Gareth Blackstock

Anyhow I bought the lens, AUD$210, pretty good for an excellent condition, just have to put my Canon 1218 super8 up for sale to pay for it, I cannot wait to see the results..

Gday, Simon I think you might have mistaken me for someone who might understand what you just said.... Is there a "dummy's version"

Hello, Well, I already owned and used a K3 and I was quite happy with the results and enjoyed using the camera, however, I did want to pick up a powered 16mm kit, winding up every 30 odd seconds was going to annoy. I saw a Pentaflex kit come available locally for $180 if I remember correctly, and after a bit of research I thought it would be a bargain at that price. There were a few extra factors, the benefit of buying a non-rare obscure kit, it will be cheaper, but parts and lenses potentially harder to find, but should be cheaper when they do appear. Also, repair work is harder to find with obscure gear, but as it is East German, one can repair it with a hammer and crescent wrench! Also, the standard lenses are high quality and mostly affordable, and as an old industry told me years ago, "it's not the box that counts so much, it the lens in front and the person looking through the view finder" And I find the camera to be quite well built. Also, I like to tinker, and as I can rarely afford to bugger things up, a well built solid camera fits the bill. One has to bear in mind that the Australian market is quite small, we do not get the choices of Europe and North America, and while it is true postage rates are mostly affordable, as I should for interest and not money, several thousand on a kit is hard to justify when I have a young child, mortgage, and wooden house... All in all, I think the Pentaflex is under valued as a 16mm camera, and because of that I had a hard time finding any information about it, so thats why I translated all the manuals I could find and added what I did to the camera to my website, so future film makers who are curious about getting one, either for budget, access, or even curiosity, can easily find the right info and not be bogged down by negative anecdotes. As an aside, the magazine film path is quite convoluted, but I developed an easy cheat, not I can load magazines faster than my K3... Sorry for the long answer, short version? It was cheap. :-)

Gday, Thanks for the feedback Simon, some interesting info there, I do after all have around 1000ft of b&w to use at a later date. I did not know about the effects on colour a 3element lens would have, thanks for telling me that, methinks I should perhaps learn a wee bit more about lenses... Now I am leaning towards getting one... Dom, you are right, a prime would be the better bet, but for the pentaflex and it's unique mount and scarcity of adaptors, lenses available to me are limited, not an overly bad thing considering the standard lenses for the pentaflex are Carl Zeiss. I did some research before buying the camera and accepted the lack of lens choice as acceptable. I have a 12.5mm and 25mm prime, the 50mm seems to go for over $1300, the 80mm goes for around $500 if you can find one. Half of me wants to grab lenses that suit as they come along in case I never see one again, and the other half thinks to just focus on getting the best from what I have. Regarding the pentovar I attempted to fix, one of the diaphragm blades got bent slightly, so I solved the problem that started with a stiff diaphragm before jamming entirely, and discovered a knackered lenses deep inside. Good thing is I have a spare emaculate front element. Maybe I'll buy the triotar and have the pentovar as a back up... Great food for thought guys, Cheers

Hello, I currently have been using a Pentovar Variofocal on my Pentaflex AK16 and am pretty happy with the results so far, however, I have the opportunity to purchase a very nice condition Triotar 135mm. I have done a little research on the net and most everyone states that the Triotar is a great lens. What I was hoping from the other members are suggestions, should I get the Triotar? Will the images be appreciably better than the Pentovar I have been using? If the difference is negligible I would rather use the money to shoot and develop some film instead. Bearing in mind my last Pentovar got a bent blade and the repair was really annoying, hence the reason I went out and bought another. Will the Triotar outlast the Pentovar? How often will I get the chance to buy a Triotar with a Pentaflex mount? I posted this on manual focus, but then it occurred to be that they are predominantly still camera. I am conflicted..... cheers, Gareth

Hello, I received an email the other day from reversal cine n.z and he sent me the following link:https://www.monstervalley.co.nz/super8 I think its great! And they are also running a film festival.

покупатели старого фильма часто получают то, что они заслуживают ... Gareth

Gday, I tried to use online translators but they kept assuming the Cyrillic alphabet was Zulu!! So thanks so much Kyryll, very handy work, and makes interesting reading too. Can't wait to shoot some, should be very moody looking footage... It expired in the late 80's so a wee bit of adjustment might be needed... Cheers, gareth

Hello, I recently received via ebay some rolls of 16mm Svema Och45 B&W. Inside one of the boxes I found a pamphlet, I was hoping there might be a member here who might be able to tell me what the "gist" is. page 01 https://www.flickr.com/photos/90387324@N05/45145049775/in/dateposted-public/ page 02 https://www.flickr.com/photos/90387324@N05/45145049975/in/dateposted-public/ you never know, might be interesting... Cheers, Gareth

This might be considered an update, couldn't find a date Https://www.whconstruction.co.nz/case/archives-nz-film-processing-laboratory-alterations-fitout/ Or try these guys: https://reversalcine.com/

Gday, Try the links on this page. http://www.mishkin.yolasite.com/australian-16mm.php The businesses servicing super8 and 16mm are continually expanding, and neglab re opened in Sydney for 16mm and 35mm production work. There are also labs in south east Asia and India that process a lot of film too. They are just an email away. Sadly new Zealand has no labs left.

