Considering the purchase of another Super8 camera

Matt Stevens · September 17, 2011

Well, in order to finish my short film I had to sell the Nikon R10 it was shot on. Boy did that hurt. I was lucky enough to make a tiny profit so that was okay, but still...

Now I have been asked to shoot some Super8 footage for a wedding and am thinking I should just purchase another camera instead of renting one.

The problem is, budget. The R10 is one of the most expensive cameras out there and with good reason. I'm hoping to find something that will have some of the features, the primary must haves being 24fps and the ability to read 200t and 500t stocks. The Nikon read 500t as 400t and that is fine. All of the 500t I shot came out beautifully. B)

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Remember, I need to spend less money, not the same or more than what the R10 goes for.

Shutter Angle/speed still confuses the heck out of me, I'm afraid to admit. :huh: I pretty much ignored it when shooting my shorts and amazingly enough, had no bad footage.

Mark Sperry · September 17, 2011

Well, in order to finish my short film I had to sell the Nikon R10 it was shot on. Boy did that hurt. I was lucky enough to make a tiny profit so that was okay, but still...

Now I have been asked to shoot some Super8 footage for a wedding and am thinking I should just purchase another camera instead of renting one.

The problem is, budget. The R10 is one of the most expensive cameras out there and with good reason. I'm hoping to find something that will have some of the features, the primary must haves being 24fps and the ability to read 200t and 500t stocks. The Nikon read 500t as 400t and that is fine. All of the 500t I shot came out beautifully. B)

Any recommendations are greatly appreciated. Remember, I need to spend less money, not the same or more than what the R10 goes for.

Shutter Angle/speed still confuses the heck out of me, I'm afraid to admit. :huh: I pretty much ignored it when shooting my shorts and amazingly enough, had no bad footage.

I like my Nizo 481 Macro. Otherwise I noticed some of the Canon's are cheap like the 814 electronic. Also the prices on Nizo sound cameras are really good, and they'll read the faster films. I bought a Nikon R8 recently for like $245. I do weddings with my super 8 cameras too, such a fun way to use the format... Oh also you could get a light meter that reads cine.

I thought the Nikon R10 could read unto 640... It should have read your 500t as 500...

Nicholas Rapak · September 17, 2011

You could always go for a Nikon R8. It's the "baby brother" to the R10, with a 7.5-60 f/1.8 lens instead of the 7/70 f/1.4 of the R10. On the plus side, it's usually found for half the price.

Matt Stevens · September 17, 2011

Nicholas, I am seeing the R8 might be a good choice. It would take some getting used to, moving to the smaller lens after six months of constant shooting with the T10, but I suppose I can live with it. :) It certainly seems to have all of the bells and whistles that I liked about the R10 and that also means operating the camera would be a breeze. No re-learning.

Mark, in testing and consulting with the experts here in NYC, it was found the R10 was reading 500t as 400. But again, it didn't seem to matter, as exposing 500 as 400 speed produced stunning images.

I had a Canon 814 that died after a single day of use :( but that's what happens when you buy something for nothing. I do see Super8 Arena has one or two with guarantees.

I'll check out the Nizo 481 Macro as well.

Thanks for the advice, gents. I now have more to work with.

Ian Payne · September 18, 2011

If you can get a get a canon 814 electronic for a reasonable amount you are on a winner. great images and enough features to keep you interested. I have had mine for over 20 years and its still my favourite. One of the most common of the better cameras and does everything but reverse filming that the r8 nikon does but at a fraction of the price. (in my opinion)

Niall Conroy · September 18, 2011

i just bought a Canon 814 XL Electronic for....wait for it....0.99p.

It was off ebay - apparently the light meter and film counter don't work, so it was sold for spares/repair. But other than that he said it should work. So hopefully this sort of situation may keep your hopes up for finding a great deal like it.

My original super8 that i bought, the elmo 1012s-xl, only cost €56 i think - and its a great camera

I'm not sure if the Bauer's shoot 24fps - but i've seen at least 3 top quality versions in recent weeks selling for under €60 - some as low as 35.

So just maybe get a wish list of cameras and keep checking in on ebay(or other places) till one pops up.

Will Montgomery · September 18, 2011

Nikon 814 Auto zoom has good balance of price & quality. The model before the "electronic" I think. Built like a tank (and weighs like one) with an excellent lens. Just use an external meter (which you should anyway.)

Pro8mm can take these and do all sorts of retrofits including making the autoexposure work for all Kodak and Pro8mm films. Something you can have done later when you have a little more money.

My favorite Super 8 camera for quality images is my Beaulieu 4008 ZMII Jubilee edition. Best lens ever for Super 8. After that I just use cheap cameras for fun like the AF310xl.