Harvey Arthur Wang

Well, I'm not in a hurry to use one, but maybe sometime in the future once I have any major projects. But I really appreciate your kindness and your help.

I'm at UCLA. Not a film major though, so it'll be a bit harder for me access the cameras.

Actually, most film schools don't use film anymore. Those who made the switch, sold their cameras years ago. Those who haven't, are going to keep the cameras most likely. I haven't found anyone willing to give away cameras. Most cameras have value and that keeps people wanting to keep them OR sell for money on ebay.

 

There are plenty of inexpensive 16mm cameras, but shooting on film is expensive. So buying a low-cost camera seems counter intuitive when the cost to create an image is so high.

 

For instance, you can buy a working non-sync sound camera for $350. Yes it will be wind up, but it will probably come with a lens.

 

$350 is the cost to shoot and transfer around 15 minutes of film on 16mm. Now obviously if you shoot B&W reversal and project only, you can save quite a bit of money. Still, the point here is that if you're going to spend $350 for every 15 minutes, why not just spend the money up front and get something better, OR just rent when you need one.

 

Most rental houses will give you a killer deal on a long-term rental if you want it.

Thanks for the info. I guess it is more worthwhile to buy a high quality camera. There are people on eBay selling Canon Scoopics for around $300 with shipping. Many of them are still working perfectly, so I think it's a pretty good deal.

I was just curious because I've read an article by someone who bought their 16mm camera from a news station. My college still uses film, but it's limited to a few courses and only the beginning film majors and cinematography grad students use film, so I was wondering if they would downsize their inventory of cameras.

I'm curious if film schools give away old cameras. I'm interested in using a 16mm camera, but the cameras are expensive and even the cheapest (good) ones listed on eBay are usually 2-3 times the price of a Super 8 camera. I can certainly afford it, but the price might be a bit too much to start off.

This is why I am interested if film schools are willing to give away (or sell for a lower price) their old cameras. Especially since most schools are focusing on digital and only limit film cameras to a few courses, perhaps it's possible. Similarly, are there any other places, like news stations, that will give away their cameras?

I just bought a Sankyo XL-400S from eBay. The problem was that it wasn't included with any manual nor were there any instructions to access one.

The first problem is how to load the batteries. I know it takes six 1.5 V batteries, but loading it is a bit of a problem. I'm assuming it's loaded in the handgrip, but it seems like the batteries need to be loaded in a special holder and then stuck into the handgrip. Of course, this is just my guess. I'm wondering if this is true. If it's true, does anyone know where to get the battery holders?

Also, does anyone know where to access the manual. It seems like my best bit is to pay $10 for a manual.

Also, off topic, but does anyone have recommendations for editing equipment? eBay has a few Kodak presstape splicer kits for a pretty good deal, but I need more recommendations.