism. If you simply want to use regular 16mm lenses, you can have one of the turret openings modified to increase the flange focal distance to match the focusing position of an H16RX front. Cheers, Jean-Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin jackman Posted February 3, 2010 Author Share Posted February 3, 2010 yeah i think the pisms interchange but wanted to know if anybody had a dead bolex so i could scavenge one. i know about the mounting plate needing a look at but didnt mention it because thats the easy part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Louis Seguin Posted February 3, 2010 Share Posted February 3, 2010 yeah i think the pisms interchange but wanted to know if anybody had a dead bolex so i could scavenge one. i know about the mounting plate needing a look at but didnt mention it because thats the easy part. The prism assemblies for H16RX and H8RX are totally different and not interchangeable. Thickness of glass on H16RX is 9.5mm Thickness of glass on H16RX is 6.5mm Cheers, Jean-Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin jackman Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Yes I had bolex email me the thicknesses to let me know they were different. Jean, how do you suggest this could be done? swapping the guts from the ds8 to an h16 to make use of the prism system? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Louis Seguin Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Yes I had bolex email me the thicknesses to let me know they were different. Jean, how do you suggest this could be done? swapping the guts from the ds8 to an h16 to make use of the prism system? Hi Kevin, I've done one transformation like this in the past. Starting with a H8RX converted to DS8, you will need to acquire a complete front plate assembly from a H16RX. There are then two options, use the H8RX turret or the H16RX one. Using the H16RX is simplest but the optical axis of the lens will no longer be centered in the film frame. Using the H8RX turret is better but will require some adaptation to work on the H16RX front. The gate and spacer shim from the H8RX/DS8 is transferred to the H16RX front plate. A new groundglass mask will have to be fabricated to give you the S8 framing. The 90 degree prism in the viewfinder assembly will have to be adjusted to recenter the image. The light baffle located in the eyepiece may need to be enlarged. Top cover of viewfinder assembly may need to be modified. Of course, once this modification is complete, you will no longer be able to use H8RX lenses. As far as obtaining parts, the problem is there really is no such thing as a dead Bolex because they can always be repaired. To get a front plate you will be sacrificing a potentially useful camera. PM me for prices on parts. Cheers, Jean-Louis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Page Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 hey pepole, I have a bolex ds8 that i want to retrofit with a 16mm prism so i can use 16mm lenses on it. otherwise does anybody know if i could just transplant the h8 bits in a reflex 16mm body? either way, does anybody have a 16mm prism assembly or a reflex 16mm camera with a broken spring for sale? I can suggest writing to this guy (Jaako) jpkurhi@att.net for his opinion. His website here http://www.jkcamera.com/ Based in Oakland, CA. best Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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