Richard Tuohy

Yes, you can just buy a normal 48mm lenscap for the 48mm skylight filter that you have on the camera.

What you say is true John, but it misses one important point. Yes, for any given combination of lens and image size (ie the size of the captured image projected by the lens - the size of the film or chip) the smaller the aperture, the greater the depth of field and vice versa. But image size is a major factor in depth of field: change the image size (by framing up the same shot on larger or smaller format camera for example) and the depth of field will change. The smaller the image size, the greater the depth of field and vice versa. Super 8 has an inherently greater (massively greater) depth of field than say 35mm film. yes, depth of field can still be exploited in super 8, but not nearly in the same way as with larger formats. If you took a 35mm camera and a super 8 camera and selected lenses for each such that you had the same perspective and framing on the same subject and were using the same aperture on both, the difference between the depth of field of both would be quite marked. So the idea with a dof adapter is that you get access to the dof characteristics of a larger image size (ie format size) than the camera you are using would naturally have. richard

There is an easy way to shoot 64t with a bauer. This method exploits the fact that on the tungsten (bulb) filter setting the camera will generate a light meter reading based on 40 asa film, and 40 asa is what 64t is when an 85 filter is employed (as in when the camera is on the 'sun' setting). - switch the filter switch to 'bulb' - look through the viewfinder and read the indicated exposure - switch the filter switch back to 'sun' - roll the exposure controll to the setting you generated in the second step. done. Of course, this only works outside. You don't really need to do the filter switching thing, but it is a good way to start as it actually shows you the correct exposure for 64t shot outdoors. cheers, richard

Of course you can phone mike. as for time lapse, you won't find a wind up camera with that function. Really, its a super 8 not standard 8 thing.

This isn't an issue. Its quite normal and will have no effect on the possibility or otherwise of widening the gate for super 16 or ultra 16. A normal 4:3 telecine would not have included those parts of the image. No doubt since you are going to 16:9 the telecine operator gave you the full width.

There may be a few other differences (in addition to the 1:1 drive shaft). A rex 5 has a spool ejector leaver inside the film compartment to make it easier to get spools out. Does your Rex 1? The Rex 5 has a different type of filter slide that allows the filter to be pulled out of the light path, without it having to be fully removed and a dummy filter holder put in. I assume your Rex has a variable shutter. I am not sure if all early Rex cameras do, but certainly a Rex 5 does. You may not need any of these features if they are missing from your camera, so don't worry about them if they don't matter. However, you might consider the cost of the conversion of your rex1 compared to buying a Rex5 and converting that. The conversion will probably cost more than the camera alone so the extra cost is less than 50% of the project. That said, if it ain't necessary, don't do it. Bear in mind though that you could get a Rex 5 with either a 10x or 13x viewfinder and not need to get the 14x viewfinder modification at all. I have an SB with a 10x and an SBM with a 13x and personally I don't fuss about the difference ... but definitely the 6x is too small. good luck with it, richard

I can't answer your question, but for what its worth, I'd just point out the following: this roll if it is 20+ years old won't cut well with the other footage you are going to shoot on Monday. This roll will cost you the same to process and telecine (or perhaps more for telecine as it might well take longer to get a useable image out of it). One more fresh 100' roll of stock will cost you another $40 odd dollars. Ask yourself if the saving of $40 justifies the risk of not getting a result, or getting a poor, bearing in mind your time and the time of everyone else involved. Just my two cents. shoot it by all means, but I wouldn't try to mix it in with other footage. cheers, richard

g'day Mike, o.k. a few quick responses to some of your questions. First off, sound super 8 stock isn't manufactured any more sadly (you are over a decade too late for that one). This will probably mean you don't need a sound projector. That is good, becuase if you only want to buy one projector, you are unlikely to get a dual format projector (super 8 and standard 8) that is also a sound projector. For a good silent dual gauge projector I'd recommend the Elmo K100 or K110. Also a Eumig 610 is great - or any Eumig that physically looks like the 610 model. You want to buy a projector that takes the stardard 12v 100w halogen bulb with reflector (shaped like the bulb in a modern down light). If the projector doesn't use one of those, don't buy it (especially not if it looks like a spaceman bulb). Yes, we process Standard 8. As for cameras, Martin is quite right, don't buy a 514 if you intend to shoot the commonly available E64t (which is the main s8 stock). The 518 is an ideal cheap camera to buy (preferably the type that doesn't use separate light meter batteries). Or get a Nizo or high end Canon if you want bells and whistles. Honestly I don't recommend you buy a Beaulieu at all. Please don't (that is my opinion - there are plenty of users of Beaulieus that will tell you otherwise). Apart from the battery re-cell problem with them, they are prone to problems. Can be fixed, but if you use the Beaulieu repair guy here in Melbourne, expect to take out a loan to pay for the repair. Sure they are sexy to look at. I only rarely see good results from them however. You can email me at richard@nanolab.com.au for any questions you might have. cheers, richard

My 2 cents, if you are flashing the film in a camera, have the lens completely out of focus. Flashing the film with a colour card will affect the colour of the dark areas but not the light areas. I guess that is your plan. richard

I have decided to part with my Canon DS8 (Scoopic) camera. This camera is in immaculate condition. I have used it with stunning results. The camera is in perfect working condition. There is no battery corrosion in the battery compartment. The lens is clear. The viewfinder is bright. Light meter works well too. If you know this model of camera, you know how flexible the system is. It has numerous features not found on the 16mm versions of the scoopic - such as a variable shuttter (continuously variable) and the ability to run the camera in reverse, rewinding any amount of film for multiple exposures etc.. Also, the battery pack taking normal aa batteries is much more convenient than the rechargeable packs of its 16mm cousin. There is a 25mm x 15mm sticker from a previous institutional owner on the camera body. With its case, the camera weighs 6kg. Postage to USA would be US$60 for sea mail or US$99 for airmail. Postage to Europe and U.K. would be US$60 for sea mail and $129 for airmail. I am selling this with a sealed last batch 100' roll of K40. Price is US$700 plus postage from Australia. Please email if interested. richard@nanolab.com.au

