Ian Cooper

Knowing what country you're in might help people with suggestions. Here in the UK I've found no problems going direct to both Kodak UK and Fuji UK.

The only super-8 film processing that is carried out in the UK is ECN2 by deluxe soho (assuming they didn't stop that when they finished 16mm processing and tied up with Technicolor to do it on their behalf?), however before purchasing such film it would be worth checking what their minimum processing/order quantities are, as they aren't really aiming their services to the hobbiest market. All other suppliers of S8 film in the UK offer processing packages which see the film sent to Andec in Germany for processing, either by the customer posting it over there themselves, or by returning it to the retailer to send across to Germany. Blue Cinetech are a UK retailer who offer film/processing packages. For a beginner it might be worth considering either Ektachrome 100D (colour) or Tri-X (B&W) to start with, although it might also be worth checking to see if the camera is able to automatically read and expose 100D correctly.

Don't know about the 16S (I've never heard one first hand), but I've recorded sound alongside both a K3 and a Beaulieu R16 - both of which do passable coffee grinder impersonations. So long as you are filming/recording outdoors and using a shotgun microphone which is positioned in front of the camera (and just to one side) as far as it can go, so the camera falls in the null of the microphone response pattern, then I found I couldn't hear the sound of the camera above the general ambient outside atmosphere (in the countryside, so fairly quiet). If you're trying to film sync-speech inside a room with the camera 15ft from the subject matter, then I think you need to start thinking about a blimp or an alternative more appropriate camera.

A 5Ah battery holds 12.5% more charge than a 4.5Ah battery, so in theory it will run the camera 12.5% longer, all else being equal. If a 4.5Ah battery runs the camera non-stop for 60 minutes, then a 5Ah battery in theory might run it for 67.5 minutes. In practice that is a bit of an over simplification, but it is why I said earlier that for all practical purposes you won't notice any difference.

As good as no difference. A 4.5Ah battery is likely to be physically a little bit lighter in weight and a shade smaller in size than a 5Ah battery... ...but a 5Ah battery has a slightly higher capacity so will be able to run a bit longer before it is discharged... ...BUT the current drawn by your motor on the camera is such that you probably won't see much real-word difference in the length of time a 5Ah battery lasts compared to a 4.5Ah battery anyway, so for all practical purposes they'll be the same. Don't worry about it.

Who's Doug? Anyhow, the original Arri 16s motor was designed to operate off 8V, although technically how this was achieved even with NiCad batteries is a bit of a mystery: x6 NiCad cells would give a nominal terminal voltage of 7.2V, whilst x7 NiCad cells would give a nominal terminal voltage of 8.4V. Either way, a lead acid battery would not work well with one of these original "8 volt" motors. A 6V lead acid battery (terminal voltage about 6.6V) would be too low, whilst a 12V battery (13.2V terminal voltage) would be far too high and risk burning out the motor. I suspect when Duall Camera were offering you advice on batteries for the Arri 16s they were assuming you were using an original Arri motor, or equivalent. As you are using a Tobin TXM-22a you don't have this problem, the instructions for this motor specifically states that it should run from a nominal 12V supply. I've already linked to the instructions, perhaps for your own peace of mind you ought to contact Tobin Cinema Systems yourself to ask if their motor will run from a 12V lead acid. The only 'problem' with the 5Ah battery rather than a smaller one is just that it will be a bit larger and heavier to carry. The 'advantage' is that it will run the camera a bit longer than the lower capacity batteries. Otherwise, that's fine.

I guess it meams that having told people they can't shoot film, they don't want them to then go away and use nice clean & friendly video followed by sticking fake noise/grain "film effects" over it all to achieve the 'film look' which they originally wanted, but weren't allowed to get by using film in the first place! Lol

Especially interesting given that the BBC's current natural history series "Frozen Planet" (broadcast in HD) showed an "Arri SRII HS" being used to film wales popping up out of the ice in slow motion on one of the 'behind the scenes' features. So whilst the use of S16 has been a technical 'problem' for the Beeb for a number of years, it shows it's still possible for the BBC to use the stuff when it suits them.