Well since you are giving it away.... Just joking. If you put it on eBay you might get a few nibbles... Or take a file to it and sell it as a super16mm upgrade kit.

Well down in Australia we do not have a lot of the volume benefits offered by many labs, but the businesses down here offer very competitive pricing. A quick research: 50ft Super8 costs: around $130 100ft 16mm costs: around $195 Bear in mind, postage costs feature 3 times with each transaction. Even then, Super8 remains a pretty viable and attractive alternative to 16mm. And if shot and scanned well, can look so sweet. And: maintenance costs, super8: $0, 16mm? Exponential to what you can afford,

The camera is definetly heavy, most kits come with a chest support for this adventurous enough to go hand held. For mine I had to buy a heavy duty fluid head enough to take 15kg. I find the noise no worse than a K3. I think modifying it to super16 would be prohibitive due to the magazine system. Might be easier to crop the footage in post. Randy, how did you come across your spare? It looks new?

Fair points, but all I had to do was type the camera into google and the first hit was: http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Pentacon_Pentaflex_16 which contains heaps of info, all about the camera, accessories, technical info, links to English manuals, etc. And it runs double and single perf film... I think a key attraction could be affordability of quality lenses. Sure, anyone can pick up a sweet 16mm camera body affordably for less than $500 give or take, but getting the lens can be a lot more money. With the Pentaflex you can get a quality zoom lens for around $150. Still pretty competitive...

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Movie-Camera-Pentaflex-AKA-16-Cinema-Flektogon-12-5mm-F-2-8-Biotar-25mm-F-1-4-T/173495922770?hash=item286529b052:g:2jEAAOSwUl5bAS-s It actually looks to be in decent condition, all you need is a 12volt motorcycle battery and you have a running kit. I don't imagine a budding film maker could find a better deal outside a spring driven kit. A third zoom lens could be picked up for around $150, a Pentovar. There are English manuals available free online, and the camera's are built like tanks.... Any takers?

Hello, This site has a copy, it should meet your needs. There are lots of copies on the net https://www.mediafire.com/file/nfq4j0dtzb2yz8y/arriflex16bl.pdf Also this site has almost everything! http://www.apecity.com/ have fun shooting with it. Gareth

When I got into super8 I looked into getting more out of film, more resolution, but 16mm cameras back then were still quite expensive, I could shoot quite a few short films to completion for the price of one camera. There were cheaper cameras, but the super8 cameras had comparatively better lenses, and, if super8 is exposed well, shot on a tripod, and transferred well, it is simply stunning on the smaller screen. And when you think about it, big screen film making is no longer the ultimate goal for film makers, the small screen, ie computer monitor, seems to be the exhibition medium for the future, so 35mm or 16mm resolution is no longer the most sought after originating format for small screen. Modern transfer facilities are finally capturing the magic that a projectionist See's, and modern affordable software is assisting the amateur film maker to do high quality post work. Super8 enables the film maker huge amounts of freedom, to take a shot, and keep moving, chuck in a cart and keep shooting, no reliance on a big crew with all the inherent delays. As always, the small formats are showing the way back to where film making started, creativity without being constrained by staffing issues, producers, budgets, lighting, set design, talent releases, focus pullers, boom operators, dolly warmers, wheel greasers, electrical cord straighteners, and catering. Point, shoot, print, enjoy.

Hello, I just today saw an interesting camera come up on ebay: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Movie-Camera-Pentaflex-AKA-16-Cinema-Flektogon-12-5mm-F-2-8-Biotar-25mm-F-1-4-T/173326793288?hash=item285b14fa48:g:2jEAAOSwUl5bAS-s Although it may not be as well known as many of the usual cameras suggested, the camera has a respectable history of being used professionally and by starting film makers, and for the price, it is hard to beat, comes with a motor, spare mags, two lenses, and with free postage thrown in! If I didn't already have one, I'd buy it...

Don't forget the staple tools of every film maker... Duct tape, plastic ties, and heaps loads of Velcro...

Great to see some cameras coming back on line without too much expense or pain. I imagine a few hundred spent giving them a good service would be a good idea, but I reckon spending that money on shooting film is a better idea. People love watching YouTube clips of recent super8 being shot, people aren't as excitable about service receipts.

I wouldn't laugh, I copied the design from a soviet era "hidden hat camera" design. Apparently Russians had strong neck muscles... Just imagine some of the early endoscopy camera designs... You want to fit a film camera where?

Gday, I blimped an 814 years ago and was very happy with the results. It took a bit of working out, and a couple of trips to the local shops, but it was cheap and worked great. Recently I had a few queries if I wanted to sell it, but with the lead lined material in it, too costly to post anywhere. http://www.mishkin.yolasite.com/super8-camera-blimp.php

If the spring is wound up all the way, maybe its over wound? Try a couple of swift knocks with the heel of your palm on the side of the camera.... Not too hard though...

Hello, Check on this page, there is a link that might be what you need. http://www.mishkin.yolasite.com/using-16mm-film.php Cheers