Shutter problem with my Beaulieu

[TheCircus]

Hello!
Im currently in Africa (Mozambique) shooting a super-8 documentary short with my Beaulieu 4008 ZM II. Sadly, I've encountered some problem with the shutter. It's stuck in the middle of the gate and wont move! The motor is running properly and the battery works. The camera was overhauled by Bjorn Andersson two years ago, so it's quite fresh and maintained.
Does anybody have an idea of how serious this is? Is it just a sticky shutter? What should I do?

Thanks in advance for any help and/or suggestions.

Regards
/ Tony Terziev

[greg_8mm]

wow that sucks.. I always bring a back up camera on trips in case the main cam breaks down.. When you remove the lens you can see the shutter, I don't know if you would damage it if you tried to move it but at least if you remove the lens you can take a look at it and see if something's wrong..

offtopic: what kind of short are u shooting?

[T-Scan]

I've had this happen with an R16. I think it's the same style of guillotine shutter. I was able to dislodge it using forward and reverse. Don't know if you have reverse, but find a way to maybe nudge it slowley and get it to free up... I know how you feel, just got shut down with a Bolex on my trip. Good luck-

[TheCircus]

Thank you for the fast replys everybody.
Unfortunately the Beaulieu 4008 ZM doesn't have a 1:1 manual rewind shaft so I am not able to adjust it as you would do with the R16 or Bolex H16.
T-Scan, Im sorry to hear about your Bolex problem. I know how you feel and wish you good luck.
Greg_8mm Im shooting with Ektachrome T64. Got sponsored by Kodak in Sweden.

Thanks once again for all the quick replies.
Regards

/ Tony terziev

[greg_8mm]

haha i didnt mean which stock you were using, but what kind of film, what is it about? I'm always interested in people doing entire shoots in super8...

[aj]

Does this mean when you take of the lens you see the mirror partly lifted??? I.e. you are not mixing up the shutter and the frame of the filterholder. This could be stuck in front of the gate too. This is also not good But as the motor runs and the shutter is not moving there are either some cogwheels not interlocking or something has broken. Is the motor on a high pitch? I.e. without any resistance from the wheels inside?

Can't you call this Anderson mechanic in sweden or email him? Time difference is only 1 hour. After spending Euro 300-400 on an overhaul your are entiteled to some advice. :idea:

When you have the lens off you could test mechanics by rotating the sync spindle (on the leftside, low near the front. aluminium threaded ring. screw off the cap) using a screwdriver. Take out the battery. Put the scredriver it in the slit of the axis gently and see if you can rotate the spindle with mild torque while pressing the trigger button. The mirror should go up and down and the film gets transported frame by frame.

Opening the hull isn't too difficult. Finding a mechanic to repair cogwheel or such may be more difficult. Possibly there are clock and watch repairshops in Maputo (if you are there). Johannesburg is only 2 days from Maputo . Maybe you don't want to risk your live for a broken camera. Try this jlbeek guy on ebay?

[TheCircus]

Hello everybody!
Luckily enough I managed to fix the problem by lifting the shutter lever many times and pressing the main power switch on stimultaneously. The camera works perfect now and it seemed that the shutter was just a little bit sticky from all transportation and traveling. Thank you for helping me through a state near panic.

Greg_8mm, I misread your question (stock/short). Im shooting a super-8 short documenting the African culture, music, lifestyles and traditions in Mozambique (Maputo and Pemba).
Everything is quite different...

Aj, have you been to Maputo? Im going there next week (Im currently in Pemba) and was wondering if you know how safe it is shooting with super-8 in the open. I have heard different opinions.

Thank you once agin for the help! I'll post some stills and footage when I get back home.

Best regards.
/ Tony Terziev

[aj]

I have travelled through Mozambique in december 2002. Only the southern coastal part. That was already big enough That was also where the solar-eclipse would occur

Since it is 6 years ago things may have changed a bit. Are you travelling from Pemba to Maputo by air. Seems like a really long distance by road.

I Certainly liked the rural travel route. Very naturel. Never found an island again like in the Bazaruto archipel. No wonder the portugese called it the Paradise Islands

I had no trouble staying in Maputo then. We stayed in a not too expensive hotel and dito neighbourhood. Walking and travelling the city never felt awkward. The hotel had map with a marked area where not to go though. That was the city-parc area. Chance of robbery or such would supposedly be greater there. Being 1.90m and 92kg makes me less attractive prey?

The Tin-house and Railway-station by Eifel. The ZOO with ice-bear home! Markets. Restaurants. Etc. All very nice. We were invited to the board room of
the director at the Tin-house to enjoy the view. I hope the railways from the station are restored to function again. These were then under construction. Thanks to EU support.

Found the local people easy going. Rather glad to meet a foreigner and eager for a chat. Maybe because the civil war was then not so long ago and people were glad it was over? In busy tourist places like Zanzibar people are more into getting somehting from tourist. But according to co-travellers that was still easy going compared to west-coast Africa

I didn't do any super-8 then. Wasn't in the format then Rather a pity as I can recall numbers of scenes who would have made really nice S8 shots even with a point and shoot.

I did still photography using NIKON SLR and ultra-small MINOX. General landscape/streetscape in public area wasn't a problem at all. Too personal or close-by market scenes here and there gave negative response. Not everybody wants to be in the picture or wants his vegetables and fish photographed either. So better have a conversation first.

Enjoy your stay.