Arthur Sanchez Posted September 25, 2016 Posted September 25, 2016 Hello there Friends of the Bolex... Anyone have any experience with conversion cameras to super16? (Specifically BOLEX H16) Also older Bolex cameras are not reflex, so, could super16 non-reflex be useful? I'm looking into get one but not sure if they will work... Thanks, Arthur!
Arthur Sanchez Posted October 5, 2016 Author Posted October 5, 2016 Hello Camera People!!! Thanks for all the feedback and ideas... Looks like production is proceeding with the conversion movement. Plans are to have the first prototype completed in early 2017. Several issues still to be resolved are: Ground Glass Marking: what style of crop lines and marking are preferred? Reflex VS Non-reflex: There are many non-reflex Bolex cameras available that are 3X4 - 16mm. IF the camera was converted to 16X9 - Super16 it possible to attach a reflex C-mount lens and still have a more affordable Reflex Super16 camera. Thoughts? OK, that's all for now... any other thoughts please let me know... Arthur! 1
Kenny N Suleimanagich Posted October 5, 2016 Posted October 5, 2016 I would do full lines for 1.66 and then dotted lines for 1.78 markings.
Arthur Sanchez Posted October 5, 2016 Author Posted October 5, 2016 Kenny, could you clarify what each marking represents?? Pavan, these lines would be laser etched in glass....
Kenny N Suleimanagich Posted October 5, 2016 Posted October 5, 2016 1.66 is the native Super 16 aspect ratio, 1.78 is HDTV
Premium Member Gregg MacPherson Posted October 5, 2016 Premium Member Posted October 5, 2016 If you want to save time you might get Shurco to custom etch your ground glass. You may have to provide your own artwork. Look for them on the internet.
Arthur Sanchez Posted October 5, 2016 Author Posted October 5, 2016 Oh WOW... super dupper! Thank you... I need all the help I can get!
Arthur Sanchez Posted October 6, 2016 Author Posted October 6, 2016 Gregg, I looked/googles Shurco and got tons of listing... which one is it?
Premium Member Gregg MacPherson Posted October 6, 2016 Premium Member Posted October 6, 2016 (edited) I couldn't easily find their website a few minutes ago. But I did talk on the phone a couple of years ago about S16, and they still were doing ground glass etching... Found this, with their phone number and Alexa, 35mm artwork... http://strattoncamera.com/pdf/shurco_2003.pdf Let everyone know what you find, OK? Edited October 6, 2016 by Gregg MacPherson
Arthur Sanchez Posted October 7, 2016 Author Posted October 7, 2016 UPDATE... spoke with shurco and sent specs... they say they do not support Bolex... but they would review my plans and see if it fell within limitations of the process. So waiting to get a reply from shurco. keeping fingers crossed.
Robert Hart Posted April 14, 2017 Posted April 14, 2017 No doubt you are already onto the following subjects, however another mention can't hurt. When you dress the inside of the extended gate, take care to do the final sizing gently with a piece of smooth machined bare metal and not so vigorously as to induce friction galling of the alloy gate which will ruin the smoothness of the visible frame edge. Like the salt in the stew, you cannot take an error back out. Also recoat the worked surfaces or you may get internal reflections off the top and bottom edges onto adjacent frames.
Arthur Sanchez Posted April 14, 2017 Author Posted April 14, 2017 Also recoat the worked surfaces or you may get internal reflections off the top and bottom edges onto adjacent frames. Do you mean paint the inside edges matte black? Arthur!
Robert Hart Posted April 15, 2017 Posted April 15, 2017 Do you mean paint the inside edges matte black? Arthur! I guess you are already doing it but yes, any newly exposed bare metal needs to be coated with a matte finish. I used black marker ink ( parcel pen or "Sharpie" ) and found that was too shiny. The flare only showed when a really hot pinpoint highlight moved in the image until it hit frame edge, then there was only a faint flare into the opposite edge of the neighbouring frame. It can happen with unmodified cameras. You sometimes see it in some older movies.
Zachariah C. Bensel Posted February 4, 2018 Posted February 4, 2018 The cost of converting a Bolex to Super 16mm is typically going to run you around $1000. In addition, a non-reflex Bolex (and non-reflex cameras in general) are a pain to use, especially with a moving subject or camera. In my humble opinion, I would consider instead doing a Ultra 16mm modification ($500), or choosing a different camera.
Arthur Sanchez Posted February 9, 2018 Author Posted February 9, 2018 Zachariah Thanks so much for your advice... since September of 2016, I've begun converting Bolex H16s and others to super16... and experimenting along the way... conversions are not easy... but with Bolex... very doable. check out my website or visit us on Facebook... Arthur!
Arthur Sanchez Posted February 11, 2018 Author Posted February 11, 2018 take care to do the final sizing gently with a piece of smooth machined bare metal and not so vigorously as to induce friction galling of the alloy gate which will ruin the smoothness of the visible frame edge. Like the salt in the stew, you cannot take an error back out. Thank you for reminding me of this... I think of you now every time I do this...
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