In The Market For 16mm

[Super8freakazoid24]

Well I'm in the market for a 16mm camera now. Been using super 8 and now it's time to take another step. I'm in the process of getting some friends together and make a short film(approx 20-30mins). Each of us, 3 people, will shoot a story and they will intertwine with eachother yet stand alone individually. I was thinking of getting a K3 but would really like to get a Bolex. Any suggestions? There will be dialog but I can deal with the sync sound problems myself.

[Super8freakazoid24]

Forgot to mention that the budget will probably be 3-5k. But it will all go to stock and processing, so a good but under $1000 camera should suffice.

[ccortez]

I can make you a screamin' deal on a Bell & Howell 240 T (two lens turret) w/17-85 Som Berthiot zoom w/reflex dogleg and the FOC mount 20mm Super Comat (same as Ivotal?) that is original to the camera.

Just a thought... ;) PM or email if you're interested.

[Nigel]

Rent...

In San Fran there are all sorts of options for rental.

Good Luck

[Super8freakazoid24]

Rather not rent at this time. Besides, I want a 16mm camera of my own.

Thanks

[greyskale]

if you were willing to spend a bit more, you could get a really nice eclair.

[Super8freakazoid24]

An Eclair would be awesome but unfortuneately my camera budget right now is probably closer to 5-600. That's why maybe a K3 or Bolex would be good.

[soundboy]

Well I'm in the market for a 16mm camera now. Been using super 8 and now it's time to take another step. I'm in the process of getting some friends together and make a short film(approx 20-30mins). Each of us, 3 people, will shoot a story and they will intertwine with eachother yet stand alone individually. I was thinking of getting a K3 but would really like to get a Bolex. Any suggestions? There will be dialog but I can deal with the sync sound problems myself.

K-3 is a good camera, but bloody noisey, if you wanna record dialouge you'll need a quite camera thats cyrstal sync. So you may need to keep saving for a Eclair or as Nigel said rent.

K-3, Bolex H16 or a Filmo 70DR would be good B-Roll camera's to play with.

[super8man]

scoopic ms-16

or

Bolex SBM

[Patrick]

I would recommend making a short film first...say about 5 or 6 minutes in length. It is amazing how much work goes into making a film of such a short duration. This will prepare you for longer projects in the near future - it will teach you about planning and what types of mistakes to avoid etc.

[Nigel]

For 5-600 you could rent an SRII or Aaton XTR with some great glass and everything you could never know what to do with. You couldn't one lens that could come close to what you could use on the short for that much.

Trust me--When I bought my Aaton I really thought that I wanted a camera. I really thought that buying was a smart choice and a wise investment. How wrong I was. Ever since I bought my camera I have thought about selling it. It stays in my closest on 8 out of 10 shoots. Why?? Because renting is hassle free. You walk in you say what you want and when you need it--then you walk out.

It is the best way to go.

Good Luck

[T-Scan]

Any camera under $600 is going to sound like a lawn mower over your dialog.

[reflex]

I agree with Nigel - No point in tossing down your money on a windup and noisy K3 or Bolex when you can get a weekend's rental on a decent Super 16 Aaton or Arri that will allow you to shoot sync sound with a great image.

If you plan ahead, you can shoot a lot on a weekend,like this 22 minute short (shot in Vancouver - directed by Nic Bicanic). Even this simple shoot had a crew of 26 and 7 principal actors.

I also agree with Patrick that starting with a 5-6 minute film is the way to go. Heck, for a bit over $500-600 you should be able to rent the camera and a few good lenses & possibly some lights and other necessaries, plus get film, processing and telecine.

reFLeX

[FourFourForty]

There was a CP-16R on ebay a day or two ago, starting at $895US. I could be mistaken, but I believe there was another that was a buy-it-now for $1300. I can't recall the details or condition of either cam, but you should check them out. They're quiet as a mouse (at least mine is), crystal synched and they're easily converted to Super 16, which is where you're going to want to be after you've shot 16mm for awhile. You may as well purchase something you can build on instead of sitting on.

I also have two Scoopics and both are great cameras for MOS work, but they sound like wood chippers when they're running. Not as noisey as the K3, but noisey.

[Super8freakazoid24]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Now that I think about it, I would really like to do something with Super 8. Maybe try to get the most out of it, thinking about getting a Canon 814XL-S or 1014XL-S and shooting sync sound. I'll try 16 later on. I'll give you guys details on my screenplay later.