Ok, and with a little prompting - the direct answer to your question is "yes", that should run your motor fine. However, assuming you're still in the UK (and to a certain extent even if you're not), there is nothing magical or mystical about the batteries to run your camera, there are a number of cheaper options than spending £42 on the battery pack you've linked to. At the beginning of last month I posted this message here, which at the bottom I linked to show the specification of what you were after, and made suggestions on suitable batteries with direct links which would cost you less than £10 per battery, and about £20 for a charger, total around £30. That is significantly less than the roughly £60 you're suggesting with those American links. To repeat what has been said before, the specification for the Tobin TXM-22a (they don't seem to have made a TMS 23a ?) shows that it needs to run from a nominal 12V supply, although the manual specifically states that for correct operation at high speed with some cameras the voltage should be nearer 14.4V. This means the nominal 13.2V terminal voltage of a sealed lead acid battery is well within specification. I'm not going to repeat the reasoning, but as has been stated before a capacity of around 3.5 to 4Ah would be more than reasonable. Again, as stated previously, I think your cheapest and easiest solution is to get yourself a 12V 4.5Ah sealed lead acid battery. This is what my 12V 6Ah battery looks like: All you would need to do is make an appropriate connecting lead to go from the battery's spade connectors to a 4-pin XLR. Details of how to do this have been put on this forum before as well. If you have a dislike of sealed lead acid batteries, then there are various NiCad/NiMH options. "Industrial" cells with solder tags are available from various places, in the past I have used both "Budget Batteries" and "Cellpack Solutions". Armed with a soldering iron you can assemble these cells into battery packs to either re-cell old batteries, or to create your own totally new ones. This is the battery for my Eclair NPR: It is 12V 3.5Ah, originally it contained x10 'D' type cells giving 4Ah, but as I was recelling it on a budget I went for the smaller 'C' type cell instead. Modern battery technologies mean that the smaller cells these days can have a similar capacity to the larger older ones. For the rare occasions I fire up the camera I'm never going to have a problem with the slightly smaller size. For my Beaulieu R16 hand battery I was able to replace the original 1Ah cells with newer technology cells having a capacity of 2.4Ah in the same size. It was a simple case of taking the battery pack apart, soldering new cells in place and then reassembling. I also have a totally homemade battery pack for it: Having soldered the cells together they were then bound and wrapped up in camera tape. A trip to a highstreet camera shop will usually find a small bag designed for a compact camera or palm sized video camera that is suitable to carry the pack. If you're feeling very adventurous then you can make your own battery box as well: I take underground photographs and found the standard Metz battery pack for the flash had limited life. This pack contains x6 of the large industrial 'F' type cells, giving 7.2V 7Ah. The box is folded together from sheet steel before then brazing the corners, a pair of belt loops were brazed on and a small diecast box bolted on the top to house the XLR connector. Once the battery pack was slipped inside the back was then filled with Isopon car body filler to seal them in. If I need to recell it again in the future then it'll be a simple matter to break the body filler open again.

Not an Arri or Panaflex, but Leo Dickinson's "The Falcon The Flew With Man" had all the aerial wingsuit footage filmed on 16mm using a helmet & chest mounted Photosonics IVN camera at 150fps. There was an article in Kodak's January 2004 edition of "InCamera" about the project.

That's certainly the rule of thumb for charging batteries, charge for 13/14 hours at one tenth their Ah capacity (the extra couple of hours is to compensate for losses because the world is less than theoretically ideal). If batteries were only ever discharged at one tenth their Ah capacity then you'd find the minimum length of time anything battery powered lasted would be 10 hours ...torches, electric wheelchairs, portable TVs, cameras, car starter motors, etc. etc, ...the list goes on with the number of portable battery appliances which last significantly shorter periods of time than this. It is perfectly normal to discharge batteries at greater than 1/10 their capacity, however, the simple "Amp.Hour" calculation is not linear at high discharge rates. You probably could draw 1A continuously for 10hours out of a 100Ah battery, but you'll probably find drawing 1A from a 500mAhr battery won't last anywhere near 30 minutes. For example the Ecalir NPR was supplied new with a 4Ah battery, which according to the manual would drive the camera for 4,000ft of film - which would equate to 106 minutes (1:47). As was discussed and shown in your thread concerning making the XLR leads back in the spring, originally the camera was supplied with either a 4Ah or 8Ah battery, with the larger capacity being suited to running the motor & torque motor for long periods of time (2000ft of film quoted). The thread also discussed how the Tobin motor draws less current than the original Arri supplied one, so I suspect if you aim for around 3.5 to 4Ah capacity then that will give you plenty to start with. As recommended on here previously, unless you're recelling an existing battery pack it would be a lot easier to get a 12V sealed lead-acid battery. A quick google shows a 12V 4.5Ah battery available online for £9.63. You'd just need to make a short lead to go from a couple of push on spade connectors to a 4-pin XLR. If you take the battery to a high-street camera shop you'll be able to find a small camera bag it will neatly fit in with a shoulder strap to carry it. The same website advertises basic SLA chargers for about £20. Feel free to make your own 12V NiCad battery pack from tagged cells if you want, but a small sealed lead acid will be a lot quicker, easier and potentially cheaper.

Try Les Bosher as the master adapter maker in the UK. If he doesn't already do what you want, then assuming it's possible he'll be able to do one-off specials as well.

I would double check first, but I seem to recall Clive Tobin saying in the past that his machines aren't really suited to transfering negative film, which realistically is what you'd want to be shooting with. Getting reversal movie film processed in the UK is a bit of a non-starter in small quantities.

Afraid I don't know - I'm aware the original motors supplied varied quite a bit, but don't know about main camera differences. I suggest you speak to Les about it, he's worked with the NPR for years - both shooting with them professionally and servicing/modding them. He'd be able to offer far better advice on which would be best out of the two you've got. Ian.

