Jump to content

Purchasing and/or servicing regular8 cameras


Erren Franklin

Recommended Posts

Last time I posted about choosing a regular8 camera, I received such great help, so I'm hoping you all will feel inclined to help me once more.

Having boiled down the list of regular8 cameras that I am seeking to a just a few models, I've been searching far and wide on the internet in order to purchase them.

The cameras that I am seeking are:

1. Canon Cine Zoom 512

2. Beaulieu MR8 Reflex control (w Gossen light meter)

3. Agfa Movex Reflex

Unfortunately, these are all so hard to find! The ones that I have found and purchased all have problems. They need repairs and/or servicing. Problem is, I don't know who can repair and/or service these cameras. Bjorn Andersson says he cannot and will not service Beaulieu regular 8mm cameras. I'm aware of Bernie O'Doherty, in fact he is doing a basic service on a Beaulieu MAR8G that I sent to him, but I'm wondering if there are other options out there. I would be willing to consider paying possibly substantially more than these cameras are worth in order to have perfectly running versions, especially considering the money that I am spending on the duds that I am finding on eBay.

So my questions are threefold.

First, what are your preferred sources for purchasing regular8 cameras? I am aware of Catawiki, obviously eBay, and Etsy. Do you know of any shops that specialize in 8mm cine cameras that sell tested, functioning cameras?

Second, do any of you have any of the cameras that I have listed above, that are clean, tested, and functioning, and you would be willing to sell to me? I am getting desperate! Do any of you have personal shops with various 8mm cameras for sale?

Last, who can service these cameras, dependably? Do any of you do servicing? I would guess that there are repair and service businesses/individuals in the LA area, but I have not had any luck in finding them. Do you know of any there? It does not seem impossible to find repair/service for super-8 or 16mm, but it does seem impossible to find it for regular8!

Help! I am running some very interesting, striking, film experiments and I will be very excited to share them with all of you, but to really do my thing I need better cameras! Please help me!

And thank you!
Erren

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

There was another thread with great regular8 camera suggestions. 

One of the possibilities would be the Leicina cameras. I am just waiting one of them to arrive to investigate how it could be made crystal sync. Simon Wyss can service them mechanically. So they could be an option for you as well

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you Aapo, yes, I believe you're referring to my other thread. I'm not looking for camera suggestions so much as I'm looking for places where I can purchase cameras that I already know that I want, but more importantly I'm looking for someone or some business that can assuredly repair and/or service the cameras that I have. Simon Wyss does this? He responded to my other thread. THat is good to know. Thank you for the recommendation!

Also, the Leicina 8V has been one of the most reliable cameras in my collection, and right now it's the one I use the most.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Premium Member

Hi Erren,

I‘ve serviced all sorts of cameras and lenses for clients, but being in Australia I try to encourage people to find local technicians. 

Sometimes old cameras can’t be serviced back to “perfect running” without new parts, although Standard 8s are usually pretty durable. The other problem is most techs will be unfamiliar with them, and it can take a lot of time to work out a camera without service information, especially complex reflex ones. I think in the end your best option might be to just invest in a few cameras and use the ones that work best. The only exception would be a Bolexes, which still have good service support.

You will need patience to find good examples of the cameras you’re looking for, but they do pop up. I used to scour foreign eBay sites like France, Germany and UK for rare models that may have only local postage offered (so don’t show up on other eBay sites) but if you contact the seller they may change their mind and post it overseas.

I’ll have a look through my collection, as I serviced some of my Beaulieus and maybe I could sell you one. I have other cameras, including Canons, that I’ve used successfully too. I’ll PM you when I’ve found time to go through them.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/1/2020 at 9:13 PM, Dom Jaeger said:

Hi Erren,

I‘ve serviced all sorts of cameras and lenses for clients, but being in Australia I try to encourage people to find local technicians. 

Sometimes old cameras can’t be serviced back to “perfect running” without new parts, although Standard 8s are usually pretty durable. The other problem is most techs will be unfamiliar with them, and it can take a lot of time to work out a camera without service information, especially complex reflex ones. I think in the end your best option might be to just invest in a few cameras and use the ones that work best. The only exception would be a Bolexes, which still have good service support.

You will need patience to find good examples of the cameras you’re looking for, but they do pop up. I used to scour foreign eBay sites like France, Germany and UK for rare models that may have only local postage offered (so don’t show up on other eBay sites) but if you contact the seller they may change their mind and post it overseas.

I’ll have a look through my collection, as I serviced some of my Beaulieus and maybe I could sell you one. I have other cameras, including Canons, that I’ve used successfully too. I’ll PM you when I’ve found time to go through them.

 

Hey Dom,

Thanks so much for the reply and help. I think you're right, I just have to be patient and continue scouring eBay. Searching foreign eBay sites is not something I had thought about, such a great tip! I have a friend in Germany and I'm already shipping a camera to her so she can ship it to me.

Yes, please look through your collection. I'm eager to know if you have anything that you think I might be interested in. Thanks for looking for me!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...