Got some looks

[71er]

I used my Canon 310XL and some E64T to film parts of my kids' Christmas performance at their school yesterday. The 310XL is not really a quiet camera, so I got some looks. People even turned round and you could read in their faces: "What is he doing?!" Quite an unusual sound inbetween the beeping of all the camcorders ...

[etimh]

Right on--I never tire of getting the looks. But I also enjoy explaining what I'm doing too. People are always blown away.

Tim

[Wade]

Looks. I always get looks, and usually friendly conversations from curious folks. But once about six months ago I was testing a rather bulky Pathe DS8 at a horse arena in a public area of a City College. There was an instructor there who noticed me shooting and insisted he'd call the police if I didn't leave. So, I left and went to the Sherrif's Office on campus. The Sherrif's Office said I could shoot anywhere on campus. I filmed the baseball team instead--not wanting to provoke the buffoon who couldn't stand me filming him teach horse riding to a class. You think if I was recording video on my cell he'd have a fit? I doubt it. But a big camera---hmmm--guess there must be something evil about it. Crazy!!

[woods01]

I'm consistently surprised that my S8 camera does not attract more attention. I've found that in most urban environments people don't pay too much attention to the noise around them. In a quiet room I suppose that would be louder.

However I do use a 1014xls in most cases which is reasonably quiet for a S8 camera, and to a layman is quite a modern looking design. But the bigger the camera you use (and add a tripod) the more attention you will attract. A lot of people are unnerved when they know someone is recording them and a large camera suggests you are professional whose work will see a wider audience. You made the right choice is moving on.

[Angus]

I enjoy it when people ask me about my super 8 cameras. But I find these days, any large camera can attract attention. Sure, if you have a phone camera or some compact digital camera nobody bothers what or where you shoot. But try taking an SLR to the beach these days....people assue you're a peadophile. 3 years ago the mayor of London actually suggested a ban on public photography - after all it is obviously we're all terrorists on recon missions :roll:

Now try filming with a super 8 camera, and some people do get suspicious. Partly I think that anything larger than pocket sized these days and you are assumed to be a professional - or up to no good.

Hats off to the London tube however. They're great, done a fair amount of guerilla filming on the tube and never had any problems. One time I was shooting on a platform, just filming trains coming and going, and somebody with a compact digicam was snapping here and there with a flash.I I ma sure he was just an excited tourist...announcement on the Tannoy "We'd like to remind you that flash photography is not permitted on the London Underground" They'd seen him on the CCTV and no doubt seen me too. I was of no interest.

[Wade]

A lot of people are unnerved when they know someone is recording them and a large camera suggests you are professional whose work will see a wider audience. You made the right choice is moving on.

Now try filming with a super 8 camera, and some people do get suspicious. Partly I think that anything larger than pocket sized these days and you are assumed to be a professional - or up to no good.

Exactly. But then I shot my last roll of Kodachrome using my Bolex H8 DS8, a large camera with all the bells and whistles, shinny levers, multiple lenses, big winding crank, and I got all friendly comments, and two long conversations. And I took pictures of everybody--many rather close to folks. It was at an outdoor ice rink with guards, and safety folks, and vendors. Nobody seemed to care. Go figure.

[einzelhaft83]

I usually don't get too much attention with either reg. or super 8 cams. A skater dude recognized one and said that he had shot super 8. Sometimes I try to explain that it is film and people just don't get it.

I get more attention with a Bell & Howell 240 16mm, likely due to its size as some others have said.

[Will2]

I love going to football games and setting up next to Dads (or Moms more and more now) that have $8000 worth of DSLR rigs with my 1930's era Eyemo or 1970's Scoopic. They're used to being the center of attention and it's great to have people come and ask me all the time about the cameras ignoring their ultra-high-end equipment.

There aren't many 4 or 7 year olds being filmed in 35mm these days. But they'll have these films for their grandkids. I just have to get better about grabbing audio at the same time.

[einzelhaft83]

I love going to football games and setting up next to Dads (or Moms more and more now) that have $8000 worth of DSLR rigs with my 1930's era Eyemo or 1970's Scoopic. They're used to being the center of attention and it's great to have people come and ask me all the time about the cameras ignoring their ultra-high-end equipment.

There aren't many 4 or 7 year olds being filmed in 35mm these days. But they'll have these films for their grandkids. I just have to get better about grabbing audio at the same time.

I tell my two that they are probably the only ones their age that are captured on any sort of movie film.

Using film forces me to plan what I am going to shoot rather than just press record and let it run. I've sat through home video of an entire soccer match with 5 and 6 year olds. It gets a little tedious.