Wanted Beaulieu R16

[Jon P]

Does anyone in the UK have, or know of someone who has a Beaulieu R16 for sale?

I have tried the usual places like Lee's and the Widescreen centre in London but if you know of a place that regularly has 16mm Cameras in stock I would be greatful for the info.
I have just been checking these babes out on the web and they look great so I would like to own one.
Cheers.

[Scottness]

Check out
http://www.mango-a-gogo.com/r16/r16.htm

for leads on this -- there's a forum there where people occasionally advertise one's for sale - but eBay is probably your best bet

Scot M

[jefury]

You might already have this. But those 16mm Bolex cameras with the rotating lens turrets are cool! I really want one.

But those Krasnagorsks look cool too. I think Spike Lee used one of those to film a music video. Not sure which one though.

Good Luck

Jeffery

[Jon P]

Spoke to someone at Lee's cameras yesterday and they advised me not to touch one! There is no longer anyone servicing these in the UK and looking on that site this has been confirmed. I am off to Prague and hope to pick up a cheap Krasnagorsk or other soviet 16mm when I am there.

[MattEBoy]

There's a Krasnagorsk on Ebay currently at about ?56.

That's probably you best/cheapest bet!

[blackangus1]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by MattEBoy:
There's a Krasnagorsk on Ebay currently at about ?56.

That's probably you best/cheapest bet!</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

A Krasnogorsk is certainly the cheapest decent camera, but it's no match for a Beaulieu R16 in any way (as long as we're talking about the common R16 Automatic, or R16 PZ models). The R16 is a great camera, certainly the most features for the dollar among motorized cameras. It offers true reflex viewing, interchangeable c-mount lenses, TTL light metering, automatic aperture control, and even power zoom on the PZ model. It has filming speeds from 2 to 64 fps, and a special switch position that gives you micro-control over the motor's speed for precise 24 or 25fps filming (not crystal-sync, but close enough for many purposes). Plus it's expandable with the 200' magazine. I've shot professional TV commercials and corporate image films on R16's, and the results were always great. The only complaints I ever had about my R16's (I think I've had three over the years) were that they were *noisy* (but no noisier than the K-3 or Bolex) and that you have to keep 'em impeccably maintained or the image can "float" at high fps.

If you've got $1200-$1800 for a 16mm camera, the CP16/R is far 'n' away the best deal. Crystal-sync, quiet, and multiple frame rates.

If you've got $400-$700, the R16 or the Scoopic are excellent alternatives -- though they're not crystal-sync nor quiet, they offer just about everything else you'd want. Or if you absolutely must have quiet operation, an Auricon Pro-600 can be a good choice: very quiet, stable image, sync motor, but they are *heavy*, not-battery-operated, and no true reflex viewing.

If you're looking at $100-$150, the Krasnogorsk K-3 is an incredible bargain. The included zoom lens is usually very, very sharp, you get true reflex viewing and ground-glass focusing, and the image is typically very stable. Plus, you get a Pentax Screwmount M42 lens mount, so you can get a wide variety of Zeiss and SMC Takumar prime lenses for typically very little money. The only real drawbacks to the K-3 are 1) build quality is notoriously inconsistent, you either get a good one or you get a jamming nightmare... 2) limited to 100' capacity only, and 3) spring-wound motor limits you to takes of 25 seconds or so, and the speed changes during the takes (faster at the beginning, slower as the spring runs out).

[Jon P]

Thanks for your advice I will sit on any decsision for the moment till I get to see an R16 up close. I will also enquire about maintenance at a few other camera shops as this seems to be the only problem in the UK.