Check this ebay auction (16mm camera)

A

amedhussaini

Member
http://cgi.ebay.com/BOLEX-REFLEX-REX-16MM-Movie-Camera-4-Lenses-10mm-Switar_W0QQitemZ160023475342QQihZ006QQcategoryZ4691QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I'm in the market for a 16mm camera (non crystal sync for now) to begin a demo reel. I've got all my shots planned out using various setups (steadicam, tracks, dollys, carmounts, etc)... all I'm looking for is a good camera body that is open to using many different industry grade lenses. I need the best looking professional quality in the cheapest way (i'm hoping the non sync will cut the costs a bit).

looks ok for this?

:dankk2:
 
I just started shooting on a Reflex and it's defintely a solid camera. It's what they give all the intro students at our film school.
One thing that bothered me about the Bolex Reflex model is while your viewfinder shows you an accurate frame, it's difficult to see the image unless your aperture is open all the way. To my understanding, the Reflex uses a mirror systemt to reflect the light coming in the through the lens so you see an accurate representation of your frame. The drawback is if you are shooting at a high fstop, you dont have much light coming in to see the frame in the viewfinder.
What I got used to doing was framing and focusing with the aperture wide open(1.4) and then right before I was ready to roll, I stopped it down to the proper fstop and rolled that way. I see this ebay package comes with the detachable viewfinder which will help if that is becomes an annoyance.
Also keep in mind, this is a hand-wind camera so your shot length is limited. I think 14 continuous seconds is the longest you can get, when fully wound up.
Now that I've dumped all the drawbacks I should add that this was a very easy and forgiving camera. I have only shot video up until this year and this was the first film camera I ever used. I was really surprised how qucikly you can get used to a film camera workflow.
Good luck with the auction.

-Bryan
 
The Bolex uses a prism viewfinding system which reflects back 25% of the light, so it's very dim. The wind is a bit more than 14 secs, it's roughly about 20. To keep rolling, just wind it after each shot.

Kev
 
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