16mm camera buying advice needed

N

noahrondeau

New member
Hi,

I'm looking for advice on what 16mm camera to buy. I shot 16 years ago but have only used super 8 recently. So I'm generally ignorant of 16. I need a camera for a long-term project that will involve shooting documentary footage in the street using natural light without synch sound. I want to spend as little as possible, but I'd like something with an image quality at least as good as a great super 8 camera. Also, the smaller the camera the better, as I want to be mobile with it.

Are the wind-up Bolex cameras good enough to use for a project like this?

Thanks,
Dave
 
Hey Dave
You should get an Eclair ACL....
this cameras are really cool, they are llight, quiet, easy change of mags, and you can upgrade to Super 16 for really cheap
So you can have a cam for a long time ( more projects)

Best
 
Not sure if a bolex would really be good for this, the pro would be that it doesn't require power and is pretty easy to load, the cons would be that it only takes 100' daylight loads unless you want to get the big clunky magazine. I would agree with the above mentioned and say go with an ACL or NPR. Also, you could probably find a used Arri SRI for under 10k pretty easy. Also, check out the arri 16s or 16sb, they are pretty compact and rugged.
 
Eclair is a very good camera. I used to own and Arri S for a very long time and loved it, but it's very heavy, and really needs to be on a tripod, if you are looking at hand held, the Arri s is not that great. My recommendation would be to get a Beaulieu R16, Beaulieu is very well known for their Super 8 camera, which are considered to be the best by many, However their 16mm are not as well known in America. They are compact enough to fit in a bag pack, usually come with a Angenieux Zoom and they can be had for less than $1000 on ebay. When I got the HVX, I sold my Arri S but kept my R16.:)
 
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My final advice to you is :
get a CP 16 or an Eclair ACL and experiemnt with those.... they are great cams, even for the price and you will have great result with them, the best of it is that you actually are going to be able to progress with those cams and make great projects... jezzz even features... juyst take it little by little... experiment, make mistakes go crazy ....
at the end you are going to be able to handle any film cam like a pro

Another thing you can do is :
get a 35mm konvas cam.... this russian cameras are great... compact and you'll be shooting 35mm from day one.... you are going to apreciatte film photography even more .... but I guess that's not what you want .... ( is just an advice)

your Third option is to get a 35mm still and you can practice with that ....
I bet that you will have great fun and you'll learn tons ( you'll get used to it much faster than you think....) after that you should get the 16mm cam....

Anyway I'm talking to much hehe...

Best Regards

Martín Yernazian
 
Noah,

I'd highly recommend the Arriflex 16S or S/B camera for the project you are thinking about doing. You will not find an easier camera to hand hold than the Arri S with a 100 ft internal load. And put a Zeiss 8mm lens on that camera and you don't need a steady cam.

You can see example footage shot with an Arri S and the Zeiss 8mm at the web site below:
Arriflex 16S w/ Zeiss 8mm, hand held

-Tim
 
Timmyjoe said:
Noah,

I'd highly recommend the Arriflex 16S or S/B camera for the project you are thinking about doing. You will not find an easier camera to hand hold than the Arri S with a 100 ft internal load. And put a Zeiss 8mm lens on that camera and you don't need a steady cam.

You can see example footage shot with an Arri S and the Zeiss 8mm at the web site below:
Arriflex 16S w/ Zeiss 8mm, hand held

-Tim
Click to expand...

Man that looks awesome. Too bad you can't really get any audio with them.
 
You can barney them and then wrap them in packing blankets, and use noise reducing software. But you are right, it is not easy.

-Tim
 
Timmyjoe said:
You can barney them and then wrap them in packing blankets, and use noise reducing software. But you are right, it is not easy.

-Tim
Click to expand...
hehehehehe well put my friend, but what is easy on life.... if that's the tool you feel comfortable using then there it is.... I don't think it was easy for Ansel Adams to take those pictures carrying that HEAVY LOng Format cam into Yosemite

Best
 
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