Tips on buying Super 8 camera?

[pedrogouveia]

Hi!
I'm new to super 8, and am looking to purchase a camera from eBay. Are there any guides on the internet as to what to look for in regards to quality, brands, etc?
Also, is there compatibility issues between camera type-film stock-projector?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[bigmasi]

Originally posted by pedrogouveia:
Hi!
Are there any guides on the internet as to what to look for in regards to quality, brands, etc?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. decide what you want from the camera? What options? Make a search for different cameras and compare them. You can start here

http://www.kolumbus.fi/puistot/

2. While doing this number 1, check all the stores and yard sales near you before going eBay. I've bought 4 cameras (3 beaulieus and a Canon 814XL-S) from shops that sell old stuff or old cameras. In eBay they would have cost about 3 times more than I payed! I've never bought anything from eBay. It doesn't mean it's a bad way of purchasing cameras. It's just not for me...

3. If you can't find any cameras that you like in the shops and decide to go online... Ask questions from the seller! Make a search of the camera he's selling and ask if it has any problems. If it has been run film trough with good results, it's propably ok. If it hasn't, you'r taking a risk every time. Ask everything you can think of!!

4. Compare prices and don't pay more than you think is ok. Sometimes you start to "lust" the camera and want it even if the price is too high. This happened to me with 2 of the Beaulieus. I bought them and a week later found the model that I really had wanted and in almost mint condition. The two first were not near mint!

5. Buy the camera and shoot some film. Hope the best!


Also, is there compatibility issues between camera type-film stock-projector?


There is other 8mm formats than super-8! You can find all the information on the internet. Single-8 is not the same thing as super-8!!!! Super-8 filmstock is the same for all cameras. At least the cartridge is the same. I'm not sure if all the cameras know the ASA automatically? Anyone else here with better knolidge? If you buy a camera with changeable ASA, then it's not an issue. And projectors are also different for super-8 and single-8. I guess what you want to do is to work with super-8... I have no experience on single-8 or doublesingle8 or whateveritis..?

Ok, that's about it. I have had a lot of help from this forum and I hope I was helpful for you in return... keep in touch!

- Jari -

Ps. also check the film info on kodak pages on available stock from them.

http://www.kodak.com/US/en/motion/super8/film.shtml

[Roget]

When going the ebay route, plan on buying several cameras before you find the one that works correctly and has the features you want. I say this because there is no way a seller can tell you a camera is working correctly unless they shot a roll of film, had it processed, and watched it. Many sellers will just put some batteries in the camera, and if it runs, then it must work. Not always the case. I've got a Nizo that works fine empty, but will not advance the film.

With this in mind, avoid expensive cameras. Go for the $35-50 models.

If I've learned one thing since I decided to take the Super-8 plunge, it requires a lot more time and effort on your part to assemble and learn how to use a camera package than you ever estimated.

In the end, it's still rewarding, however.

[octopus1]

&lt;&lt;&lt; If I've learned one thing since I decided to take the Super-8 plunge, it requires a lot more time and effort on your part to assemble and learn how to use a camera package than you ever estimated. &gt;&gt;&gt;

A character builder for sure. Especially when you find out the camera is inoperable upon development. [img]wink.gif[/img]

On another note, and without starting a new thread, what is the 35mm format equivalent to Super 8mm?

[octopus1]

I'm serious...

Say a Nikon R8 super8 camera has a f=7.5mm-60mm lens. A 35mm equivalent lens would be?

[cameraguy]

Originally posted by octopus1:
I'm serious...

Say a Nikon R8 super8 camera has a f=7.5mm-60mm lens. A 35mm equivalent lens would be?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">A non technical way is to frame a scene with a 35mm camera and match it height wise with a Super 8. Doing this just now I got that to match the view of the 40mm lens on my Minolta 35mm still camera my Super 8 camera needed to be at 8mm (slightly below actually). So I "guess" its approximately 5 to 1. The Nikon R8 lens in 35mm terms would then be approx 37mm to 300mm

[8th Man]

Bigmasi,
You're confusing single 8 with double 8mm also called regular 8mm.
Single 8 is a format from Japan that uses a different cartridge but after processing, it runs the same in a super 8 projector.
Regular 8mm will not work in a super8 projector unless it's a dual projector that handles both formats.

[bigmasi]

Originally posted by 8th Man:
Bigmasi,
You're confusing single 8 with double 8mm also called regular 8mm.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">I don't actually know anything about the other 8mm formats... I know that they exist and that's good enough for me to stay away from them at the moment. Maybe in the future I'll look in to these more, but now I'm happy with super8.

Pedrogouveia, when you start filming with 8mm format, make sure that you don't confuse the other 8mm formats to super8 (if you'r planning to go super8). You might have a "not so nice" surprise when your camera comes from the mail and you can't put super8 cartridge in it because it's not super8...

[octopus1]

cameraguy,

Sounds reasonable...a conversion of 5 to 1. I was dividing 35 by 8 and came up with 4.37. I'm still unsure as to this being a valid way of measurement.

Anyone notice that digital camera companies sometimes give a 35mm equivalent to the non-SLR digital cameras?

Thanks for the feedback.

[monobath]

As for Ebay purchases, there is so much crap out there that you have to be careful. Ask the seller about battery compartment corrosion, power requirements (type of batteries), condition of lens, lens mount type, etc. If you get an uninformed response, just keep lookig. There are plenty of cameras available.

If you purchase a camera in the $20 to $35 range, you won't lose much if the camera turns out to be nonfunctional or otherwise worthless.

Another option is to bide your time and hold out for the good deals on the better cameras. I got an Elmo 1012S-XL and an Elmo ST 800 projector for under $300, simply by biding my time and watching for the good stuff.