8mm Forum: Newbie to Super 8mm. Looking for some advice!

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Posted by Peter Kasabian (Member # 1309) on October 04, 2008, 09:44 AM:

Hi everyone.

I've never owned or used a Super 8mm camera before. But I've really developed an interest for them in the past few weeks. I love the retro effect and look of them. Every time I see an 8mm film, it reminds me of the opening credits of The Wonder Years. [Big Grin]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a super 8mm camera that is good for a beginner like me. I've done a bit of research. I've got my eye on the Canon 310XL. There seems to be a few on ebay. Would this be a good camera for me? If not, are there any other ones I should look out for?

My budget is about £20 - £40 ($40 - $80)

Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Posted by Claus Harding (Member # 702) on October 04, 2008, 11:04 AM:

Peter,

I haven't shot with Canon Super-8s, but they look to be nicely equipped basic models. Elmos come to mind in the same range, and one of my colleagues had a Chinon and remembers the camera fondly for its quality.
Personally I have had Bauer and Braun Nizo, and loved them both, but they are generally not that cheap, even these days.

The thing to remember is that with the current films available, the issue of film speed settings on the cameras comes up.
Older cameras had settings for the two commonly available films, Kodachrome (40ASA) and Ektachrome (160ASA.)
Kodachrome is gone, at least in the 40ASA setting, and Ekta these days is either 64 or 100.
The Canon seems to have that covered (at least more or less) so you should be good there, but if you were to venture into other film stocks or other cameras, you'd have to learn to compensate for the exposure.

Start with Ektachrome 64, to get fine grain. It's also the most reasonably priced stock available (at least in the US.) I'm sure others can chime in on film prices and such in Britain.

Since you are in Europe, Wittner's is a good resource for all things Super-8.

Good luck with it, and feel free to e-mail me at chavideo (at) hotmail (dot) com with any questions.

Best,
Claus.

Posted by Knut Nordahl (Member # 518) on October 04, 2008, 12:59 PM:

Hi Peter.
I see you are in London so you should stop by The Widescreen Center. They pretty much got everything related to super8 covered, or so I hear.

He-he.."The Wonder Years"-that is a great show, why can't they release a DVD already?

About cameras, The 310 is fine and dandy, and will get the job done. And it also has a great lens for low-light shooting. Personally I would get a Canon 814 Electronic. They seem to never ever die, and the lens is wicked.
You should also keep an eye out for Elmo 106 or 108. Simple and fine metal body cameras.

Posted by John Clancy (Member # 49) on October 05, 2008, 03:43 AM:

Knut, you'll be lucky if you find a budget Super 8 camera in the Widescreen Centre nowadays. Tony Shapps retired and the new management is mainly into other things such as telescopes.

Peter, you'll find just about any Super 8 camera produces fairly good results but if you can find something like a Canon 814 you'll probably be astounded by the results. If you do find an 814 I'd recommend an earlier model as I have one that seems indistructible whereas I have a later model (which seems to be made of more plastic than metal!) that is more or less finished and despite attempts to repair it just cannot be relied upon.

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