Will Montgomery

Scoopics are usually less noisy than a Bolex and they are the fastest loading cameras around...but they do make some noise and some are louder than others. What about an A-minima?

Good question...In the still world, Panatomic X was the first X film in 1938. Then Plus-X, Super-X, Super-XX, Ortho-X & Tri-X. So there's a long tradition of X films just not sure where the original X came from. Xtra? Probably need a Kodak historian to let us know.

On 10/12/2021 at 2:12 AM, Jon O'Brien said:

Hi Will, which model of Scoopic is best in your opinion? Thanks for any advice.

Sorry I just saw this!

Scoopic MS lets you add a 400' magazine if you can find the adapter so I usually recommend that but I've had an M, MN & MS and they all shoot the same as far as I can tell so if you get a good deal on any of them...go for it.

I look at Scoopics as having the ease and convenience of Super 8 if you want...even the loading is the easier in any non-cartridge 16mm camera...but you can turn off the autoexposure and use your own meter as you want. The lens is just great. I have seen them removed from Scoopics and mounts put on them for use in other cameras actually.

Best part of a Scoopic is not having to constantly wind the camera. Can't tell you how that would hurt my hand after a half day of shooting. Then the autoloading and autoexposure are close seconds. It all adds up to ACTUALLY USING THE CAMERA more.

If you're shooting a feature then grab an Arri SR2 or 3 but for music videos, home movies and fun can't beat a Scoopic.

The Scoopic lens is really amazing...I've had colorists ask me what lens I was using because it was so sharp. The whole "zoom in for critical focus" is very easy with a Scoopic as well which helps. Very easy and efficient camera...especially for loading.

Back in the day we used to use mic stands to create audio tape loops...make the loop and pull a mic stand out to hold the loop's shape and size. Not sure if that would work with film...even a nice clean stainless steel mic stand might scratch film so some sort of roller system would probably be best.

I've had lots of film scanned on a Shadow. In the hands of a skilled colorist, it does a great job. But as mentioned all those machines are insane to maintain and suck an ungodly amount of electricity. Shops would fly in techs to make adjustments and pay crazy amounts of money. But back in the day these machines MADE lots of money since most decent commercial projects were shot on film. Not the kind of thing you want in your house for personal projects unfortunately.

On 4/23/2021 at 3:24 PM, Will Montgomery said:

Thanks Raymond. There was no grain reduction...just exposed properly on a sunny day with low speed stocks. Between the Spirit and Resolve it was definitely color corrected in transfer of course. If you want grain there's always 500T and my favorite B&W Double X!

Also keep in mind that modern film stocks are designed NOT to show a ton of grain if properly exposed...even 500T; especially in 35mm. For many years Kodak was pouring millions in research dollars into reducing grain and perfecting color. Now in 16mm we love some grain...but just enough to remind people that it's film. ?

I believe Visual Products was successful at making one Scoopic MS Super 16. It was ridiculously complicated, expensive and time consuming to do and I don't think it made sense to do for anyone else. It was on sale on eBay like 6 years ago maybe?

I remember seeing it clearly because I'd always heard it was impossible.

Ultra 16 all day long...no need to recenter the lens.

Yep, it's the Wolverine. Maybe at $47 it's worth it?? Maybe not. It will just make you mad at how crappy it is.

On 4/16/2021 at 3:08 PM, Raymond Zananiri said:

Beautiful!!

Where did the grain go though? Was that the Spirit that smoothed it out or was it you in post?

 

Thanks Raymond. There was no grain reduction...just exposed properly on a sunny day with low speed stocks. Between the Spirit and Resolve it was definitely color corrected in transfer of course. If you want grain there's always 500T and my favorite B&W Double X!

Here's something shot on an Arri SR1 standard 16mm. I left it as standard format but I could have had it scanned to 16:9 with no grain problem. Don't remember the stock but it was probably 50D or 100t. Lens was a Zeiss 10-100 T2. Scanned to HD on a Spirit with a good colorist.

Some of it is a little shaky as I was getting used to shoulder shooting when zoomed in. I would say if you get a good deal on an SR1 standard go for it. Super 16mm is more practical but not at double the cost unless you're a professional and that's a requirement.

11 hours ago, Duncan Brown said:

Am I the only one seeing this?  Maybe the problem is in my brain, heh.

