Please help Vicky choose a camera!

[Macnessa]

The Nizo 801 (you may not need the macro model, they're more expensive) would be great. I have one, and I shot some street footage with it recently and it came out great. If you don't think you'll need that long a zoom, the Nizo 560 or 561 may suit your needs also, I have one of those. It's lighter, and has just as good images, IMO. They seem to run about 1-200 dollars less on ebay. Make sure you compensate a stop because the button batteries for both these older Nizo cameras are no longer available, and the replacements tend to overexpose by a stop. Both the 801 and the 561 have manual exposure though so it should be easy to compensate.

Another option would be to get a sound Nizo camera. They're not that much more expensive (except for the higher end ones) One thing about shooting street footage--get a shoulder pod. This will steady the image and you won't be tied down to a tripod. The sound Nizo cameras like the 4056 have a built in shoulder pod, and you don't have to compensate the exposure because they don't use outmoded button batteries for the light meter like the 801 and the 561. And they're quieter if you want to record sound separately. The only downside is that they're a little bigger and heavier.

Good luck!

[ccortez]

Another option would be to get a sound Nizo camera. They're not that much more expensive (except for the higher end ones) One thing about shooting street footage--get a shoulder pod. This will steady the image and you won't be tied down to a tripod. The sound Nizo cameras like the 4056 have a built in shoulder pod, and you don't have to compensate the exposure because they don't use outmoded button batteries for the light meter like the 801 and the 561.

Another thing on the plus side for the 40xx and 60xx series is that they're SuperMag compatible, right? (I know some are, but all?) I believe that's also true for the Canons VTV is considering, but not for the Nizo 801s or other silent Nizos...

(Don't know if it matters... but for filming street theater, long mag rolls would be quite lovely.)

[Andreas Wideroe]

Considering you're from Sweden (you name looks Swedish) I would without doubt go for a Beaulieu camera. You have Björn Andersson in Stockholm who is a professional repair/service guy and know these camera inside and out. They're among the most populare Pro-Cams for Super 8.

[sunrise]

Personal preferences play a big part.

There are Nizo people, Beaulieu people and Canon people. All of them recommending their own camera.

I have never got into the Nizo game. I am a Beaulieu guy, but I must admit that my experience with the Canons are that you get a workhorse of a camera for a relative small amount of money. Servicing the camera is another thing, if you want the camera to last. Beaulieu is best buy for this. Get a Beaulieu 4008 or a Canon 1014e.

michael

[LastQuark]

If you are in Sweden, I concur it is hard to beat the Beaulieu 4008 - ground glass, changeable lens, serviceability, and manual ASA. Get the ZMII. Sometimes they come with an Angenieux 6-80 lens. If you can't get it with the Angeneiux. Get the Schneider 6-66 over the 6-70mm.

Next in line is the Canon 814xls. I prefer it over its larger brother 1014xls because it is easier to put an anamorphic glass if I want to shoot 16:9.

You mentioned reliability, I have bad luck with Nizos. Either it is the motor problem or the rubber belt. There is too much plastic in it.

Above, my humble opinion.
 

[Macnessa]

Hmm. I always heard Beauleus were technically crankier then Nizos, which is the main reason I stick with Nizos.

[charles8]

I have used both Canon (1014e,514xls,814xl) and Nizo 3048,6080,6056, and both have their good and bad points, both have very good lenses, the 514xls has a great lens, for a small camera, the Nizo cameras also give very good pictures, colours I find are slightly different with the Nizo cameras, not as rich as the Canons.

[companyofquail]

the biggest question should be: what is your budget, if picture quality is the most important you should go with a Beaulieu. you can get the 4008 series for pretty good prices on ebay.

[Patrick]

From my own experiences, I find that the Canons tend to be robust and mostly problem free. They have served me well. I was once chatting with someone who used to shoot with a Canon 1014E during the 70s...he took that cam and also a Minolta cam up into snow country - the minolta super 8 had severe problems dealing with the low temperatures but the Canon operated fine.

I have never used a Nizo but I have heard from others that these cameras tend to have problems as they age. I believe the belt inside them is one source of problems.

Beaulieus, although highly regarded, sometimes need servicing after they are bought and this can be expensive. Some models have an internal gelatin daylight filter which I have heard can degrade over time, affecting the image quality - according to one Beaulieu repair person, the camera would have to be taken apart to replace this filter. There is also a problem with the Ni-Cad batteries as these have lost their charge from years ago and are just about dead. Though many people on this forum have come up with inventive solutions to give the cameras a new lease of life with battery power.

One of the many cool things about these cameras is the interchangeable lenses - though the C mount can be a weak point, so I have heard - you can mount 35mm still lenses on it via an adaptor but if you use too long a lens, it puts a lot of strain on the lens mount, and damage is possible. I am not trying to put you off buying a Beaulieu (they are truly amazing cameras with incredible versatility and professional features) but just stating facts to be aware of.

[BK]

I highly recommend Canon's, such as the 1014E, 814E, 814XL E, 1014XL-S, 814XL-S. They are robust and reliable and gives great images under any situation.

Bill

[vicky the viking]

special thanks to all of you who have been kind enough to offer me advice on cameras!

i've even picked up a few tips too!

i would truly love to shoot with a beaulieu, but don't think the budget could stretch to it, this time. but will keep it in mind.

so, a lot of people seem to like the nizo's but the general consensus is that, due to age they can become unreliable.

i would still like to have a go with one of these at some point!

however, many more of you have recommended the canon's - in particular the 814/e/xl/xls and the 1014/e/xl/xls

since starting this thread i have been searching around for these cameras.

