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Author Topic: Help! Some Bauer C 50 XL camera questions
Sophie Catherine Wright
Junior
Posts: 4
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2019


 - posted August 08, 2019 11:11 AM      Profile for Sophie Catherine Wright   Email Sophie Catherine Wright   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi everyone!

Excited to become a member of the 8mm forum as I'm starting to make some experiments in Super8.

I just procured a Bauer C 5 XL and I have a few queries for some more experienced members.

1/ I bought film before being given the camera – 50D, 200T and 500T. Will these be ok to use in my camera? I read that these cameras usually read 40 - 100 ASA, and there might be a problem shooting with newer stock, but it seems to be ok if I'm to manually expose. The only thing is I can't seem to find out how to manually adjust the aperture... which brings me to my next question.
2/ I can't find the instruction manual online (weirdly I could access the wonderful site www.super8exchange.com just last week but now it seems to have been overtaken by a hotel site?!). Does anyone have a manual by chance?

Sorry if the answer is obvious, I'm coming from a photography background so this is new to me and I don't want to waste a ton of money on processing if I need to find another camera.

Any advice would be much appreciated 🙂Thank you!

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Sophie Wright

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted August 08, 2019 11:36 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sophie
I do not know this camera but it sounds that being an XL, which stands for "existing light", it was designed to accept the once "fast" ASA 160 stock. It does seem, as you say, that there is no method of manually setting the aperture.
This, and similar cameras, were designed in earlier days when the cartridge would set the ASA rating automatically, and there was no need to adjust the aperture manually.
I would suggest you "sell it on" and try to find a better camera which will allow the manual setting of its aperture.

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Maurice

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Sophie Catherine Wright
Junior
Posts: 4
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2019


 - posted August 09, 2019 09:38 AM      Profile for Sophie Catherine Wright   Email Sophie Catherine Wright   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Maurice

Thanks for your reply. Ah, this makes sense. I forgot to mention that I already have a 50D Kodak film cartridge in there... does this mean it won't come out exposed? I have already shot maybe 15 seconds using the internal lightmeter.

And an update: I have found a green + red knob at the top. I read somewhere that I can 'lock' the aperture read by the internal meter by switching to red/manual. I presume this means that I can take a lightmeter reading and then lock onto the correct exposure.

Also, how can I ensure that the camera I buy takes modern film stock? Is it only if it has the capacity to manually adjust aperture, so that you can do a calculation to get correct exposure?

Thank you!

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Sophie Wright

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted August 09, 2019 11:22 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sophie
Since my earlier reply I have found your camera details.
https://www.filmkorn.org/super8data/database/cameras_list/cameras_bauer/bauer_c50xl.htm
You will see that it states that exposure can be manually controlled.
As regards auto setting by the cartridge it will only give correct daylight exposure of 25 and 100 ASA, and artificial light of 40 and 160 ASA.
Your last paragraph is correct. Any camera must have provision for setting the ASA manually as indicated by a separate hand-held exposure meter.
Film speeds have increased since the early days, and most cheaper cameras were only designed to take the cartridges then available. For instance, you will see that your model was manufactured between 1974 and 1975 making it over 40 years old.

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Maurice

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Dominique De Bast
Film God

Posts: 4486
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Jun 2013


 - posted August 09, 2019 11:38 AM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Sophie, I don't know the filmstock you bought since I use only reversal stock that can be projected in cine projectors. The modern reversal stock are outdoor ones and the super 8 cameras were designed to use indoor films (there is a built in filter in the camera and you must swich it of to use modern outdoor reversal films oustide). It would be a good idea to check if your films are outdoor or indoor films.

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Dominique

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
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 - posted August 09, 2019 02:48 PM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Following on from Dominique's comments. I should point out that at one time Kodak's Kodachrome and Ektachrome were only supplied with an A, this indicated for "Artificial" light.
In order to use the same film in daylight a small built-in coloured filter was placed in position, this then balanced the artificial stock for use in daylight.
The filter was actioned by a switch usually marked with a lamp bulb symbol for artificial and a sun symbol for daylight. This explains why the speed of 40ASA for artificial is reduced to 25ASA for daylight.
Nowadays, there are separate emulsions for either artificial or daylight.
If a modern film for daylight is used it will be necessary to remove the filter, and this will be done by switching to artificial on the selector switch. This does sound rather confusing!

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Maurice

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Sophie Catherine Wright
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From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2019


 - posted August 09, 2019 04:19 PM      Profile for Sophie Catherine Wright   Email Sophie Catherine Wright   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Thanks Maurice and Dominique for sharing your knowledge. You're right, pretty confusing but I think I get the gist with your explanation. So I know in future when I use the modern stock I have (Kodak 200T & 500T) to either leave on the lamp bulb when shooting indoors or change to the sun when going outside, and manually choose the aperture according to an external lightmeter that factors in the ASA of the film.
The only tricky thing now is the film I currently have inside the camera. It's a Kodak Vision 50D colour negative, so already balanced for daylight. Unfortunately I didn't know about the filter so it is currently switched to the sun and I have shot maybe 25 seconds already outside. Is it possible to switch now to the lamp bulb even though I have already started shooting on the film?

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Sophie Wright

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Dominique De Bast
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From: Brussels, Belgium
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 - posted August 09, 2019 04:47 PM      Profile for Dominique De Bast   Email Dominique De Bast   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
You can switch the button as many times as you wish ; the concept of the system was to allow the amateur filmmaker to use the same filmstock for both situation (in and outdoor). I'm sorry to add another point that may confuse you more but with outdoor (daylight as Maurice correctly named it) filmstock, you should never use the built in filter as it was intended for indoor (artificial light) stock. If you shoot outdoor with modern stock, you just have to switch the yellow built in filter off but if you want to shoot with artificial light, you have to use a blue filter. Of course, I can only advise you to test your camera in daylight conditions before investing in a filter (and cine light if you haven't that already).

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Dominique

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Maurice Leakey
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From: Bristol. United Kingdom
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 - posted August 10, 2019 02:15 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Let us get this into perspective.

Artificial light stock:-
Filming in daylight = select sun
Filming in artificial light = select lamp bulb

Daylight film stock:-
Filming in daylight = select lamp bulb

The camera cannot use daylight film stock in artificial light as it stands. To do so it is necessary to remove the built-in filter by selecting daylight, and then adding an external blue filter over the lens.

The built-in filter is in position when the switch is at SUN, and out of position when switch set to LAMP BULB.

https://hoyafilterusa.com/product/hoya-80a/

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Maurice

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Sophie Catherine Wright
Junior
Posts: 4
From: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Registered: Aug 2019


 - posted August 12, 2019 03:54 AM      Profile for Sophie Catherine Wright   Email Sophie Catherine Wright   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Hi Maurice, hi Dominique

Ok, got it! I reckon I'm all set to try out both my daylight and artificial film [Smile] Thanks so much for your advice, wouldn't have worked it out without you.

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Sophie Wright

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Maurice Leakey
Film God

Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007


 - posted August 12, 2019 05:15 AM      Profile for Maurice Leakey   Email Maurice Leakey   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Glad to be of help.
Things were much more simple in the Super 8 cameras and films of many years ago. The last time I used a (sound) camera was in 1981!
Kodak's original ideas were for simple amateur use without a large amount of knowledge.
Almost back to the first still cameras in 1900. Kodak's advertisement said "You press the button, we do the rest".

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Maurice

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