beaulieu S8 & film advice. novice seeking experts.

[anitasanger]

first, let me say that i'm truly sorry for all the goofy questions, but please remember i am from a video camera generation. this film precision stuff if taking me a while to grasp, so thank you for baring with me. if you could just answer these questions, i can order what i need and at least shoot some rolls before i have more goofy questions!

these questions are in reference to a freshly, professionally-serviced beaulieu zm4008, internal filters removed and lens adjusted accordingly. the light meter has also been dialed in with the battery. as of now, i have nothing more than the camera, manual, battery and charger.

1. to get started filming now, do i need to aquire any filters?

if the question is yes, a few more q's.

2. shooting velvia50 outdoors, do i need a filter (if so, what?)

3. shooting tungsten-balanced film indoors, do i need any filter?

4. shooting tungsten-balanced film OUTdoors, do i need any filter?

5. shooting black and white reversal film, do i need any filter?

6. my beaulieu is minus the rubber eyepiece. the only place i can find one is here. is it the correct one? http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/catalog/catalog.htm and here is the item:72650 Beaulieu Brand Elliptical Combined Rubber Eyepiece for 16mm and Super 8 may require eyecup adapter # 72651$27.50

7. do i need an eyecup adapter? geez, i hope not.

i'm going to chicago soon with my wife and hope to shoot 4-5 rolls of super 8. however, i first want to shoot a test roll of velvia50 right now to make sure everything is okay.

8. what nighttime film would you guys reccomend for nightime chicago shots? colour reversal. for daytime i plan to use velvia 50

9. i guess the answer to this question depends on whether or not i am using a filter. but maybe not. lets say i am shooting velvia50 do i set my beaulieu ISO rating to 50? i really hope i do. if not, could you please explain to me the formula i should use to calculate the proper iso?

once again, i thank you very much for your patience and advice. i realize that film is a delicate medium that must be treated with finesse and precision. i'm not expecting heavenly results starting out, just some decent looking film. thank you.

luke black.

[aj]

6. my beaulieu is minus the rubber eyepiece. the only place i can find one is here. is it the correct one? http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/catalog/catalog.htm and here is the item:72650 Beaulieu Brand Elliptical Combined Rubber Eyepiece for 16mm and Super 8 may require eyecup adapter # 72651$27.50

7. do i need an eyecup adapter? geez, i hope not.

http://www.beaulieu.de/pages/s8_azub8.php
Two types of eye-cups. both need the adapterring. I have used a simple round type Nikon eye-cup for a while. Fitted nicely and this cost only Euro 1 from some Euro bin at a local photoshop. The originals are better/bigger and can hold a chamois. You can also try a Nizo cup (if found) Wittner people speak english and are accustomed to international trading.

[anitasanger]

thank you very much. anyone else, pahlease? i promise i'll get out of your hair and get to filming after that! :oops:

[reflex]

1. to get started filming now, do i need to aquire any filters?

Maybe. Although not an immediate need, I suggest learning about Neutral Density (ND) and UV filters. If you're shooting B&W, it's worth learning about the various filters that can enhance B&W shots, too.

if the question is yes, a few more q's.

2. shooting velvia50 outdoors, do i need a filter (if so, what?)

No. This is a daylight balanced film.

3. shooting tungsten-balanced film indoors, do i need any filter?

Probably not. It depends what lighting you're using. Traditional incandescents and most CF will not require filtering.

4. shooting tungsten-balanced film OUTdoors, do i need any filter?

Yes, use an "85" filter unless you like a steel-blue look to your films.

5. shooting black and white reversal film, do i need any filter?

No, although several types of filters can be used to enhance contrast and alter the look of your film. Pay attention to how you set exposure:

Kodak Tri-X should be set to 160 ASA under Tungsten light (3200K) and 200 ASA in daylight.

Kodak Plus-X should be set to 80 ASA under 3200K Tungsten, 100 ASA in daylight

6. my beaulieu is minus the rubber eyepiece. the only place i can find one is here. is it the correct one?

Ask them to be sure (I didn't bother looking...) Wittner Cinetec also sells Beaulieu parts, as does Bjorn Andersson in Sweden.

7. do i need an eyecup adapter? geez, i hope not.

Probably, if you do not have one on the eyepiece already.

8. what nighttime film would you guys reccomend for nightime chicago shots? colour reversal. for daytime i plan to use velvia 50

The only tungsten balanced S8 color reversal film offered by Kodak is E-64T. It's a pretty slow film, so chances are you'll severely underexpose all but the brightest night scenes.

A Beau 4008 has a relatively narrow shutter angle (if one can use such terminology to describe a guillotine shutter) equivalent to about 100 degrees - significantly less than "XL" cameras with much wider shutters for better low light performance. The speed of your lens will also play a role here.

You'll need something like Kodak Vision 2 500T to shoot at night, but even then you might find yourself shooting wide-open.

9. i guess the answer to this question depends on whether or not i am using a filter. but maybe not. lets say i am shooting velvia50 do i set my beaulieu ISO rating to 50? i really hope i do. if not, could you please explain to me the formula i should use to calculate the proper iso?

Yes. 50D would be shot ISO 50, no 85 filter.
A tungsten balanced film such as E-64T would be shot in daylight at ISO 40 with an 85 filter in place.

[camera8mm]

please read the manual.

[reflex]

please read the manual.

Beaulieu manuals are awful, especially for beginners. Unfortunately, we're entering an era in which many people won't have direct experience with aperture, shutter speeds or film.

I'm glad Luke asked these questions before shooting a few rolls of film. The idea that different types of "white" light have vastly differing color temperatures can be somewhat difficult to get straight. I'd much rather see him get some beautiful shots right from the start than suffer disappointment at the hands of little technical details.

[bakanosaru]

Excellent advice from reflex but one minor thing: the shutter angle on the beaulieu is not 170 degrees but about 100 degrees (fully open) giving an exposure time of 1/87 at 25fps. Most other cameras would give somewhere between 1/40 and 1/50 at 25/24fps, making the Beaulieu 4008 less suited to night shooting.

[anitasanger]

reflex, i sincerely thank you for taking the time, thought and consideration for answering my long-winded questions. it's thoughful people like you and many others on this forum that make learning about new artforms fun. it also keeps the medium alive. afterall, if the experienced veterans never took time to explain the craft to new generations, the medium would die. so thank you very much!

and camera8mm, obviously you've never read a beaulieu manual because they answer none of the questions i asked. but i thank you for the condescending comment because it makes me appreciate reflex's kindness even more.

luke black.

[reflex]

Excellent advice from reflex but one minor thing: the shutter angle on the beaulieu is not 170 degrees but about 100 degrees (fully open) giving an exposure time of 1/87 at 25fps. Most other cameras would give somewhere between 1/40 and 1/50 at 25/24fps, making the Beaulieu 4008 less suited to night shooting.

Yup. Thanks for spotting that massive mistake, especially since I do most of my S8 shooting with a 4008. :oops:

Luke: Another idea for getting more light at night is to shoot at 18 fps. That'll increase your exposure time to about 1/65 sec (yes, I did the math this time. It's actually 1/64.8...).

Actually, your camera will go as low as 2 fps, which will give you a shutter speed of 1/7 - perfect for shooting timelapse traffic and street scenes at night, although you'll need a tripod.

[anitasanger]

great thinking! thanks again!