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Considering a new camera


Edwin Feliu

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Perhaps superior depends on your needs. Even though the lens is not interchangeable

The problem is that you're stuck with not just that focal length, but the speed of the glass as well. My Bolex EBM can take anything from C to PL to Arri B to Nikon or Canon. There are flange adapters for literally everything which is pretty awesome.

 

Remember, the more you stop down the lens, the crisper it will get. Also, 12.5mm at it widest, is equivalent to a 35mm which isn't very wide. It's also not very fast. I have a zoom that's the same (T2.5) and I rarely use it inside because even at 500T, getting it anywhere near T2.5 requires quite a bit of light. There are even some very cool ultra wide and high speed lenses available in the C mount format as well.

 

I've never owned a Bolex so I can't speak to it; the pressure plate design may very well be superior and I'm sure it's a finely made Swiss product. But on a practical level, the Scoopic is hands down the easiest loading 100' 16mm camera ever made and that makes a big difference when you're changing reels at an event.

The Bolex uses a very unique pulldown system that only touches the perf on the lower part. It also has two pulldown claws, an upper and lower. This is so the camera can run in two directions, which is a very unique feature of the Bolex. It's really the precision gate and pressure plate that makes the bolex stand out image wise. I've been nothing but impressed with the bolex stability wise.

 

The Bolex has a very similar auto loading mechanism. You slide a lever, the auto loop positioners go into place, you push the film into the first sprocket and it auto threads. It's a very fast camera to load, unlike the K3... uggg.

 

The built-in battery and motor drive is excellent, compact and easy to use as well as the built-in meter which I've used constantly for the run-n-gun type shoot...usually taking a reading then locking down the exposure.

The battery solution is always such an issue on both cameras. Du-All camera does still make Scoopic and Bolex batteries. I guess that's a benefit of the Bolex, you can buy a wind-up version that negates the battery. I personally like the battery camera because Murphy's law says it will run out of spring tension the moment you need to get a great shot.

 

When I'm shooting backstage at a concert or home movies or any event that I can shoot film at, the Scoopic rocks.

I agree... I use my Bolex for run and gun stuff all the time. My biggest beef is actually the viewfinder in dark situations, it's not very bright due to the beam splitter. To me as an operator, that's one of the biggest issues with the beam splitter cameras and "run and gun". Usually when I run and gun, it's interior, very dark, you're all the way open and finding focus and such can be a nightmare. It's so much easier with a spinning mirror reflex. If I'm in bright sun, the camera works fine.

 

However, I would put the A-Minima at the pinnacle of run-n-gun shooting but that is a much different price point.

Yea fo sho! The big problem is not the price tho... it's the re-loading and the film. The film wind is backwards, so you're always winding your own film. Plus, the camera has a difficult threading pattern which makes it not easy to re-load in a run and gun setting.

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The Bolex uses a very unique pulldown system that only touches the perf on the lower part. It also has two pulldown claws, an upper and lower. This is so the camera can run in two directions, which is a very unique feature of the Bolex. It's really the precision gate and pressure plate that makes the bolex stand out image wise. I've been nothing but impressed with the bolex stability wise.

All pulldown claws only touch the lower edge of the perf. What's unique about the Bolex that makes it work so well isn't the precision of the gate (it's not really that precise), but the clever simplicity of the movement; it's just a claw pivoting on the outer edge of a turning gear, using friction to keep it pressed against the film so it collects the perf on the way down and slides across the film on the way back. So there are minimal wear points to introduce instability, just the tip of the claw and the single pivot. As long as the claw tip is ok, the pressure plate is exerting the right pressure, the gate is clean and the nylon pad under the claw path is relatively undamaged, it all works fantastically well. The earlier movement was a more complicated cam mechanism with a claw that mimicked the elliptical path of 35mm camera claws, but it was actually less stable.

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[quote name="Tyler Purcell" post="505885" timestamp="1546545503"

 

The Bolex has a very similar auto loading mechanism. You slide a lever, the auto loop positioners go into place, you push the film into the first sprocket and it auto threads. It's a very fast camera to load, unlike the K3... uggg.

 

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pYPiKeoh0BA

 

I reckon the K3 is sweet to load, you want a complex and convoluted film path? Try the Pentaflex....

Punishing, thank god for its magazines

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I reckon the K3 is sweet to load, you want a complex and convoluted film path? Try the Pentaflex....

Punishing, thank god for its magazines

I've got a K3 and have worked on a few other's friends cameras. Everyone pulls the auto load out the moment they get the camera because the loop sizes need to be around the same location as the little film guides. Plus, they tend to fall apart as they're only held together with a little piece of string. So ya gotta manually thread the thing and those little doors that hold the film to the single sprocket assembly, are really a pain. They really aren't designed to be opened and closed for threading purposes sadly.

