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Looking For Some Words of Wisdom


Hunter Hammons

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Hello there everybody. I discovered this forum very recently and this is my first post here. I am really intrigued to explore the forums a little bit more because I am currently a student and I feel like there's a lot that I can learn from the people on these boards.

 

Anyways, onto the main point about this post.

Like I said, I am a young student. I've only ever shot on digital so recently I have really been interested in taking a step back towards the roots of cinematography and learning how to shoot on celluloid. A few days ago I got my Beaulieu 4008ZM in the mail from someone selling it on eBay. I paid $270 + S&H for the camera. I don't truly know the market behind these cameras, but I felt that was a pretty good deal as the camera is pretty mint.

 

The only problems I could find were:

- Needs new / recelled battery (Also, it did not come with the AC charging adapter)

- Missing the eyecup for the viewfinder (Which I feel like makes it kind of hard to see into)

- A couple of the readings for the dials are loose and the camera could probably use a lube & adjustment service

 

Other than that the camera is like I said, in pretty mint condition. It came with the Angenieux 8-64mm f1.9 lens and overall has extremely little signs of wear and tear.

Unfortunately I have to come up with a battery solution and get my hands on some film before I can really get to testing and learning how to shoot.

 

My questions for you helpful and knowledgable folks consist of things like:

- What type of battery solution should I go for? Recelling the battery or purchasing a dummy pack with external battery source? (Which I have seen online for quite expensive; we're talking +$400 for creating a dummy, getting an external pack, and charger for the external pack)

- If I go for recelling does anyone know of people that do it over the internet or how I can go about finding a shop that does it? (I don't exactly trust myself to do the process haha; I would also need to purchase an AC adapter if I decided to do this)

- I'm going to keep doing my own research obviously, but does anyone have some advice for some good stocks to work with and where I can get cheap film+process+scan packages? (Either over the internet or near LA area) I keep seeing 50ft of film going for ~$35 for a package like that, which is understandable but at the same time makes me sad. I feel like that is a little expensive for 2.5 minutes of footage, but I suppose it depends on how much you want it.

- I still have a lot of practice to do, but for working on more serious projects down the line, do cartridges only come in 50ft formats? Because I feel that I've heard of a selection of longer (Say, 100ft, 200ft, 400ft) cartridges before but don't know if this is realistic or not.

- If you slate and record audio externally will it stay perfectly synced up in post? I've heard some people talking as if it doesn't.

- Lastly, do you have any other words of wisdom for a newcomer to the realm of film or for just a student in general?

 

I feel like this was quite longer than I expected the post to be, so if you even took the time to read it I appreciate it. You guys are awesome, and thank you in advance for any & all of the advice! :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi Hunter,

 

I'm also fairly new to the world of Super 8, but am uninspired by digital video. I used to mess around with Super 8 back in the 80's when I was a teenager. I also recently bought a couple of 4008's. I opted for this battery option. It comes with a charger and has worked well so far: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Beaulieu-4008-Replacement-Battery-Pack-Kit-with-Charger-BI1300Li-BBC4008-/261524955200?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3ce41a2040

 

He's based in Canada.

 

Regarding the costs and length of a roll of film, I find myself shooting things with thought and care. This rarely happens with video, and people tend to just shoot way too much "footage" in my opinion. An editing nightmare.

 

Regards,

 

Mickey

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That's a steep price for a couple of small lithium-ion cells, especially for such a coarse solution.

 

OK, I'm a tinkerer, but I'd probably opt for a simple DC-DC converter (all over ebay) with adjustable voltage to suit, stick it in a box, and connect it to whatever batteries I had lying around - or just get radio control batteries.

 

P

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I agree Phil, there are cheaper solutions but it works (for me) and I was too busy to tinker around. I considered a dummy socket and a half dozen of AA 1.25v rechargeables but in the end I opted for this. However, if you come up with a more elegant solution, I'd be interested.

 

Regards,

 

Mickey

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