Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ONE???

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James E
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Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ONE???

Post by James E »

I have the official OK from the bosslady to make a major purchase! :D :o :wink:

Please help me make the call: Tell me in as much detail as possible why you'd have which camera, Pro/Con, and compare. I will be traveling, so it's got to be rock solid. I will be shooting a scenic/ travel film. My short list.

Canon 814/1014 XL-S Obvious why this is on the list. 814 because a 1014 more or less, for less $$$ and lighter.
Popular, plentiful, many accessories and upgrades, most bugs are known, easily serviceable on my side of the pond.

Nikon R-8 /R-10 Another obvious choice. I could flip a coin between this and the Canon and be happy with either.
Perhaps more durable than Canon, definitely better gate and registration with ramp and dual pull down claws. HUGE fan of oversize gates having cut up my 518SV and Elmo Super110 gates. From what I've read the R-10 has the better lens of the two and a couple of extra features.

Nizo 4080/4506/6056/6080 . I've heard it said in discussions of Canon 1014's "I'd rather have a Nizo 6080". Every feature of the above plus modern ergonomic design and quieter. 4080 alleged to have a sharper lens than 6080. Don't need 60m cartridge use. Uses rechargeable batteries! May be difficult to have serviced in USA. I'm likely to lean toward the xx80 for the longer zoom range.

Letiz Leicina Special. The most solid and flexible on the list. Everything all of the above will do, but with interchangeable lenses. The flexibility of a Beaulieu without the potential maintenance bill. Famous German built durability, ease of serviceability, famous image quality.

BONUS: Cannon Zoom DS-8?

Are any of you selling any one of the above? Let's talk.

Thank you!
Last edited by James E on Mon Feb 10, 2014 8:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by kuparikettu »

If it is a major purchase that has been greenlighted, I'd wait for this http://www.logmar.dk/ :D

However, was I to choose from the list below, I think I'd go for a Canon 814 XL-S. The examples I have seen shot with that camera have looked quite nice (according to this test the lens sharpness is within top-5 lenses in super-8 cameras http://www.cinematography.com/index.php ... 3&p=202918). It also recognises a large variety of different film speeds and has +/- correction so it should be very easy to use with different film stocks available. And of course, Canons are quite well known for their reliability.

I myself own a Beaulieu 4008 ZM serviced and max8 modified by Björn so I haven't got any first hand experience with any of those cameras mentioned, but those features mentioned above would be my reasons for obtaining a Canon. For some reason there are less hi-quality examples shot with Nikon R-10 online.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by woods01 »

I've got a 1014XL-S and love it. I like how it feels and handles. The viewfinder is bright and easy to focus. The internal light meter has held up for me. My main wish is that Canon made such a quality camera that was a little more compact. The other problem with the Canon is the lack of a decent slow motion speed 36fps is the best you can get. If you want compact with features then the Nizo silent models would be a good option.

I had a Nizo 6056 for a short while, the camera had electrical problems and eventually died. But I did get a few rolls shot on it. It is quieter than Canons but the buttons are fiddly they are also large (being rather tall where the canons are squat) and not really much more ergonomic than the canon (people had iron wrists in the 1970s). But I admit I've been using various Canon models for most of my super 8 'career' so I am more used to their designs.

I would like to get a Nizo with the Auto-B function for low light timelapse work. If timelapse is something you're interested in then I think the Nizo models are the better choice.

I've not personally used a Nikon, but I have held an R-10 in my hand. It was heavy but felt well built and good in the hands. The owner loved it and his films looked stellar. Either way, whatever camera you get you will notice a quality jump over the cheap cameras we all start out on.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by Wade »

Of the cameras you mention I own the R-10 and the Leicina Special. Both are excellent cameras. But for travel type shooting I'd go with the Leicina. It is lighter, and the handle folds up into the body of the camera making it small and compact. For tripod use the handle stays folded so you get a real good solid pan and tilt work. I often use the camera in a small slr bag over my shoulder, and with the 10mm wide angle lens and a working internal meter you can shoot fast if you want. You can also get a small control unit which allows for shooting with an intervalometer, and such too. I'd go with the Leicina.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by James E »

OK. Time lapse is one of the main things I'm interested in doing. So as a bit of spoiler I'm going to add a Nizo 801Macro in for it's auto B function.
The Leitz Leicina is really at the top of the list for the reasons mentioned. Super sharp lens, compact for travel, rugged. However, I've yet to see the accessory intervalometer available. So that puts a bit of a kink in that plan. :? The camera I can find easily enough on eBay. The other accessories on the other hand????