No, I see it too. It's not the transfer, it's the camera. I used to call it the "K3 Flutter" and sometimes I got it on the Canon Scoopic. A camera tech will probably define the issue better...on pro cameras it can be adjusted but there's simply not enough control of the film path on an inexpensive 16mm camera to get rid of it. At least that was what I was told. ?

On 1/3/2021 at 9:45 AM, Stanislav Schubert said:

You have excellent quality. Have you developed and scanned in a specialized laboratory or manually?

That was processed by a lab that no longer exists out of Seattle I believe. Just a wind-up old Eyemo with Double-X negative. Scanned on a Spirit Telecine.

Great shots. Fun that these cameras can still make wonderful images all these years later...I still love using my Eyemo whenever I can. And they would make great weapons in war too...heavy steel!

https://vimeo.com/16430701

A plus for Visual Products is that they still have a tech on staff that can service these cameras; something of a dying art. They may have slightly inflated prices on used gear but they are reliable and stand by what they sell.

Remember when purchasing that you'll have to regularly service the camera and need to develop a relationship with someone who can do it and get parts. In the U.S. it seems to be easier to get Arri SR parts than Aaton LTR parts which may be another consideration.

Last time I checked, Arri NY would still service SR2's and 3's although maybe not officially...there was a tech there single handedly trying to keep those cameras alive.

Another resource for techs is Panavision but they won't officially help you as they don't service cameras they don't own, but they have the knowledge and often parts and may take pity on you if you walk in with puppy dog eyes.

All home movies should be shot on 35mm Vision 3 stocks. It is now the law.

It depends on what you want to do with them. If you're looking for the best quality (then maybe check out 16mm) there are cameras like the Beaulieu 4008 but if you're just looking to pick up a camera and shoot for fun, something like a Nizo 156 or Canon 310xl might be the ticket. Super 8 is best for me when you can hand off a camera to an 8 year old and have them shoot a vacation video. The Beaulieu will give amazing results and can still be serviced with factory parts & modern batteries by Björn Andersson in Sweden. Some of the cheaper cameras are have plastic gears that are failing left & right on the 40+ year old ones.

https://www.super8.tv/en/super8service/bjoern-andersson-filmkonsult-svebaco-kb/

Beautiful footage. You'll have that forever and it's totally worth the investment in processing and transfer. It's also fun showing up at your kid's soccer game with an old Arri 2c cranking away with all the soccer mom's with their huge DSLR's staring at you.

https://vimeo.com/54617132

On 6/15/2020 at 11:36 AM, Boris bruno said:

How much are selling it for 

Mine's a special Steve's Cine mod used by DoggyCam for many years on all sorts of movies. It has a crystal sync motor built in. Unfortunately I'm not selling it as it's my only 35mm camera at this time (other than some Eyemos).

You will find 2c's as probably the most modified camera in the world so make sure you know what you are getting when you buy. They are small and a nice entry camera but keep in mind that they don't have registration pins so they aren't as steady as Arri 3's and later.

Talk to Pro8mm. They started life as Super8Sound. They'll be a few guys left that used to live for that stuff.

I decent 2c with a working motor should run you about $1800+. With a crystal motor maybe $2500+.

On 6/2/2020 at 2:05 AM, Pavan Deep said:

...for accurate reflex viewing and focusing I have an 16-17mm ‘dog leg’ lens.

Just be aware that the majority of those "dog leg" older lenses don't actually allow for critical focus; just framing. I went through the exact path you're describing and was incredibly frustrated that the lens didn't let me focus through the lens. Not sure why they even bothered with those except for framing.

The K100 has the longest running time on one wind I've seen on any camera. It's built like a tank and extremely reliable.

BUT, if you don't have a reflex lens for it, focus and framing are done manually as in measuring the distance or doing your "best guess" which is ok for home movies but when you're spending $150 for three minutes of footage, you may want something a little more likely to be actually in focus.

It was like the Cadillac of home movie cameras in the 50's but something like a Scoopic where you can actually see through the lens to focus & have a motor + decent autoexposure may be better for you. I know there's a big price difference but you've already spent that difference after 3-4 rolls of film/processing/transfer.

Some Super 8 cameras actually have tripod mounts that work great on wide shots. Just sayin'.

Very nice framing on the closeups and mid-shots.

You can download DaVinci Resolve for free and view some YouTube tutorials...that would be a great program to learn as it is/was what all the colorists I've worked with in the U.S. have used for years and years (well before Blackmagic bought them and made it an editor too).