Matthew Oaten

Yep, it was more for technical reasons than aesthetics - I know that the director likes his shallow DoF so the NDs are essential, and probably a polarizer to get a bit of contrast into the sky. It's just that i've probably never worked with that much light coming into the lens so just wanted make sure that i'd be covered. I'm all vaccinated, malaria tablets ready and armed with DEET....!

Apologies, Africa is of course a huge continent....! I'm in Tanzania for a week, then Kenya for a week. It's for a charity so i'll be in under-developed areas, sometimes remote, and they want a fairly cinematic feel and want lots of the baron drought ridden landscapes, dead animals etc, but also interviews with locals, and shots of the aid work that's going on. Thanks for all you comments so far, Matt

Hi, I'm shooting a documentary over 2 weeks in Africa mid march. I'm the sole camera. I'm taking a 5D and a 7D for back up. As someone who's more used to the studio environment I was after some advice on filters that would make my life easier in this climate. I have an Arri 4x4 matte box, currently in my filter bag I only have ND's, would taking other filters like UV, polarizer, grads etc be beneficial? Any essential tips from people who have shot in this kinda location before? I can't wait to get out there but I really want to do the best job I can, so trying to plan and research now while I have the chance. Thanks, Matt Oaten

Hi Jean-Louis Thanks for the quick response! That's what I thought.... I tried the multiple readings, but they seem to be ok. About 20cm from the fluorescent light in my office, a get just under 5 foot candles on the sekonic, which just seems too low, as do all it's readings. I wish I had another incident meter for comparison.... Maybe it is the photocell? I'm going to ask for a refund anyway, and get a brand new one. Another lesson learned I guess.... Thanks again, Matt

Hi, I had a few exposure problems on a recent Super 8 shoot. So, I decided to invest in a light meter and not just rely on the built in meter on my beaulieu 4008. I'm poor, so I found a top condition used Sekonic Studio Deluxe on ebay for £50. Now, i have spent a while learning how to use the meter, studying the manual, taking incident readings, but after doing some experiments, my results are so far off from that of my camera I think there is a problem.... For example, in direct sunlight (through window), the light meter is reading appx 80 foot candles (facing the sun, next to the object to be shot, with the lumisphere on, and 'High' slide removed), so when set at ASA 100, (my beaulieu shoots at 1/65th at 18fps), I get a reading just under F2. Surely filming direct sunlight needs far less light than this? The reflective reading from my camera, set at 18fps, ASA100, no filters, is F5.6. Can anyone shed any light on this? It could well be that i'm making a stupid mistake somewhere, as i'm still learning about shooting on film... but as ever, any help is greatly received! Thank you, Matt Oaten

Impressed! Nice results actually.... maybe it is worth a pop after all....

Hi, I built an adapter similar to that, using details and the ground glass from this guy - http://www.jetsetmodels.info/ for the small hdv camera's I have at work. (examples at http://www.vimeo.com/3350567 and http://www.vimeo.com/2991146) I got it working fairly well, but honestly, since I got it working, I haven't used it at all. It was a bit of an obsession for a while, and fun to make, but now I find no real need for it. As far as making things look more cinematic, I feel this has more to do with dynamic range than depth of field - something that shouldn't be problematic with well exposed super 8. When I do want a shallower depth of field, (both with video, and super 8) I tend to pull the camera back a few metres and zoom in. Obviously, depending on your needs, this might not be an option for you to achieve your desired DoF, and i'm not sure about adapters for super 8 cams, but if you're going the DIY route, be prepared for at least 2/3 stops of light loss. Matt Oaten

Andy, thank you for this! When the gate is open, i can see straight through to where the film is going to be exposed, no filter is present :) ! The camera was sold as tested and working by the seller. He has sells a LOT of super 8 camera's and has positive on all of them, so I was making a trusted purchase. Although I completely agree with you, unfortunately I don't think i'll have to time to run a test reel and get it developed by next weekend.... but i feel more confident now after the above test. Do you think it's worth exposing a reel just to check its running the film ok? Thanks guys, Matt

Thats what i needed to hear, loud and simple. Thanks!

Yes, it is the original lens. It is identical to the one in the manual, aside from the lens filter option being present. Yes, my lens has two options, either daylight (a symbol of the sun) or tungsten (a lightbulb symbol). It looks to me that the camera's filter has been de-activated/removed as the place you are supposed to insert a key to activate/deactivate it has been blocked, and no key came with the camera. So the daylight filter, which gives me an distinct orangey look, should be engaged when shooting outside. I'm just a little worried/confused (and this is probably due to my lack of Film experience) as through the lens, the image looks a lot nicer and realistic when the tungsten filter (blue) is engaged. I guess i'm used to seeing what I see through the lens being the end result! Apologies for my own confusion, Matt

Hi, I'm a photographer (film and digital) fairly experienced in the world of video, but unfortunately not motion film (somehow managed to escape me!) I am shooting a tableau vivant film for a royal college of art postgrad student, and I just wanted to know if there are any extra considerations that you guys would recommend I take into account (I know there will be tons). I have purchased a Beaulieu 4009 ZM4, with schneider 1.4 6-70mm lens. Tested, and in working order. The artist has already purchased the film, 7 rolls of kodak vision 3 500t colour negative film to shoot with. Some scenes will be outdoor, some will be inside a disused rail station, with gaping holes in the roof. We have a generator and lights, so is it best to stick some blue gels on the lights and film as if daylight? I have a manual for the ZM4, but the lens I have has a filter feature not indicated anywhere in this. It has a little daylight/tungsten filter wheel situated next to the zoom limiter switch. When set to daylight its very horribly orange/sepia through the viewfinder, and far more natural looking when set to the tungsten setting (outside on a cloudy day). Which setting should I use? Is it best to measure focus, or just open the aperture, zoom in and focus this way? Any tips or advice will be most welcome. I have spent a lot of time on these forums and learnt a hell of a lot already, so thanks to those of you who have got me this far....! Matt Oaten

I have jut finished building my own 35mm adapter, and time permitting, I may run some tests today to see :) Although I only have a 50mm prime, nothing shorter unfortunately. As the video camera is recording the 35mm lens projection onto a piece of ground glass, you still have the restriction of framing the ground glass/focusing screen with the video camera, which cuts down the field of view somewhat already, and may perhaps lose any benefit gained from the shorter focal distance. As far as I am concerned the primary objective of my 35mm adapter is to allow selective focusing and a shallow dof by allowing a faster/shorter 35mm lens to be attached to my video camera to achieve a more filmic look on my restricted budget. I'm kinda new to this, so please don't castrate me for any inconsistencies/lack of understanding!