Keep your comments coming!

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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by milesandjules »

Nizo s800 is my favourite at the moment.

Beaulieu 4008 is good to if you find a good power supply.

...or go standard 8 with the Bolex h8 rex4…with 100ft film loads …thats my favourite of all. :D
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by reflex »

Follow your first instinct and go for the Canon 814 XL-S. Either that or a Canon T4i <ducks> :)
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by nikonr10 »

James E wrote:OK. Time lapse is one of the main things I'm interested in doing. So as a bit of spoiler I'm going to add a Nizo 801Macro in for it's auto B function.
The Leitz Leicina is really at the top of the list for the reasons mentioned. Super sharp lens, compact for travel, rugged. However, I've yet to see the accessory intervalometer available. So that puts a bit of a kink in that plan. :? The camera I can find easily enough on eBay. The other accessories on the other hand????

Keep your comments coming!

Cheers,
Leicina special , She really is special , Too me the best of the Best for super 8 film making , Have many other's super 8 camera's each do there own Job but always come back to using the Leicina , Not cheap to buy/ also there are thing's you need to look out for ?
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by Tscan »

James E wrote:OK. Time lapse is one of the main things I'm interested in doing. So as a bit of spoiler I'm going to add a Nizo 801Macro in for it's auto B function.
The Leitz Leicina is really at the top of the list for the reasons mentioned. Super sharp lens, compact for travel, rugged. However, I've yet to see the accessory intervalometer available. So that puts a bit of a kink in that plan. :? The camera I can find easily enough on eBay. The other accessories on the other hand????

Keep your comments coming!

Cheers,
If you could get ANY camera, I would hold out for the Logmar. Apart from that I would recommend what I travel with, the Nizo 481 Macro. It's the same camera as the 801 but with less zoom (I never need more zoom than what the 481 has) but also more compact without that bulky lens. I just got back from another trip with it yesterday. It stows easy in a suitcase, backpack, or set aside in a vehicle. The optics are on par with my Canon 814XLS, but the Canon is a lot more cumbersome to travel with. The 481 has always been a no brainer for my travels. Great for on the fly shooting. Then you have 54fps slomo, 1 frame per minute to 6fps timelapse, AutoB shutterless, variable shutter ect... There is no other camera that I know of that is that compact, that good, and packed with every possible feature. I've been tossing that thing around on countless flights and road trips for 9 years now and it still runs like a tank.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by grainy »

Not to hijack -- but would you folks say the Leicina and Nizo are the most durable of the high end choices?
And no support for an Elmo?
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by James E »

grainy wrote:Not to hijack -- but would you folks say the Leicina and Nizo are the most durable of the high end choices?
And no support for an Elmo?
Durability is important as is portability. My current favorite is an Elmo Super110. Rock solid, 1,18,24,54 fps manual/auto meter fades etc. But no advanced features.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by Wade »

This Leicina is currently being sold with the controller.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Leitz-Leicina-Sp ... SS:US:3160
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by nikonr10 »

Wade wrote:This Leicina is currently being sold with the controller.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Leitz-Leicina-Sp ... SS:US:3160
This one ! looks well used and not cheap then tax's on top ? also these camera's are old now, find one that's been CLA ,
Had to send my Leicina S for a CLA waiting on the report ,
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by James E »

nikonr10 wrote:
Wade wrote:This Leicina is currently being sold with the controller.

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Leitz-Leicina-Sp ... SS:US:3160
This one ! looks well used and not cheap then tax's on top ? also these camera's are old now, find one that's been CLA ,
Had to send my Leicina S for a CLA waiting on the report ,
That's about triple what they're really worth. That's before you factor in U$D to Euro makes it 5x more than I would pay.

I can have whatever I want, but I'm NOT going to overpay. I will take my Elmo Super 110 and Minolta XL-401 before I'd pay anywhere near that.
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Re: Need advice:Finally can have any camera I want! WHICH ON

Post by James E »

reflex wrote:Follow your first instinct and go for the Canon 814 XL-S. Either that or a Canon T4i <ducks> :)
\\...snort... LOL.. The T4i on short list of new DSLRs to exchange lenses with my RebelXLs 35mm...
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