Johnny Liu

Thanks again for all your knowledge about the CP-16. I did not know that about the ball bearing thing. I would want to see that some time as it sounds interesting. Have you shot footage with your CP-16s - and if so - any thoughts about the image stability of them?

Hahaha - yeah, I saw the exact same two cameras online these past few days as well. Have you shot with a CP-16 before - and if so - any comments about image stability?

Yeah, that does sound like a good choice. I grew up in NJ too

Thanks for the insight into this!

If I have a CP-16 that was converted well to Super 16 - and well serviced - and had a lens mount that could accept Arri PL or Arri standard mount lenses - and if I used one of the better lenses of this type of mount - would I be able to take footage that is about the same as what an Arri SR2 or SR3 could take?

Oh wow - I had no idea that they were so different. Thanks for the insider info on this as there is not much info online about the 2016 - much less a comparison of differences between it and the R16!

Thanks for letting me know. I started this post last week with the idea that I was set on getting a CP-16. Now, after all the information everyone has given me, I have found that I need to at least think this over some, including maybe re-assessing what I can expect to accomplish/my end goals, etc. If I am interested, I will send you a private message to discuss this more. Thank you again very much for letting me know about this opportunity!

Thanks a lot. Yes, I saw the Super 16 Eclair NPR the other day, but the posting was expiring in like 2 hours at the time and I had to go out and take care of things so didn't have time to look closer at it/research it. Oh well! Next time I guess!

Aside from the electronics difference - is the film transport/gate mechanism the same between Beaulieu 2016 and R16? Does the R16 take as steady an image as the 2016?

Thanks for the practical advice here! I will chew on it!

Thanks for the info. Yes, Ultra 16 is sounding more like a not so great format. I don't like the fact that part of the image frame could possibly be damaged by the camera

Thanks for the diagrams/pics and letting me know that the Ultra 16 frame slides over a support rail - I did not realize that. Yeah, if I am still considering one of these cameras, I would definitely ask to see some footage taken with the camera

Thanks - for letting me know that I need to check if the video transfer service I use can support Ultra 16 or not. Ultra 16 is looking like less and less of a great choice as I read your - and the next few - responses!

I should have said, with Super 16, to get it to 1.85:1 ratio you would have to have black bars appear on the top and bottom or have black bars appear on the sides (I think)

First off, I would like to thank everyone who has responded to my post so far. A lot of you have written a lot - a whole lot - about the subject and it's been a great learning experience! Thanks for the time you have put into your feedback. I know someone who is selling a CP-16R that has been converted into Ultra 16 for a fair price and I am giving it some thought. I was originally thinking I needed a 16mm camera that is in Super 16 format, but reading up more on Super 16 and Ultra 16 today - and the aspect ratios of theatrical releases and streaming - and I am thinking that I may not necessarily need Super 16. In fact, Ultra 16 seems to possibly make a lot of sense. It seems that (from what I can see), theatrical releases are either 1.85:1 or 2.39:1. Streaming releases are 16:9, which is 1.78:1, which is close to 1.85:1. Ultra 16 is 1.85:1. Super 16 is 1.66:1. Thus, to get Super 16 footage converted to 1.85:1, you would have to crop off a little bit off the top and bottom anyways. Thus, I am thinking that Ultra 16 is not so bad then. Am I mistaken?

Thanks a lot for sharing that great footage you took with the Bell and Howell! Also, thanks a lot for mentioning that there can be image stabilization performed on the footage after transferred to video. I never thought of that! And I have Davinci Resolve installed on my computer at home (I just haven't done much with it yet, so never even though about image stabilization). Maybe I can start considering a Regular 16mm camera now as that would be much more in my immediate price range.

Thanks for the further insights into gate weave and the reality of how old and how used some of these cameras are - and how that might increase the likelihood of instability/gate weave.

Also, thanks for letting me know that some of the "gate weave" in YouTube videos might be caused by the video transfer. I never thought about that possibility!

Yes, I am looking for crystal sync or a camera that is able to be modified for crystal sync (or accepts some kind of crystal sync accessory). Thanks!

Thanks for your knowledge about the better build of Arri cameras, better viewfinders, and the benefits of the PL mount. That is maybe a good idea to start within my means with a lesser camera and then try to build up from there. I am still thinking this all through

Thanks again for taking all the time to write this and for all your insights into the different registration capabilities of the wide range of camera models you have experience with. I do like the idea of a Beaulieu 2016, but doing some quick Google searching, it looks like a camera that does not come up for sale very often. I have though about maybe getting a Beaulieu R16 as they are more readily available (and I believe I have seen crystal sync add-ons available for this model).

Thanks for the useful info about gate weave! Nice to know that the SR3 Advanced is very steady

Do you think a GSMO provides as steady a picture as an Arri SR? I have thought about other 16 mm cameras like a Bolex or a Beaulieu for the immediate present, but I'm concerned about those cameras because from some footage I see on YouTube I see a bit of unsteadiness in the picture, like sometimes a very slight undulating or wave motion

I have read a little about the GSMO before, but never looked into it much. From what I can see online, just searching briefly is that parts might be hard to come by. Do you have any links to any footage shot with a GSMO? I would be curious to see what film looks like shot with this camera. Do you know if this camera can be converted to Super 16? Do you own a GSMO?

Thanks a lot for the analysis and info about the CP16 electronics - and also the info about Eclairs - as well as - the fact that a DIY serviced camera might not be able to turn out professional footage. Thanks!