Buying a Beaulieu 4008 ZM II

Post by **TheCircus** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 3:43 pm

Hello!
I'm quite new in this great forum and I have some questions about the Beaulieu 4008 ZM II top of the line camera.
I'm in to buying one of these cameras and was wondering if there are any tips to check it's all right. What should I look for?
I live in Sweden so I know that one option is to send it to Bjorn Andersson for a check-up but since that is expensive I want to know what i should look for "on-the-spot" before buying.
Secondly I was wondering where I could recell the battery. Is Bjorn a option or do I have to buy a new one at Ebay?
Are they expensive?

Thanks in advance!

Post by **super8man** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:44 pm

I think 'top of the line" is a misnomer...the 9008 is the top of the BEAULIEU line...there are as many top of the line cameras as there are manufacturers...so Sankyo has a top of the line camera too! But I digress...

Why not just clean the gate, check for the 85 filter condition (easy to do with the lens removed) and make up a battery pack on your own:

http://home.pacbell.net/mnyberg/super8mm/super8_10.html

Then shoot a test roll?

Everything else will cost you more than $300US if you are thinking about servicing.

Cheers,
Mike

Post by **reflex** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:56 pm

I agree with Mike.

Three things to watch for:

1. Before buying, remove the lens and check the condition of the mirror shutter. It should be clean and clear, but it seems many people make the mistake of "cleaning" it and damaging the surface.

2. Check that the old NiCad battery pack has not corroded in the battery socket. That could require some tricky internal repairs.

3. While looking through the viewfinder, turn the "ground glass" knob to switch the ground glass focusing screen in front of the lens. Make sure it's clean and useable. Do the same with the 85A filter.

Bjorn is an excellent resource to have nearby, but a proper overhaul will be very expensive because of the labor and parts needed.

Post by **greg_8mm** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 6:59 pm

How "hard" is it to shoot with a 4008 compared to shooting with more "run-n-gun" camera's like the canon's?

I totally love the canon's that I have, but the one thing that I really like about the Beaulieu's is that they have interchangable lenses..

This is how I shoot with my canons right now:

1 - frame the image
2 - focus
3 - get reading from internal light meter
4 - lock aperture
5 - shoot

how different will this step process be with a B4008?

Post by **reflex** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:07 pm

greg_8mm wrote:How "hard" is it to shoot with a 4008 compared to shooting with more "run-n-gun" camera's like the canon's?

Uhh... you do exactly the same thing. There are only a couple of operational differences with a Beaulieu...

1. When you insert a cartridge, you set the film speed manually. It takes a mere two seconds.

2. The 4008 uses ground glass for focusing. Instead of aligning a pattern in the center of the display, you focus until the grain of the glass is clear. You need to set up your viewfinder properly.

3. The frame rate is set with a knob, so you can shoot at any rate between 2 and 72 fps. You can even ramp the speed up/down while shooting. There's an indent that "clicks" into place at either 24/25 fps.

Apart from that, the 4008 works the same way as the Canon. You point it at your subject, focus/frame and press the trigger. It has automatic exposure (with an in-viewfinder pointer) and you can lock exposure like you normally do with your Canon.

Don't let the weird styling throw you - it's still a straightforward Super 8 camera.

Post by **TheCircus** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:25 pm

Thank you for your quick replies, everybody!
Super8man, the reason I called it a "top of the line camera" was because I read an article, in the Super 8 Today magazine (written by Micheal Lehnert), where he describes the Beaulieu 4008 ZM II as one.
But you're right; every manufacturer has their own "top of the line" cameras.

Thank you for the link anout the external battery pack!

Post by **super8man** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:25 pm

With all the theoretical talk about interchangeable lenses on the 4008, in reality (or statistically) I would dare to suggest that MOST people never acquire a second lens. Then, once they do, they rarely use it. Just a thought (or my opinion).

So, think about it...

Post by **reflex** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:31 pm

super8man wrote:With all the theoretical talk about interchangeable lenses on the 4008, in reality (or statistically) I would dare to suggest that MOST people never acquire a second lens. Then, once they do, they rarely use it. Just a thought (or my opinion).

The Schneider Kreuznach f1.8/6-66mm zoom that came with the 4008 ZM II is a beautiful piece of work. I could see adding an ultra-wide adapter to it, but there's no need for another lens - it's better than 99% of the Super 8 optics out there.

Post by **TheCircus** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:39 pm

Thank you for the tips everybody! Anything else to think about before buying a Beaulieu 4008 ZM II?

Post by **super8man** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 7:59 pm

Your bank balance?

Post by **TheCircus** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 8:01 pm

Well the camera costs about 190 USD, I'll manage!

Post by **cineandy** » Sun Mar 02, 2008 9:40 pm

hi, if you decide on the 4008, make sure the lens has no haze, fungus or scratches on ANY of the elements, including the inner optics. My advice would be to let Bjorn service the camera. Best lens option is either the angenieux 6-80 or schneider 6-66. Another thing to look out for, is, if the camera has been sitting in a cupboard for years, with the nicad batt attached, i've found gases from the batt tend to haze/mist up the viewfinder!! Be carefull not to purchase a 4008 thats been messed with, ie, some clever person removing the inbuilt 85 filter, but then failing to have len lens re-adjusted to the camera body.
I agree with greg_8mm, 4008s are not great run and gun cameras, canon 814/1014xls are. 4008s auto iris is not as good as the canon. If you have time to set up your shot, then the 4008 with correctly adjusted lens will give you much better images than the 1014xls.

Post by **Elmogs** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:48 am

I think some cameras can last a long time with minimum care ie: Canon 814xls, Nikon R10...etc.
But the Beaulieu is one of those few machines that really need to be taken very good care of in order to get the best out of them.
Many people who say the Beaulieu they had was not great in most cases- the cameras were not in optimum condition.
If I were to buy another Beaulieu I would get one direct from Bjorn. He is the best that I have encountered with very fair prices. You should ask him. His machines are spectacular. He refurbished my 6008S Digital. It was awesome. And he made my 708El Stereo run perfect. When the Beaulieu's are in perfect running order like they were meant to be they can be hard to beat.

Post by **super8man** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:48 am

I dream about a 6008 - life would be wonderful then! I'd give up all but my H8Rx, Canon 814XLS, and BNIB Eumig Nautica. Everything else could go in trade!!! I would even settle for the super sharp 6(?)to50mm lens that was seen on them...

Cheers,
Mike

Post by **Rollef** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:17 am

cineandy wrote:Be carefull not to purchase a 4008 thats been messed with, ie, some clever person removing the inbuilt 85 filter, but then failing to have len lens re-adjusted to the camera body.

What would be the difference between removing the filter completely or just remove it from the lightpath by means of filterkey and why would you need to re adjust the lens if the filter is completely gone when you don't re adjust the lens when you use a filterkey?

I'm asking because this seems to have been mentioned before and I do not understand why the lens must be re-ajusted if you take out the filter. To me that seems to imply the lens "always" should be re-adjusted when you are not using the filter in any camera wich ofcourse is not possible.