8mm Forum: Instamatic M2 8mm gears

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Topic: Instamatic M2 8mm gears

Seth Zahra
Junior
Posts: 1
From: new york
Registered: Oct 2012

posted October 27, 2012 09:59 PM

Hi everybody, i made a super score at salvation army today. i picked up two super 8 cameras, one being an instamatic M2 from the mid 60's. its cosmetically perfect, and i was really suprised it worked when i put batteries in, but i fear that the gears are messed up because every time i press the button it sounds normal, and the wheel spins, but then it makes a grinding noise and the wheel slows down, and then sometimes it doesnt turn on at all until a jiggle the wheel. any thoughts? i cant imagine it being a cheap repair job, i just really hoped to have this shooting some film.

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted October 29, 2012 11:09 AM

I have an M2 with exactly the same problem: very common in old Kodaks of many varieties.

The Kodak Challenge (M2 at the bottom)

It's a really cool camera but only because of historical significance. I bought mine for my shelf, and that's where it stays. I've never put a cartidge in it.

The repair isn't expensive, because the repair is pretty much impossible! It's hard to find someone willing to do the work and the parts are basically non-existant. I've taken apart a couple of movie cameras myself, and it usually doesn't finish up in the recovery room. They are surprisingly complex and never meant to be user serviced: many tiny, hidden screws behind glued on coverings revealing a jigsaw puzzle of mechanisms underneath.

-so give 'er a nice retirement and find another camera.

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Lee Mannering
Film God

Posts: 3216
From: The Projection Box
Registered: Nov 2006

posted October 29, 2012 11:44 AM

Can’t really offer any help with the fault sorry to say, but I still have my little 3D modified Kodak Super 8 camera which I’m due to give an outing so it will be interesting to see if mine still turns over. The results I had from it prior to converting it to 3D only filming were stupendous and I got some very crisp results from what appeared to be a very basic camera at the time.

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