Premium Member Kevin Masuda Posted January 19, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 I saw this Bolex RX 5 on ebay that needs repairing and wanted to know from anyone if it's worth repairing? Would it cost a lot of money? http://cgi.ebay.com/Bolex-H16-Reflex-H-16mm-Movie-Camera-Accessories-/140502485264?pt=Film_Cameras&hash=item20b699c910 Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Kevin Masuda Posted January 19, 2011 Author Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 Man, sorry I put this in the wrong forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Dom Jaeger Posted January 19, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 The ebay link doesn't seem to work in your other post in the Bolex forum.. It's always hard to say just from photos exactly how much work is needed. Given the amount of corrosion (never a good thing with precision equipment) I'd say the camera and mag would need a complete overhaul. It looks like the camera was dropped with a large lens and a motor attached, so there may be body distortion. Rusty electronics are rarely dependable, so don't count on any of the accessories working. The power supply pictured is for an MST motor, to run the camera at (non-crystal) sync speed. But that's missing. I don't know what the rusty motor in the photo is, maybe out of a powered zoom lens. The MM motor pictured is for the magazine. The camera needs a new turret plate assembly, winding arm, mag port cover and eyecup at the very least. The turret spindle is probably damaged, and given the storage condition there may be fungus on the optics. The shutter sector adjustment lever is bent and the motor attachment threads are damaged or missing. If the prism (now exposed due to the missing turret plate) is scratched or otherwise damaged I'd definitely forget about it. You're probably looking at more expense in repair and parts costs than another RX 5 in good shape. It would be a gamble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Millar Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I'm with Dom on this one ... Its just going to sit in a projects box until you find the parts missing cost as much as a new one - turrets are rare, I need one myself... The bolt that holds to the shaft on the front looks like its sheared off and still in there :lol: Maybe its been swimming ? It could be an awesome spare parts store - like I bet the gate being alloy will be fine, so you have a second chance at super16 ing your gate for instance. But if you've never been inside a Bolex (and you're going to have to with this one) this would be the worst place to start ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Simon Wyss Posted January 19, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 Hands off! That turret plate tells a sad story. Bent shutter lever, a motor thread socket missing in the housing, switches missing with the Perfectone gear, all the rust, this is a NO-GO. Not even for parts, you have rust everywhere. If you don’t want to pay a lot purchase a simpler camera like a Revere. They run for 50 seconds by the way. Cinematography comes out of you, not the camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member John Sprung Posted January 19, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 Definitely not worth repairing, or for parts. Consider it only as an antique to put on display. If I wanted to collect something other than Arriflex, I might bid $30 on it. -- J.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Millar Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Still reckon if you have the right skill set (like many of the posters in this thread) its a parts gold mine. For the right price that is ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member John Sprung Posted January 19, 2011 Premium Member Share Posted January 19, 2011 The problem for parts is the rust. It sure looks like it's been under water, or at least very wet. So, assume that all springs are DOA. Likewise, all bearings. The turret shows severe impact damage. Sorta like a 95 year old organ donor, it has a lot of parts, but few if any would be better than the ones in the other camera you want to fix up. -- J.S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member Kevin Masuda Posted January 21, 2011 Author Premium Member Share Posted January 21, 2011 Nah, it was more out of curiosity. I'm not going to go for it anyway, would rather spend the money getting a well taken care of Bolex. Kev Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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