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Disassembly: Easiest Super 8 camera to open up for servicing


Freya Black

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It's not the disassembly that's difficult. It's putting it all back together!

 

The Beaulieu 4008 is probably the easiest to service of the "real" cameras (it was the easiest of my cameras..

 

The best dissassembly tip is to get a copy of the service manual. Take your time and never force anything. Keep a camera on your workbench and take pictures.

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Thanks Zac!

 

I don't want to just limit it to the real cameras because to be honest if I can open it up, get inside and put it back together again, then I could maybe even add some new features while I'm in there.

 

I can't imagine it's going to be very easy to get super 8 camera service manuals is it?

Or do you have a good tip about that?

 

Freya

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Beaulieux 2/4/6/7/9008 are reasonbly easy to open and to close back without visible damage.

Nizo Silberlings and several Bauers are easy too. Don't let your screwdriver wander out the slot! :)

 

The difficulty with many like Nikon R8/10m Canon 814/1014 and others is to know where the screws are and how to get there. Getting the leatherettes or rubbers of without deforming or tearing them is one thing. Putting them back another. :(

Edited by Andries Molenaar
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Hi Freya!

 

Like Zac, I found the Beaulieu 4008 the easiest S8 camera to disassemble, but I honestly haven't tackled too many. The early Kodak one (was it M8?) was easy from memory, probably lots of those simple ones without too many bells and whistles wouldn't be too bad.

 

With Super 8 cameras they hid lots of screws under leatherettes and decals and such, so you often have to peel things off to find the screws, and there's always one last little bugger hidden somewhere. The built-in zooms can make things problematic sometimes, not having that is one of the reasons the Beaulieus are easier.

 

This site has some pictures of disassembling Canon 814 and 1014s (I recall an 814 being a nightmare personally but I was trying to access fungus on the very rear element of the zoom.. Shudder..)

 

http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com

 

I did an instruction guide for disassembling the Beaulieu 4008 here:

 

http://cinetinker.blogspot.com.au/2013/12/beaulieu-4008-zmii.html

 

A few drops of white spirit can soften the glue holding on leatherettes and decals, I gently pry them off with a flat scraper and re glue them with contact adhesive.

 

If you do "add some new features" and make a Frankencam we want to see pictures!

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Dom, thank you for the instruction guide!

 

Some S8 cameras do have the service manuals floating around. I have the service manual for the Beaulieu. (you can get it here: http://www.apecity.com/manuals/pdf/beaulieu_4008_repair_and_disassembly_service_manual.pdf) I've seen the service manual for the Nikon R10 for sale a few times. I don't even know if one exists for the Canon 814AZE (mine has rubber rot on the manual controls). I gave up on restoring manual aperture to that one, and just go auto most of the time I use it.

 

http://www.apecity.com/manuals/.

 

The big question is, what sort of features do you want to add? Alot of the cheap cameras are relatively easy to pull apart, but you might not be able to do much with them. I had similar ideas about adding a C-mount to an old GAF Ascomatic I had lying around. Wasn't really worth it in the end.

 

As a side note, the GAF was VERY easy to get apart. But it's almost a toy. Or maybe I'm just spoiled by having so many wonderful S8 cameras on hand these days. I'm sure it was someone's treasured posession back in the 70s. But I have a shelf filled with cameras most people could only dream about back then... that probably cost me less all combined than that GAF cost when new!

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This site has some pictures of disassembling Canon 814 and 1014s (I recall an 814 being a nightmare personally but I was trying to access fungus on the very rear element of the zoom.. Shudder..)

I can relate to that, removing the side plate to get at the back of the lens and into which various controls are fixed and wires soldered almost sent me crazy, but even worse was the exposure circuit board on the other side of the camera and its wiring 'harness' leading all over the camera. I've yet to succeed rebuilding an 814 despite Gareth's disassembly website and needless to say a technical manual for either the 814 or 1014 is impossible to obtain.

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