Hello there everybody. I discovered this forum very recently and this is my first post here. I am really intrigued to explore the forums a little bit more because I am currently a student and I feel like there's a lot that I can learn from the people on these boards.
Anyways, onto the main point about this post.
Like I said, I am a young student. I've only ever shot on digital so recently I have really been interested in taking a step back towards the roots of cinematography and learning how to shoot on celluloid. A few days ago I got my Beaulieu 4008ZM in the mail from someone selling it on eBay. I paid $270 + S&H for the camera. I don't truly know the market behind these cameras, but I felt that was a pretty good deal as the camera is pretty mint.
The only problems I could find were:
- Needs new / recelled battery (Also, it did not come with the AC charging adapter)
- Missing the eyecup for the viewfinder (Which I feel like makes it kind of hard to see into)
- A couple of the readings for the dials are loose and the camera could probably use a lube & adjustment service
Other than that the camera is like I said, in pretty mint condition. It came with the Angenieux 8-64mm f1.9 lens and overall has extremely little signs of wear and tear.
Unfortunately I have to come up with a battery solution and get my hands on some film before I can really get to testing and learning how to shoot.
My questions for you helpful and knowledgable folks consist of things like:
- What type of battery solution should I go for? Recelling the battery or purchasing a dummy pack with external battery source? (Which I have seen online for quite expensive; we're talking +$400 for creating a dummy, getting an external pack, and charger for the external pack)
- If I go for recelling does anyone know of people that do it over the internet or how I can go about finding a shop that does it? (I don't exactly trust myself to do the process haha; I would also need to purchase an AC adapter if I decided to do this)
- I'm going to keep doing my own research obviously, but does anyone have some advice for some good stocks to work with and where I can get cheap film+process+scan packages? (Either over the internet or near LA area) I keep seeing 50ft of film going for ~$35 for a package like that, which is understandable but at the same time makes me sad. I feel like that is a little expensive for 2.5 minutes of footage, but I suppose it depends on how much you want it.
- I still have a lot of practice to do, but for working on more serious projects down the line, do cartridges only come in 50ft formats? Because I feel that I've heard of a selection of longer (Say, 100ft, 200ft, 400ft) cartridges before but don't know if this is realistic or not.
- If you slate and record audio externally will it stay perfectly synced up in post? I've heard some people talking as if it doesn't.
- Lastly, do you have any other words of wisdom for a newcomer to the realm of film or for just a student in general?
I feel like this was quite longer than I expected the post to be, so if you even took the time to read it I appreciate it. You guys are awesome, and thank you in advance for any & all of the advice! :D
