Derek Heeps

Thanks Philip , is this likely to be an issue with my Pentax prime lenses as well ? I just ordered the adaptor , which was inexpensive , last week and haven't received it yet . Since I'll primarily be shooting outdoors , I expect I'll be stopped down most of the time anyway .

Hi , I have exactly that lens on my camera which I got only a few weeks ago . While there is nothing particularly wrong with it , I have been shooting video for decades and used to ENG lenses with a proportional controlled motorised zoom , and found out that others here have used adaptors to mount B4 bayonet lenses ( designed for 2/3" video sensors) onto a Bolex ; relevant to my since I have just such a lens upstairs . Of course , if anything , my Canon B4 lens is bigger and heavier than the cine zoom lens I have , but my aim was to be able to use the power zoom with a suitable battery pack . I have also just ordered a C mount to PK mount adaptor so that I can use my Pentax SLR lenses on the Bolex - in particular my SMC-M series primes , of which I have a good selection . There are plenty of C mount adaptors to the popular 35mm SLR mounts available , and a 35mm SLR zoom lens of similar range may be lighter and more compact than the cine lens you currently have ; especially lenses designed for APSC size sensor DSLRs - just make sure you get one with manual aperture ring .

I’m in a similar place : first took an interest in photography early in high school , joined the camera club , learned from others . Sometime in my early teens my dad trusted me with his 8mm Bolex and I shot family holidays , air displays , and trains . After school , late 70’s , I started working part time in a hifi shop , just as early video equipment started to come in , and also got my first 35mm SLR . Later , I worked as a school audio visual technician , shooting still images and video , before moving into the conference/hire industry , where again there was some video production, as well as sound, lighting , projection and other stuff . One employer also had a wedding photography business , and I started doing commercial photography ( everything but weddings ) and video production there . Later , I moved to the fire service AV unit where the work is a mixture of scene photography/videography , PR photography and video production for training / PR . Have been doing that for 20 years now . Away from work , at some point I got a Minolta Super 8 camera and shot footage around the steam railway in my hometown , also a lot of still images . Down the years I’ve also worked my way through a variety of video formats , shooting things like trains , aircraft , motorsport , historic places , holidays etc . As I worked more with photography and video over the last 30 years or so , I did less as a hobby ; just this year , having time on my hands , I’ve been doing digital still photography: local places , and started a project tracing my family tree and photographing the graves of my ancestors as I find them . Having just been given two 16mm Bolexes , I plan to get some film to try them out. Alas the steam railway has been closed this year , but when it reopens it should be a good subject - especially to shoot in monochrome .

Video8 , Hi-8 did not have.a control track as such ; they employed dynamic tracking by reference to a sine wave that was part of the helical scan , there was also a segment of each track used for PCM digital audio , and on some decks the video segment could be replaced by PCM multi-audio .

That deck will allow you to capture over FireWire from tapes recorded on your camcorder and to archive edits made on your computer back onto DV tape . It is a good and ruggedly made deck , I used to have one . However , for a similar outlay , you can now buy an HDV deck which still works with DV and DVCAM but also supports the HDV format . If you get an HDV camcorder later , you can shoot and edit in high definition - a visible improvement over DV and still using the same tapes . Sony HDV products start with the code HVR and there is a whole range of decks and camcorders. Here is the entry level deck , which I’ve used myself for a number of years . https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sony-HVR-M15-HDV-Video-Deck-Plays-Full-Size-and-Mini-Tapes/363208356473?hash=item5490e7b279:g:R6gAAOSwyVZe-Ktt

Instead of merely a DV deck , consider getting an HDV deck . It will still play existing DV and DVCAM tapes , but also gives you scope to upgrade to HDV later . HDV camcorders are now quite affordable and allow you to shoot in high definition whilst maintaining backward compatibility with DV

Todd , while that sounds a good idea , it is frowned on at work to sell items given away and keep the money ( or use for another purpose ) it is normally expected that if you dispose of something you give any proceeds to one of the charities supported in the workplace . Apart from that I quite fancy keeping both cameras and all the lenses . I’m more inclined to buy a K-Mount adaptor so that I can use my Pentax lenses on the camera , which include primes at 50 , 55 , 70 , 77 , 100 , 120 , 135 and others both shorter and longer . I will keep updating here with my progress with the cameras .

