Info about Kinoflex Cameras

[danielpuch]

I want to buy an inexpensive super 8 camera to make a short movie, but I don't want to buy it on e-bay. (I heard stories of people who buyed cameras that didn't work properly and ended buying several cameras and spending more than $ 300 on that search).

I found this website and I want to know if anyone have used this camera. It's a Kinoflex Camera.

http://pro8mm.com/Merchant2/merchant...roduct_Count=3


It looks like a good deal and it seems like new, they say that this is one of the lasts models that are still on production.

My other question is about the best way to digitalize super 8 film to edit later on a PC. I read in an old thread on this forum, that there are 3 different options, and I think I prefer to go DV just because I don't have a very powerful PC.
My idea is to make a DVD to be sent to festivals, in case that there's more interest in the short film I'll always have the original film to blow them up to 16 mms or 35 mms.

I'm in the NJ/NY area, if somebody knows places where to find super 8 info around here, I'll appreciate your help... (bookstores, labs, flea markets, whatever... )

Daniel P.

[Alex]

I don't really have an exact answer for you Daniel.

The camera you are looking at is a basic Super-8 camera that uses a wind-up spring to power the camera motor.

I'm surprised to hear that the camera you are interested in is still in production. What you might want to do is compare the price on ebay for the same camera versus what you are going to pay so you can get an idea how much you may be able to resell the camera for.

If you can get the camera on ebay for a mere fraction of the price you are planning on paying, it might be worth risking bidding on one. By a fraction of the cost I mean like 10% to 20% versus what you are planning on paying. Even if the camera you bid on is not working properly, it still gives you an opportunity to see how the camera feels in your hand before you actually spend 300 hundred dollars. Odds are the ebay camera will probably work on some level.

I don't keep up on the film labs in New York but I'm sure there are a couple. The West Coast is teeming with 3 super-8 labs.

What kind of film are you planning on making?

[danielpuch]

Thank you very much for your advice Alex, I think I?ll do that. Finally after making thousands of searches on google I searched for ?super 8 labs in NY? (I don?t know why I didn?t think about it before; you gave me the idea though). And I found a website in NY that are selling and repairing super8 cameras

http://www.duallcamera.com/store/ind...Super8mm.shtml

And I pass everyday very close to that place, so maybe I will go there and check some cameras there before buying something on e-bay.

>> What kind of film are you planning on making?

I?m thinking on making a short film based in a comic that a friend of mine has done some time ago (I used to be a comic artist in my native country). It is about a gang of crooks that after stealing some money from a mob boss they end accusing each other of keeping the money, after they find out that the money has disappeared.

Thanks again for your help and see you around,
Daniel P.