Ebay junk?

[Dr Smith]

Hello there. Newbie, first post. Titter ye not but I am currently the proud owner of a Braun Nizo S800, 801 and an 801 Macro all of them purchased on Ebay and, surprise surprise, all of them in various states of 'not working'. I know I know. Nothing I have not already said to myself already. So how to make the best of a sorry situation? I am determined to get one of these cameras working as my dream is to make a short film this summer. Obviously if I was made of money I would not have been reduced to buying 'less than mint' condition cameras. My question is, after considering the following data, which one would you attempt to get fixed?

The 801 Macro would be my dream camera of the three as I think it is the best model. The lens is completely clear but the focus slips when I zoom out - I am hoping that this is a simple fix. However, the motor does not work and after a few minutes of ineffectual trigger pulling the batteries get very, very hot. Is that a simple wiring fault, I wonder, or something much more serious? The battery case even show signs of melting a little!

The S800's motor runs sporadically and can be kick-started with a tap on the 54fps slowmo button - I am guessing that the prob might be a faulty connection. If so this might be the cheapest fix. However things looka little on the cloudy side throught the eyepiece. Not sure if it is the eyepiece glass or the lens itself and the dreaded fungus or oil fogging; either way, getting the optics cleaned could be expensive I guess. Stays focused when zooming out.

The regular 801 is in exactly the same state as the S800 although the motor is slightly less likely to cut out.

To keep the repair bill down I could sacrifice the 801 and even the S800 to help finance the repair of the 801 Macro.

I bought these cameras because I believed that the silver barrel lenses would give me a far better, crisper image than the lower spec Nizos.

I do have a fully functioning mint condition Nizo 481 Macro as well as a Bauer C700 XLM.

Now if you were to shoot a horror film on Plus X film, in the style of an old Universal classic, and you wanted the crispest image possible (with the possibility of blowing up the image) which camera would you try to repair OR do you think I can get what I need with the lower spec Nizo and the Bauer???

Any advise greatly appreciated. I'll make a seperate post on the subject of 25fps and whether or not to get crystal sync-ed.

[ulrichbusse]

Hello Dr Smith,

the difference between Nizo 801 macro and 481 macro is afaik only the zoom range (481 = 48mm, 801 = 80mm). I'm often working with a Nizo 560 (56mm) and I don't miss a higher zoom range. Except the focal length the 481 macro has no lower spec than a 801 macro.

Try the 481.

Grüße aus dem Havelland
Ulrich

[ccortez]

The melty battery box on the 801/M is one I know well. Get another (several) battery box and you should (may) be OK. They are fairly easy to come by.

I'm also familiar with the tap-to-start feature. I shouldn't but will recommend running it with the side cover off to see if you notice anything that can be jiggled, nudged or secured.

I have an 801 and an 801 Macro in various states of disrepair, but I've never had one fail in a way that couldn't be "fixed" in the field and made to keep chugging along. Problem is, enough of these "fixes" and you have a real problem on your hands. ;-)

My 801 Macro has been taped and soldered internally and now can only be run from the wired remote. Still works great, would trust it as my A-cam as long as I had really good B- and C- cams.