I'd agree that sounds as if something is starting to bind (get tight, seize up etc). As you will have seen, there is a rubber coupling between the motor to the camera body, so if the camera starts to get tight it is possible there will be a sqeal as the motor shaft starts to slip in the coupling. I also understand there is a second rubber coupling buried inside the camera which can sometimes age. I would suggest fastening the motor to the camera body without doing up the retaining clips, this means you can run the camera again until it squeals and stops - at that point slip the motor off and try turning the camera coupling yourself by hand (make a note which direction the motor spins first!). The camera movement should be smooth and not stiff. I understand the bearings in the NPR are 'sealed' and don't require regular addition of lubrication, having said that I don't suppose the original manufacturer was thinking in terms of the camera still seeing active service 40 years later without at least some regular attention ;) If you're interested in maintaining the alignment and adjustment of the camera then I believe it is not recommended for an owner to attempt taking it apart themselves, so all I can suggest is what I recommended before - try contacting Les Bosher to discuss the problem. As for this weekend, I don't think you'll be using this camera.

That's great news, enjoy the camera.

1. With a "mirror shutter" viewing system, whilst the shutter is closed to the film the mirrored surface bounces the light into the viewfinder so the operator can see the image through the lens. Whilst the shutter is open to the film there is nothing in the path of the light, so nothing gets bounced to the viewfinder. This viewfinder system will flicker whilst the camera is working, and depending on the design of camera may stop with the viewfinder blanked out (ie. with the shutter open). If this happens then you need to inch the motor round to close the shutter and regain a view through the viewfinder. This design has the advantage that there is nothing in the light path between the lens and the film whilst actually making an exposure. 2. With a prism viewing system there is a glass prism in the light path from the lens to the shutter. The prism will allow the majority of the light to pass straight through to the shutter and then film, but a small proportion of the light will be bounced off at an angle to the viewfinder. Because the prism is always in the light path it means there will always be an image in the viewfinder and it will not flicker. The disadvantage is that there will always be a small proportion of the light which passes through the lens that gets diverted to the viewfinder and doesn't reach the film. The markings on the lens don't know some of the light passing through it won't reach the film. This is why you would need to manually compensate for the light loss. After all, if you put the same lens on a camera with a mirror shutter then there wouldn't be any loss at all.

Not in London, but in the past I've sent my cameras (Beaulieu R16 & Eclair NPR) to Les Bosher in South Wales. ...but having said that, I know Les doesn't do electronic repairs himself, only mechanical. Any electrical stuff Les sends on to a chap in the Midlands. Even so, I've found Les to be friendly and helpful in the past.

That battery will be fine. I've used a similar one to run my NPR, and I'm aware other people use those as well. If only the red light illuminates then are you sure the battery is charged up? It might have enough charge to get warning lights going, but not run the motor. Are you trying to run the motor with it fixed to the camera, or seperate? ie. is the camera not running and therefore preventing the motor from spinning, or is the motor itself not running? I guess from your photo that you're trying to run it seperate. I'm afraid I don't know what the red light means on that motor (my NPR has a different one).

Short answer: yes, that battery will be fine. Long answer to be found on your other thread ;)

Then why not buy them new? Philip Rigby & Sons Ltd in Surrey sell 100ft, 200ft and 400ft daylight spools. It's a couple of years since I last bought from them, but certainly the prices for 100ft were fairly reasonable - especially if you get the lab to return them back to you afterwards for reuse! :)

If that's the case, then if the ACL mag is like the NPR, you can remove the spool adapter plate and put a daylight spool in the magazine instead. If you're able to do that and the noise stops then it confirms the adapter must be what's rubbing.

"Standard" tripod thread for 'small' cameras is 1/4" Whitworth. (so 20tpi) "Standard" tripod thread for larger cameras is 3/8" Whitworth. (so 16tpi) It is possible to get a screw in adapter bush, but personally I don't find these as secure as using the proper size fastening to start with.

Not short ends, but Fuji UK have a couple of short-dated rolls advertised for sale at cheap prices. <click here>

It will likely depend on the motor - there are a number of different types. If you were shooting something to be printed and projected then you'd want to crystal sync actually at 24fps. The motor on my NPR will sync at "24" or "25" only, but does have an additional input where I could feed an external clock signal for it to lock and sync to - so I could get it to lock to 23.976 that way if necessary. If you shoot at 24fps then have it telecined to NTSC it will actually be transferred at 23.976fps so will be 0.1% slower. For fairly short shots it probably won't be noticable, but if you were to shoot a full 400ft roll of film in one go (40*400=16,000 frames) that will be a difference of 16 frames, or 2/3 of a second by the end of the shot - that will definately be noticable!! Probably be best to discuss the situation with Cinelicious directly before you start shooting, rather than make assumptions and find you've got problems to sort out afterwards.