Good camera to learn on?

[shannon_pxl]

Hello Super 8 people. I am interested in buying an old camera, preferably a small one, so I can teach myself how to film. I can't spend a lot of money (I am looking on e-bay) and I don't necessarily need one with sound. I basically want to walk around shooting stuff to see how it's done and experiment and stuff. Any help or advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

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[c_77]

Hi Shannon,
Your going to get a lot of opinion here! Spend a little more and get a little more. Get one with a built in light meter, so you can experiment. Of course, Canon makes some good ones, like the 814. A lot of people are paying big bucks for a camera with an interval timer, to capture slow moving objects in normal speed...(Like you used to see of things like flowers blooming before your eyes in those science films in grade school) As usual, I recommend this website to get some ideas what to pay, and to find out about the features. Good Luck!
http://www.kolumbus.fi/puistot/

Later-Chris

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[This message has been edited by c_77 (edited October 23, 2001).]

[dogstarman]

As Chris said, you'll get a lot of opinions.
Check out the list and then email me. I have several cameras in really nice condition for sale, for a very resonable prices.

Sam
[email protected]

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[Hanthx]

Shannon

When I first decided to shoot super 8, I bought a minolta xl 42 sound from a shop, still in the package for 80 bucks, and it worked like a gem, but the only drawback was it only shot at 18 frames per second, but now i feel i spent too much money back then.
Some time later I got lucky again, and found a Canon 814 Autozoom, still in the case, hardly used, with many accesories, for 60 bucks, and have never had a problem since, but that is not always the issue.
Each camera has its own little quirks, so when you do find a camera, do some test shots. (i.e. the autoexposure on some cameras dont always work well, and your film could be underexposed.)
Don't make the mistake that many of us do when buying a camera, and spend A LOT of money. I don't mean to say, you shouldn't pay a little extra for something nicer than a kodak instamatic, but something that will allow you to learn about film.If you do feel that more money will make you feel comfortable in your camera, then more power to you.
My interest in filmmaking, and super 8 in general prompted me to buy a couple nicer "high end cameras" but that wasn't until i felt competent, necessitating other demands.
It really has to do with what you want.
Its just my opinion, but i rather spend the money on the film, than the camera, but a nice lens really goes far!
There a many good cameras to learn on, ask questions, and we will be happy to assist you.
The Canon 814 Electronic is a very nice camera, you can find one in great condition for a good price, Canon's in general seem to be a favorite, with many features, great optics, and a workhorse.
Being a student, you can buy your film directly from Kodak for a good price, and there are many places to get the film processed.

good luck,
Scott

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[This message has been edited by Hanthx (edited October 24, 2001).]

[#Pedro]

Get any brand camera you will find for cheap. But take care that it has at least:

- several framerates to experiment with; at least a 24 fps option it should have - only 18 fps is a toy, not a tool. 9 fps is good for low light shots/night shot/time laps. 36 fps or more is good for stabilizing the pic when tele shooting without triplet and slow motion.

- single frame shot for tricks and titles

- macro lens to discover the world of small objects and to make titles.

- a good viewfinder system (with split image) and a working fixing screw for the eye adjustment. Try out, if you easyly can focus several objects. Very important, to obtain sharp results!!!

- no exotic battery cells

- not noisy and flash contact to experiment with double system sound later.

- manual exposure possibility or at least a fade botton and a "against light" button. Film without smooth fade in-fade out will miss sth.


A good choice maybe a low-range Bauer or Nizo camera; the low-range Canons and Elmos have good lenses but only 18fps. The low-range Bolex have the 24 fps framerate.

Good luck,
Pedro



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[Mr Blackstock]

There are also many different brands out there, yashica, sankyo, et all. Canon is a favorite, however, the price you pay for a canon may be partly due to demand. A relatively unknown brand may be more fairly priced with exactly the same attributes. Foreign made is not always badly made.

There are foreign cameras that are under appreciated simply due to their location of manufacture. If it works, has a few manual bits, its fine to experiment with.

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[mattias]

> foreign cameras

are there really australian super-8 cameras? or american for that matter?

/matt

[Mr Blackstock]

No, there are not any aussie made cameras. The reason i mentioned foreign cameras is because (from what i have learnt) many of the super 8 ones sold here where predominantly japanese. Of course canon was a favorite, but more expensive. Whereas the japanese ones offered generally the same bells and whistles, with what appeared to be little drop in quality. One person i know told me he dumped his yashica and canon for a japanese one purely because of the noisy motor. Not forgetting that most people think canon is american owned, down here at least.

I think it comes down to preference.

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[This message has been edited by Mr Blackstock (edited October 24, 2001).]

[Matt Pacini]

Kodak is American, and they made S8 cameras, although I wouldn't own one.

The absolute best deal, is a Nikon Super zoom.
Make sure you don't get the 8mm version, but the Super 8 version.
Only problem is, most of them the internal light meter doesn't work any longer.
But they are small, light, and have a great Nikon lens.
You can find them fro $15.00 - $200.00 on ebay.

Matt Pacini

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