For my 2 cents, I will say that I handle a lot of out of date K40. My experience is that k40 that is 33 years expired will most likely yield a clear roll of film with no image at all. Sorry to tell you that. I think you should hang on to the very rare magazine. If you have the camera it fits, then learn to re-load the magazine and learn to process the rolls yourself. Alternatively, if you use the magazine, take the film out of the magazine after shooting and just send the film in a tin to the lab. cheers, richard

Hi there Cris, I haven't heard of 'dual beam focusing'. I would have assumed it meant the range-finder type of focusing aid with the colour defraction you describe. As you say, the range-finder focusing aid system was very rare on super 8 cameras. Some Bell and Howell models (in fact made by Chinon or Sankyo I believe) have this type of focusing aid. Otherwise I would have assumed it meant 'split image' focusing aid - the type with the circle in the middle divided by a horizontal (or sometimes vertical or even diagonal) line. Is there any kind of circle visable in the centre of the viewfinder image? As for exposure, what you say is correct, though some light meters are less 'reactive' than others. Often times too a camera designed for mercury batteries which is being used with lithium batteries (not recommended by the way) will show hyper reactive light meter fluctuations. Yes, use the internal meter for the exposure, then set the camera to manual. cheers, richard

It is quite hard to get an affordable telecine of a single 100' roll of 16mm neg. That is the way of it. Yes, its a shame really. But if you want to learn to use your bolex, shoot a few rolls of reversal film. You can project these yourself, or go to a rinky-dink home movie telecine joint for a cheap telecine. Then, if you get to the point where you are ready to shoot a project with it, you might be able to shoot a test roll of colour neg and have it telecinied by a proper telecine house as a trial. The gear to telecine colour neg, and to hd at that, isn't cheap (not like a beautiful old bolex is). Love your bolex, and shoot film with it. All you have to do is have a project-by-project rather than a roll-by-roll approach. And learn to shoot with reversal or with making prints from neg. good luck, richard

Hi there, I am still looking for one of these... email me if you have one you might sell. richard@nanolab.com.au

accidental post

I am not a camera technician, but surely, if the lens was re-centered the aperture opening should line up exactly with the centre of the lens mount. Your pictures seem to show a differential amount of space between the left and the right sides of the aperture. Judging by the crude filing job, I think you can be thankful the lens wasn't re-centred by whoever did that! richard

The K3 has a continuously variable speed dial from 8 fps to 48 fps. Note that as a spring wound camera, the faster the frame rate, the shorter the amount of time you can pull the trigger before the spring in the motor winds down. The K3 is a basic camera, cheap to buy, worth much more than they sell for, is a little fiddly to thread and can produce nice images. They have an internal light meter which is very useful for people not used to shooting film, and it means you don't have to buy a separate light meter. Note that they have the reliability and finish that the soviet factories specialised in ... ie, you take pot luck when you buy one. Mine works fine. Buying any cheap 16mm camera is hit and miss anyway. Get one and shoot a roll of film and see what you get.

Just make sure you don't send a film cartridge loaded with ecnII film to a mini-lab or you will make a hell of a mess! Your best bet is to find a movie lab that is willing to help you out. It is possible to buy the kodak kit chemistry directly from Kodak. However, the kit chemistry is not meant for home use but for small lab use. The boxes in the kit are mostly 20 Litre concentrates. It is possible to do the rem-jet removal stage more cleanly than the 'sponge' method you mentioned, simply by using the correct kodak pre-bath chemistry (which is one of the cheapest parts of the kit). But you don't want to do that. And shooting print stock won't help you with deciding how mp films look. Nor will processing ecnII film in c41 as the c41 developer will yield a different gamma than the encII developer. So find a sympathetic lab is my advice. cheers, richard

If you do use the 100d colour reversal in the studio under tungsten lights, use an 80 filter not an 85. You need to make the light bluer, not oranger. An 80 filter cuts 2 stops so 100 becomes 25 asa. I have shot reversal with a tobin time lapse motor. If you do the calculations, and you know how to use a light meter, and you know your camera, it can work. but if you need a positive image you might consider using neg and getting a print made. If you mess up the exposures, you can get a graded print made and redeam the project. good luck, richard

Do keep in mind that if you shoot negative film, then you lose the options of cheap and very cheap telecine. and transfering just 1 or 2 rolls of neg can be quite expensive. And that if you are testing your camera, its better to test it with reversal film so you can see what it is doing (if the exposure is wrong in reversal, its wrong and you can see that. Neg is more forgiving of errors ... but from a test point of view, it also masks errors more). richard

I have such a camera. Excellent condition. How much is it worth to you? richard

Surely you will get just blank film because very little light will get through the rem jet backing (fronting!).

I am still looking for a working auricon optical sound camera ... any one have one for sale? richard

No offence intended, but America is a funny place! cheers, richard

Thanks for your help Jean-Louis, in the end I ordered Nimh cells, even though I think you don't advocate them. In Nimh I was able to get 4/5A packs of 5 instead of 2. So I ordered 2 x 5packs. I also ordered 2 x 8aa packs for my CP-16 which you suggested on another thread. Good idea about the pcb material for battery ends. thanks again, richard