... well, i do have swedish blood, but i'm based in the uk.. so maybe if i get back to stockholm sometime, i can rely on serviceability for a beaulieu.

so, apart from ebay where the 814xls & 1014xls are available.... but at no small cost....

mmmm had a long hard think about this one...

found a private seller in the uk who has a clean and working Canon 814xl that comes with a leather case and original box (?) - would imagine it's been looked after if they've been bothered to keep the box!

so, is the £100 asking price a good one, are too cheap (suspect)???

let me know what you think guys!

a big thank you to you all!

vicky :twisted:

[vicky the viking]

:roll: sorry, dumb blonde moment! double posted!

... sorry to sound completed thick, but the 814e / 814xl - persuming by the (xl) marking that it has the 220 dgree shutter, right???

thanks,

vix

[matt5791]

Hi there,

Just a few very important issues, which I can't see anyone has touched on here (although I have read through the thread, but quickly)

- Which filmstock were you considering?

- What final presentation format?

- How are you intending to edit your footage?

These issues may (or may not) influence your choice of camera.

My preferences are:

Beaulieu 4008; 5008 multispeed (5008 quieter, but less features than 4008. Non multispeed 5008 waste of time)

Nizo - professional model, 801 etc. + 6080, 4080, 4056, 3056, 2056 (although slower max frame rate on 2056)

Light meter - use a decent hand held, because then YOU can choose where to place your exposure. Unless you are having to make VERY quick exposure decisions, I would not advise using automatic exposure, although the internal meters han be useful if you zoom into your subject, and lock the f stop at that reading.

If you wish to run with automatic exposure then the Nizos are much quicker and better in this respect, whereas the Beaulieu is better from a manual point of view, being that you set the f stop with the use of an aperture ring (with the nizo's and most other super8 cameras you set manually with a separate knob)

As regards Canon, I cant make any observations because I have never owned one.

On balance I would always take the Beaulieu, and the 4008 model, mainly because of the demountable C-mount lens, which you can use converters with for 35mm still lenses if you want serious telephoto. I also like the ground glass focusing screen, mirrored shutter, and 70 frames per second max speed (80 on the 4008ZM4)

I feel that if you are using film you need to use cameras and film stock that give you the most important advantages of using film over video, these being: Variable frame rate and beautiful slow motion; greater exposure latitude of film, especiallly with negative stock.

If you are intending to present your film digitally and edit digitally I would say definitly use one of the negative film stocks: Kodak Vision2 200T or Vision2 500T. These are readily available direct from Kodak for around £8 - £9 + vat currently. (phone Hemel Hemstead Motion Picture for a firm price)

Just my thoughts

Matt

[jukkasil]

About Canon 814 models, there are 814 Auto Zoom (the first model), 814 Auto Zoom Electric (both of them have 150 shutter), Canon 814 XL E and Canon 814 XL-S (they has 220 shutter). If that 814 XL in UK is XL-S model, the price is very cheap, note 814 XL E has only 18 fps filming speed, not 24 fps, 814 XL-S has them both.

Personally I use nowdays almost only Canon cameras (1014 XL-S and Canon DS8) and they are just best Super 8 cameras for my needs (= reliability is the most important thing to me).

[vicky the viking]

Hi there,

Just a few very important issues, which I can't see anyone has touched on here (although I have read through the thread, but quickly)

- Which filmstock were you considering?

- What final presentation format?

- How are you intending to edit your footage?

These issues may (or may not) influence your choice of camera.

My preferences are:

Beaulieu 4008; 5008 multispeed (5008 quieter, but less features than 4008. Non multispeed 5008 waste of time)

Nizo - professional model, 801 etc. + 6080, 4080, 4056, 3056, 2056 (although slower max frame rate on 2056)

Light meter - use a decent hand held, because then YOU can choose where to place your exposure. Unless you are having to make VERY quick exposure decisions, I would not advise using automatic exposure, although the internal meters han be useful if you zoom into your subject, and lock the f stop at that reading.

If you wish to run with automatic exposure then the Nizos are much quicker and better in this respect, whereas the Beaulieu is better from a manual point of view, being that you set the f stop with the use of an aperture ring (with the nizo's and most other super8 cameras you set manually with a separate knob)

As regards Canon, I cant make any observations because I have never owned one.

On balance I would always take the Beaulieu, and the 4008 model, mainly because of the demountable C-mount lens, which you can use converters with for 35mm still lenses if you want serious telephoto. I also like the ground glass focusing screen, mirrored shutter, and 70 frames per second max speed (80 on the 4008ZM4)

I feel that if you are using film you need to use cameras and film stock that give you the most important advantages of using film over video, these being: Variable frame rate and beautiful slow motion; greater exposure latitude of film, especiallly with negative stock.

If you are intending to present your film digitally and edit digitally I would say definitly use one of the negative film stocks: Kodak Vision2 200T or Vision2 500T. These are readily available direct from Kodak for around £8 - £9 + vat currently. (phone Hemel Hemstead Motion Picture for a firm price)

Just my thoughts

Matt

oh hi, good points!

gonna be shooting 200t (on this occasion) with a straight transfer to digibeta - delivered on digibeta.

a camera with good slow motion would be useful.

i guess you're right about the advantage of an external light meter....

some of the work might need quick decisions... i imagine (using automatic exposure) would be good to set the exposure on someone's face and then lock it there for that shot...?

Thanks,

Vicky