 

Yea, I've threaded Panavision Gold II's before, not much fun when you're under the gun lol :P

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Perhaps superior depends on your needs. Even though the lens is not interchangeable, I've had multiple colorists ask me what lens I was using because of how amazingly sharp it was, especially for regular 16mm. Honestly never seen the need for another lens and I use my SR2's with Zeiss glass constantly as well.

 

I've never owned a Bolex so I can't speak to it; the pressure plate design may very well be superior and I'm sure it's a finely made Swiss product. But on a practical level, the Scoopic is hands down the easiest loading 100' 16mm camera ever made and that makes a big difference when you're changing reels at an event.

 

The built-in battery and motor drive is excellent, compact and easy to use as well as the built-in meter which I've used constantly for the run-n-gun type shoot...usually taking a reading then locking down the exposure.

 

For anything where I can put a camera on sticks, I'm an Arri/Zeiss guy. When I'm shooting backstage at a concert or home movies or any event that I can shoot film at, the Scoopic rocks.

 

However, I would put the A-Minima at the pinnacle of run-n-gun shooting but that is a much different price point.

I subscribe this 100%. I've had a great experience with the Scoopic, as far as compact and affordable 16mm cameras go it's likely one of the best. I recently intercut some Scoopic (standard 16mm cropped to 16:9) with some SR3HS footage (Super16) and the difference is barely noticeable. It's also silent enough that I wouldn't be afraid of taking sync sound for a non-fiction project, so long as the location isn't too quiet (like an exterior).

The main downside is probably that it can't really be practically converted to Super16, but then again that probably helps keeping its price low. There's also the thing with the fixed lens, this may not be everyone's cup of tea. I'm fine with it, opening to 12.5mm is fine for my needs, and for anything better I'd rent a proper Arriflex right away (hell on my last project I got the Arri with a zoom anyway because primes were too expensive and would have slowed production down too much, we had a tight schedule as camera rental is hella expensive).

For me it was either a Bolex or a Scoopic, but honestly I just didn't want to keep winding the damn camera like I used to do with the K3, and the Scoopic was much cheaper than a well-equipped Bolex with a motor.

 

tl;dr the Scoopic isn't a perfect camera, but if it fits your need it does its job quite well.

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My favorite 16mm Camera is still the Canon Scoopic. I believe besides the Bolex that this is the most versatile and rugged Handheld 16mm Camera on the Market.

The Objective is big enough to attach an Anamorphic Adapter onto its front.

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.Xcanon+scoopic.TRS0&_nkw=canon+scoopic&_sacat=0

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As far as the Scoopic lens, I really can't emphasize how amazingly sharp it is throughout most of the aperture...this is the MS & MN models; don't have experience with the original grey model.

 

There is a commonly found wide angle adapter specifically for the Scoopic but I've never felt the need for it.

 

I have and rent high-end Zeiss glass for my SR2 and yes I can tell a difference, but for what I use the Scoopic for the lens is perfect. If I'm shooting in extremely low light, I'm going digital my friends; an extra stop or two isn't going to make the difference most of the time.

 

Another plus to the lens is being able to zoom in, get tack sharp focus then zoom back out quickly to frame. This is actually one of the best aspects for me although not unique to the Scoopic.

 

When I pick up the Scoopic I'm letting go of absolute control, I'm going for quick, easy, quality image and less missed shots. When I want to control everything I bring out the SR2.

 

It's all about what you're comfortable and used to. I was really comfortable with my K3 especially loading it...but I was very UNCOMFORTABLE with winding it constantly and missing shots because of that.

 

 

 

The big problem is not the price tho... it's the re-loading and the film. The film wind is backwards, so you're always winding your own film. Plus, the camera has a difficult threading pattern which makes it not easy to re-load in a run and gun setting.

 

That's what labs and multiple mags are for. :) I still have original Kodak A-minima loads in the fridge, but if I'm re-loading I just have the lab do it for me for free (as long as I promise to process there.)

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I ended up buying a Bolex reflex and a Scoopic. I love both, but lean toward the former. Then again, I believe in different cameras for different situations. I like the handheld features of the Scoopic (something I like about Super 8 cameras) and its autoexposure; and I like the interchangeability of lenses in the Bolex. I also like that the Bolex makes me be more deliberate. The Scoopic I bought, however, doesn't show the meter needle and I'm forced to use it on autoexposure only. That said, I would have rarely used the manual settings.

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