Now I have two Beaulieu's: questions about lenses and power

[Bruce Nachbar]

Hello,

 

I have added a 4008ZM4 I bought on Ebay. No lens. I tried to mount the Angenieux 8-64 from my ZM on the ZM4 but it doesn't sit properly; it is short a 1/4 rotation from the two motors sitting flush with the body. It mounts just fine on the ZM.

Additionally, while the motor seems to be running fine the light meter doesn't budge. Not even when I flick the dial to TEST. The needle just stays pegged in the "low" position.

There isn't a separate battery for the light meter, correct? I have an Ebay battery, that works well on the ZM. Is the battery contact that is to the right/center/toward the rear of the camera, the contact for the meter?

Thank you for any thoughts you may have on these two issues.

Bruce

[Justin Donoghue]

Hello,

 

I have added a 4008ZM4 I bought on Ebay. No lens. I tried to mount the Angenieux 8-64 from my ZM on the ZM4 but it doesn't sit properly; it is short a 1/4 rotation from the two motors sitting flush with the body. It mounts just fine on the ZM.

Additionally, while the motor seems to be running fine the light meter doesn't budge. Not even when I flick the dial to TEST. The needle just stays pegged in the "low" position.

There isn't a separate battery for the light meter, correct? I have an Ebay battery, that works well on the ZM. Is the battery contact that is to the right/center/toward the rear of the camera, the contact for the meter?

Thank you for any thoughts you may have on these two issues.

Bruce

 

 

Your light meter is broken it seems. It's takes it's power from the main battery. Unless you've bought the camera from someone who has just ran a roll of film though it and can prove it works correctly then it's likely your camera needs a service and is broke. You don't really need the lightmeter anyway for negative.

 

As to the lens issue. It's a C Mount camera so any C mount should work although these cameras were calibrated with their own lens when built. You don't need the motor on the lens either but I woulnd't have bought the camera without it's original lens.

[Bruce Nachbar]

Thank you Justin for the reply. The camera was $50 so worth the risk. Now I need a decent light meter app, I guess.

I wonder what I can do to get the lens to mount more cleanly.

Regardless they are beautiful design pieces and the obtaining of a childhood dream.

[Bjorn Andersson]

The C mount tread has to be adjusted to have the lens to stop in right position for the zoom and iris motor tubes contra the body.

Most probably is there some problems with the function between needle and camera, it´s not common that the expo cell is cut out.

If the cell was dead, you should have movement on needle in Test.

[Andries Molenaar]

If you adapt the lens to the new camera it will no longer aline properly with the old one :(

 

$50 for a ZM4 is a steal. It is of course the most recent 4008.

Are all leatherettes present?

If the battery works with the ZM then it should be good with ZM4 too.

[Bruce Nachbar]

Hi all,

 

All the leatherette is present. The"U" in Beaulieu on the name plate is scuffed. Otherwise extremely clean. The motor purrs nicely. I need to run some film through it soon.

 

Besides loving the way it looks, I do not need the motors, especially if the meter is not going to work. No need for a power zoom. Is it difficult to remove the motors? Would I still need to have the lens calibrated to work with this camera?

 

I also have a Fujica ZC1000 with the Fujinon Wide Angle c-mount prime. Will this need to be calibrated (flange adjusted?) in order to work on my ZM4?

 

Besides exposing a cartridge of film, is there a way to visually tell is the Written filter is in good shape?

 

Thank you,

Bruce

[Martin Baumgarten]

Collimation notwithstanding, the lens can be reset to fit correctly to your BEAULIEU. You'll first have to make a mark on the lens mount just above the threaded part with either a small piece of white tape or mark it with a felt tip marker. Then with a small piece of white tape on the camera body, make a mark with a felt tip marker lined up with the mark on the lens base. This will be your reference point. You'll have to figure out how far off the lens is from correct seating. To adjust the lens (this is assuming the motor zoom and iris motor drive unit is removed), loosen the screws closest to the rear. These will loosen the threaded portion so it can be rotated left or right. If it doesn't move easily, wear a plastic dish washing glove so you can grip it easily. Rotate it ever so little right if you want the lens to mount more to the LEFT, and move it every so little to the left if you want the lens to mount more to the RIGHT. There are other screws on this rear barrel, which you may also have to loosen a little to do this; sometimes the rear unit is very tight due to such great manufacturing qualilty. NOTE: This does not collimate the lens to the camera for focus, only adjusts the lens mounting position, since there is a small variation often from camera to camera. Oh yes, don't forget to retighten the screws once you have it in position, and BEFORE you try mounting the lens on the camera.

 

As for the built in Filter, remove the lens, with the battery or power source removed, remove the Rewind Shaft Cover, then while depressing the Trigger, rotate the Rewind Shaft using either a Rewind Knob or wide thin flat screwdriver or similar, just enough to fully open the camera's shutter. You'll know, as the mirror shutter will open up. Then place a small flashlight in the film chamber and examine the filter visually from the lens mount. You should be able to see clearly thru it, as well as note whether or not the filter is warped. A badly warped filter can catch eventually on the slide mechanism (which holds two filters, the Wratten 85A and a clear UV Filter). To check for warpage, you can move the filter in and out and observe how it looks and works (you'll need the Filter Removal tool for the grip slot, or use a small piece of metal or cardboard or a large coin that fits the slot....better something that you can grab and push in and out. You can also put a small piece of scrap film with a sharp image on it, into the film gate, and use some tape to hold it there, and then shine the bright small flashlight thru the film, thru the lens, and focus it onto a piece of white paper on a wall using the 5 foot (1,5m) setting, and examine the image for sharpness. While these are visual tests, final confirmation of clarity would require some more specialized tools to examine the filter, or an actual film test. You need only shoot a few feet to test this, then you can move the cartridge to another camera to use, so as to not waste it just for a test.

 

As for the FUJICA wide angle lens, I suggest trying it out to see if it works okay. Usually if you can get a clear focus in the viewfinder of the BEAULIEU, the lens will work as is. The only real issue is with Infinity Focus using other lenses, but that also can be determined visually most of the time. The high inherent depth of focus on that wide angle lens will usually allow a decent image unless it's truly way off.

 

Hope this helps.

Edited January 29, 2017 by Martin Baumgarten

[Dom Jaeger]

If the motors are to be be removed permanently there's no need to adjust the mount rotation, as long as the lens index mark is still in a position that's visible. Even if you left the motors on but didn't use them it wouldn't matter if the lens rotation was off as long as the release button clears - visual symmetry notwithstanding ;)