Filmshooting

It's nice to see this thread transform into a way to modify carts.

Getting back to the original request for advice: the Canon 310XL is a good secondary camera (f1.0!!!), but will be a frustrating starter camera because of it's focusing system- which is purely "guestimate", with no split image ...

I think the Canon 814 is a good choice too, but less so due to the button cell battery issue. If Kodak Tri-x reversal film is used, the metering problem shouldn't be an issue.

Since you are new to the format, I wouldn't spend too much (under $100US) on a first camera and I'd stick to a fairly simple and reliable camera that the seller guarantees to function.

Some models that my students have used and had success with are:

Minolta XL 401/601
Sankyo EM 40/60

These are ...

Agreed.

Even the old Angenieux 8-64 works. I haven't noticed any focus problems related to collimation on the various Beaulieus I've used with swapped lenses.

Hello-

That's good news. I do have an old Beaulieu 4008 battery that I CAN'T get apart without destroying it, so I don't know if you would want to work on this or not, but...

If you are looking for business, it would be good to know your location, turn around time, type of cell (nicad, NiMH ...

I use a Zoom H-4, the H-2's "big brother". I like it very much for the additional feature of dual XLR/1/4" inputs, plus it can do most common compression types, including 24 bit 96kHz. It's not perfect- the menu navigation is horrible and it's overstuffed with digital 4 track musician features ...