Which 16mm Camera?

Erdwolf_TVL · November 5, 2005

Scouring E-Bay, though, I am a bit confused.

It would appear that most cameras out there are either very old or very expensive.

Is there such a thing as a decent entry level 16mm camera?

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It would appear that most cameras are Standard 16mm as apposed to Super 16mm. Which should I be looking out for? Is my assumption correct that Standard 16mm is more common?

Chris Burke · November 5, 2005

Scouring E-Bay, though, I am a bit confused.

It would appear that most cameras out there are either very old or very expensive.

Is there such a thing as a decent entry level 16mm camera?

---

It would appear that most cameras are Standard 16mm as apposed to Super 16mm. Which should I be looking out for? Is my assumption correct that Standard 16mm is more common?

what is your price range? What will be the bulk of your shooting? MOS, features, shorts, weddings?? In the lower end, yes you will find many more R16 cameras, however, super 16 is the industry standard now and if you can afford one, buy it. You can also have a R16 camera converted to Super 16. I am not that qualified to recommend which type of camera you SHOULD buy. If you need a really cheap starter type camera, look to a Bolex or Krasnagrosk K-3. If you need a more substantial package, that is where my expertise falls off. I know many DPs who sware by Aatons and other who love Arris. I know that an Eclair ACL 2 can be converted to S16, as to it's reliability and performance, I am not that informed. I also know that the Aaton A minima is a niftey little camera, although it is kind of difficult to load and only has 200' mags. It is not the most quiet camera either, but nothing a barney couldn't fix. Good luck.

Chris

:)

Andy Sparaco SOC · November 5, 2005

If you do a search of the archives you will find a wealth of information on many types of 16mm cameras. Your question has been posed before and answered in depth. Check it out

Matt Wells · November 5, 2005

Really depends on what you are shooting.

Matt

Chris Keth · November 5, 2005

It depends on your needs, greatly. Do you need sync sound? What's your budget? What are you shooting? Is super 16 important to you?

It's vey possible to get 16mm cameras anywhere between a hundred bucks (a K3, some bolei...er bolexes :)) to the tens of thousands of dollars for an a-minima or an sr2 or sr3, that's not necessarily even considering lenses, either.

Robert Glenn · November 5, 2005

I say get a k-3. It's cheap, well designed, the lens is pretty good, it's cheap, and it's fun to play with.

K3's haven't quite become the lomo cameras of cinema yet, so you can get one for under 200 dollars I think off of ebay usually.

I also have an NPR... Some love NPRs and others think it's too old. I will just say that as long as it is quiet, has proper registration and timing I can handle the other headaches involved with it. Just remember that lenses will cost 1000-10000+ to buy 100-300/day to rent

Edited November 5, 2005 by RobertNC

Erdwolf_TVL · November 5, 2005

I say get a k-3. It's cheap, well designed, the lens is pretty good, it's cheap, and it's fun to play with.
K3's haven't quite become the lomo cameras of cinema yet, so you can get one for under 200 dollars I think off of ebay usually.

I also have an NPR... Some love NPRs and others think it's too old. I will just say that as long as it is quiet, has proper registration and timing I can handle the other headaches involved with it. Just remember that lenses will cost 1000-10000+ to buy 100-300/day to rent

Krasnogorsk - 3 it is!

This is exactly what I was looking for. No-nonsense, low maintenance.

Thanks!