Thanks Phil , alas too late as I’d already tried it ! However , I did have to get round the issue of the film being on the spool the wrong way round , so I used my projector to wind it back onto the other spool , whilst pinching it with a piece of cloth as it rewound , nothing came off there , and I’ve just removed the pressure plate and checked the gate , all clean , and nothing obvious inside the camera . I only ran it through once , but it was enough to tell that the loops form correctly and stay formed over the length of the film . Im not going to run the camera excessively for now ; up to now I’ve ran it in short bursts without film , and the one time with the old film , just to test and familiarise myself with it . The next thing will be to purchase a roll of new film and run it through to test the camera , and get it processed . If all is well and I know there are no major issues , I’ll look into the cost of a routine service and get that done before any further use . Alternatively, I’ve seen DIY servicing guides both on here and elsewhere on the web , and I will do my homework before considering whether or not to have a go myself . I might have a go with my dads old 8mm S1 first , then if that goes ok , the REX before touching the REX 4 . I have in the past serviced projectors , tape recorders , vcrs , camcorders and numerous other devices ( including everything mechanical on my cars ) so , as long as I have the proper service manual it doesn’t scare me .

Thanks Dom , yes I’ve seen some of the prices on eBay , although my interest wasn’t so much for monetary value as , initially , just to have the camera as a keepsake and maybe a display item in my living room . I used to have a number of older cameras on display in my living room until my then partner objected ; since we are no longer together I can please myself about such things . If I feel I’m going to start using the camera regularly then I’ll look into either getting it serviced , or to see how I feel about doing it myself : I have in the past , serviced video kit ranging from U-Matic down to Mini-DV and things like Kodak S-AV projectors , when my employer had about 100 in the hire stock . As long as I can obtain a service manual then I would feel reasonably comfortable at exploring it . If it is just going to be an ornament to sit on the shelf I wouldn’t bother , but I think I might actually use the REX 4 and just leave the other one sitting . The take up spindle and run release both seem fine . I’m going to load that reel of film that was in the camera and observe how it runs through . The camera seems to run very smoothly without film going through it . Both cameras do . Thanks again for the advice .

The two primes I now have are now 16mm and 25mm . As for my K mount lenses , they range from a 15mm fish eye , shortest ‘normal’ prime being 20mm , although I do have a ( non fisheye ) 15-30mm zoom , and up to max 400mm which would be very long on 16mm . I have a video lens which comes out to 6.5mm at the wide end .

And a few more : the REX can be distinguished by having no eyepiece and the round tripod mount on the bottom

Above , the first pic is the REX4 , complete with eyepiece and the grip , lens and fader swapped over ; the lower pics are the REX with the two primes and the side finder fitted . Below are some pics of the REX as was when I got it a few days ago , and one with my dad’s old 8mm S1 which I last used around 1970 .

A further development. Yesterday I got a phone call from my boss saying he’d found the other Bolex and did I want it as well ... Picked it up last night and this one is a REX 4 with pistol grip , two primes ( a 16mm Switar and a 25mm Pizar . The REX 4 seems to have a slightly larger reflex finder ( the box section is a bit larger ) and has the all important eyepiece although no rubber eyecup , but these are readily available ; it also has a non reflex finder on the side . This camera is , if anything , in even better condition than the other one , with the leather cloth just that bit fresher looking , but nothing to complain about on either . Having looked up the serial no against the Bolex collector site , this camera dates from 1966 , as opposed to the other one being a 1960 model . I swapped the zoom lens , pistol grip and Rex-o-fader over to the REX 4 , and put the two primes plus the side finder onto the REX . There was even a full 100’ roll of exposed , double perf film still in the REX 4 . It must have been there minimum 20 years and possibly closer to 50 so I see little point trying to process it ; I think I’ll just use it as a test film to check that both cameras load , form loops and run smoothly with film loaded . On the REX4 , the loop formers click in nicely enough , but on pressing the release button they were a little slower to jump back out ; repeated operations speeded this up so perhaps it will improve with use ; or perhaps on the REX , which I suspect has seen more use , things are just a bit more worn and looser . So , altogether a good find and I now feel I have a camera almost ready to go . I will just need to wait for my finances to recover from the festive season before I can afford to buy some film . The Wein cell for the ‘electric eye’ in the Kern zoom lens arrived yesterday too , but I haven’t fitted it yet . Some photos , as requested

Thanks for all the info . I was only thinking of using the B4 lens and my K mount lenses because I have them already . I did a search on eBay , which drew a blank , but yes I will google for them . Re the eyepiece , I think I’ll need to find one elsewhere - the cameras lay in a cupboard for my 20 years there and were never touched ( I don’t think they were used after 1972 , that being the date of the last incident in our archive that was filmed on 16mm ) until our studio was recently cleared out to be converted into office space and the contents shifted into a store ( which we are losing ) by caretakers ( who didn’t seem to take much care ) , besides the other Bolex being nowhere near the one I got , of particular annoyance is that the pantographs and much of the rail system from our Bowens hi glide system appears to have been thrown in a skip !

Thanks Phil , that’s very helpful . Yes my camera does have the turret lock . The Wein cell was only about £5 from eBay , so if the lifespan is reasonable I can live with that , I did see adaptors to use LR44 cells , so that’s an option too . Ive been watching eBay for a K mount adaptor but no luck so far .