Just got 2 questions for y'all:
Does anyone have an English manual for the Bolex B8? I am really having trouble working this camera out and I would like to try shooting a roll of Double 8. (If not, I guess I just need to try harder to decode / translate the German one.) Would really appreciate some help on this, be it an English manual or just any advice on the dials and non reflex viewfinder.
My other question is regarding the Kinoflex. Has anyone used this camera before, and if so, any thoughts? The reason I ask is I'm looking for a S8 camera with good manual controls (to help me learn), and if possible using windup motor. Is the construction of this camera good? Any opinions appreciated.
Cheers,
___________
ed
Two Questions:
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
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utilityskate
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To the second question. Also called the Quarz I have found this to be an excellent camera. So far I have only put three films through it, but the results seem fine. The results can be seen on my web site, the latest efforts are yet to be added.
New web site and this is cine page http://www.picsntech.co.uk/cine.html
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David M. Leugers
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Bolex B-8
Wow, I had to respond to this one. My very first movie camera I purchased and which I shot many many feet of film and learned how to use a film camera with was the Bolex B-8. Are you in the US? If so, send me $5 and I will send you an original Bolex manual that will tell you all you need to know to enjoy this great camera. Today I own at least two of these cameras along with other models of the Bolex R-8mm family. Shoot film!
David M. Leugers
4560 Rita Mae Drive
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
David M. Leugers
4560 Rita Mae Drive
Fairfield, Ohio 45014
Re: Two Questions:
Well, the kind gentleman above has offered a manual, so that is the best way to go. But from memory (I'm not near the camera at the moment), here are what the dials do.utilityskate wrote: or just any advice on the dials and non reflex viewfinder.
The dial on top is the viewfinder framing adjustment. You set the dial to the focal length of the lens you are shooting with. It will change the framing as it appears through the viewfinder to approximately equal what the shooting lens sees.
The dial below to the left is the film speed dial. It's calibrated in frames per second (fps). I believe "18" is in red, as this is supposed to be the standard speed. I've always read in the Bolex manuals that you should not run the camera without film in it at speeds higher then 32 fps.
The dial to the right of the film speed is for the adjustable shutter. This allows you to do fades in and out by slowly closing the shutter while you are filming, or slowly opening the shutter when you start shooting. You can also shoot at a partially closed shutter setting in very bright light. You need to compensate the aperture if you do this. The manual will have a table showing "effective shutter speed" when the shutter lever is in its different positions.
There is a small lever above the run button that allows you to set the camera for single frame (animation) mode. I believe it will also lock the camera. And there is a hole for a cable release.
Hope that helps! Have fun with the camera. I also have quite a few of the older Bolex regular 8 cameras. I love the feel of the hand wind motors and I love the quality of the cameras. I mostly shoot with a reflex Bolex P1, but I really like the non-reflex turret cameras too.
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utilityskate
- Posts: 63
- Joined: Tue May 07, 2002 8:27 am
- Location: Hong Kong
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Thanks for the help.
Thanks David for that offer, appreciated, I'm not in the US so I'll mail you to see if you can still offer me that manual.
Marc, thanks for the words of advice, everything you said pretty much made sense. There are two other things I don't understand though, if you or anyone else has any idea maybe you could let me know, which would satisfy my curiousity before I can get hold of the manual:
Near the viewfinder window box (object side, not eyepiece side) there is a lever that flips up or down an additional lens, this alters the view of the subject (again I guess to compensate for the camera not being a reflex one). Is it such that one setting is for one lens and the other setting is for the other lens?
Also, on the same side as the windup lever, there is a circular dial which I guess serves as a lookup table for exposure settings. How is this used? In fact, how do you set the exposure settings on this camera, is a seperate light meter required?
Any further advice appreciated, cheers,
Regards
Marc, thanks for the words of advice, everything you said pretty much made sense. There are two other things I don't understand though, if you or anyone else has any idea maybe you could let me know, which would satisfy my curiousity before I can get hold of the manual:
Near the viewfinder window box (object side, not eyepiece side) there is a lever that flips up or down an additional lens, this alters the view of the subject (again I guess to compensate for the camera not being a reflex one). Is it such that one setting is for one lens and the other setting is for the other lens?
Also, on the same side as the windup lever, there is a circular dial which I guess serves as a lookup table for exposure settings. How is this used? In fact, how do you set the exposure settings on this camera, is a seperate light meter required?
Any further advice appreciated, cheers,
Regards
ed