I want a camera to make 8mm black and white films. There are quite a few nice ones over on e-gay pretty resonable. However, I know nothing about them. I've seen a few of you use them to make films. So here is a list of questions I've come up regarding 8mm: -can and where do you buy film for these cameras? -what kind of machinery is necessary to watch these films? -how can they be transferred to vhs or dvd? -which brand is 'better' (bell/howell, kodak, etc)? -what are these powered by (batteries or what)? -what kind not to buy... -any other imperative advice Keep in mind I don't want to become a videographer for a living or anything. I just really like the movies they make and would like to capture some events in that format. Thanks in advance for the help!
My dad collects them....some are worth thousands because they can also use 16mm and have excellent optics. Some are worthless. There are also Super8 and 8mm, which are different. The Super 8mm is better quality and a lot of them have sound. Get a Bolex if you can. They are the best by far. They are a commercial camera and still often used. You can also also get the parts and repair them still.
You know, just some films at car shows and drunk naked people in hotel parking lots at night Really though, I want to get one and be all practiced up for the Flats. I've wanted one for a long time, just never took the time to get one and learn. I want to have it ready for the first time I fire up and drive my '48 too.
We had one when I was a kid. I can't remember if it was 8mm or super8. It was a cheap black plastic one and you had to wind it up before using it. It had a light attachment that looked like a car headlight on a stick that was super bright that you had to plug into the wall. The first 20 seconds or so was all washed out from the stray light during loading the film into the camera. Then when you get to the end of the roll, you'd have to go in a dark closet, take out the roll and flip the film over and run it back the other way again I think. When they develop it, they slice it down the middle and splice the two halves together end to end. The part in the middle is all washed out with orange glare if somebody turned the film over in a room that wasn't dark enough. There are places you can take your old 8mm home movies to to have them transferred to video or DVD. If you want that crummy home movie look, probably any old cheap garage sale 8mm wind up movie camera would work. You could probably find a garage sale projector too so you could show your movies on the wall and make shadow puppets on the wall when the movie is over.
I've got a Super 8 that I got at a yard sale for $2.50. I picked up a projector for a couple bucks and a screen for $1 at separate yard sales. It's battery-powered. 4 AA's, I think. I have yet to get any film for mine, but I did ask at a camera shop once. They didn't stock it but they could order it in.
Not to hijack this thread but I was cleaning out my basement and when I opened up a plastic storage box I discovered a whole bunch Super and Standard 8 films of mine totally detroyed. There were biker movies, Disney, monster ones, I was devestated. The smell of rotting film is so horrible, it's like rancid hi octane vinegar. Oh well.
I did that once too........found some movies in the basement............... "Dad, what are doing to my Mom???????? Arggggggggghhhh........I will never be the same............Oh, the shame"
older cameras are windup, we used to make family movies with an old Keystone camera just like this we still have them, converted to vhs a while back, fun to watch every few years. some time in the 80s I got a thrift store 8mm camera, it uses short rolls of 16mm that you run thru twice, filming on half the film at a time, then when it's processed they split it in half and splice the ends together. there are probably video editing programs that will make your nice camcorder video look like old movies....but it's not the same as dealing with the hassles of a real movie camera and film and such! there are several web pages about movies, google away...
Well I got snipped on the Bolex, oh well. Guess I'll keep looking. Feel free to post advice anyways though. Thanks!
Sort of related... I've been looking for a twin lens reflex camera to play with and the prices on eBay are stupid right now. They've gone up 50% in the last month. Wait until after X-mas.
WOW, thanks for the memories. I'd forgotten about all the stuff Dad went thru to film us kids. I feel like raiding their basement now and showing old home movies over the Christmas holidays.
do it, showing old home movies is a blast especially if you can get the projector working, and the films don't break all the time because they're old
More info for you... http://www.kolumbus.fi/puistot/ http://homepage.mac.com/onsuper8/ http://www.flickerla.com/ I hope you'll be posting some results.
the local (SE Wisconsin) thrift stores are full of old cameras. Usually the low end ones but occasionally the better ones show up. Check your local Goodwill or Salvation Army store, bet you find one.
I've been using super 8 for the past year for MFS and I love it..I'm actually in the market for a better camera too cause the one I have shot everything kinda dark,, As for film I goto a place called Samys Camera www.samys.com they carry both Color and B+W film Aprox 12.00$. They can also develop it. I found the cheapest way to get it to a digital format is have it devloped buy a projector and project it then shoot it with a good Digital camera like a Mini DV camera. it works good and I think thats the way they transfer it..it will save you alot of money,,I think thay charge 40.00 to put a 6 minute super 8 film onto a mini dv. hope that helps. evel
don't count on super8 film being around for very much longer. i believe kodak has already stopped making it.
Kodak stopped making Kodachrome and stopped processing it as well. There are independent labs who can process the stuff though. Kodak offers a new super 8 color film and also still has B&W. For more choices, try Pro 8 in Burbank. The biggest problem with shooting Super 8 (I don't recommend "regular 8") is the cost of film, processing and simple stuff like projector bulbs. They can cost more than the projector! Of course, you can shoot, have it processed and have it transferred to digital and do all of your editing, viewing etc. on your computer. My camera picks: cheap, battery powered and as simple as a hammer - the Kodak M-2, more complicated but can do zoom/fades/slo-mo - the Bauer C-Royal models 6, 8 or 10. If you want even more elaborate with time lapse and all the goodies try the high-end Nizo cameras. The Kodak is about $10, the Bauer $100-200, Nizo $200-600. Avoid cameras that have only auto exposure, the original mercury batteries are NLA and the modern replacements might not give good results. Also, the plastic film catridge was notched to tell the camera which film you are using (setting the ASA) these are not up to date for all cameras/films making manual exposure and an exposure meter a good thing and will result in much less wasted film. Sound film cartidges arelso NLA so avoid sound cameras. Hope this helps....
Yes, lots. Thanks! I am thinking about one of these of ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=009&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBI%3AIT&viewitem=&item=190062970198&rd=1,1 or: http://cgi.ebay.com/EMDEKO-EM-8000-Super-8-Automatic-Movie-Camera-Manual_W0QQitemZ170060827556QQcmdZViewItemQQssPageNameZRSS:B:SRCH:US:101
I got a B&H from a fellow HAMBer, just paid shipping. I later got a Kodak Brownie too, with a light bar for $5 at a tag sale when I was visiting family in MA. I found through the Brownie camera home page that there are shops that still can get you other brands of film. I'm not gonna use them just because I don't want to bother. I have been messing with my old box cameras instead. 2 weeks ago I bought 3 more box cameras a $5 each, 2 brownies and an Argus.
The Jalopy Journal
