Finally got a camera!

Robert

Robert

Hey everyone, just wanted to update anyone who was waiting with baited breath about my camera purchase. Here it finally is...

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And, along with my fresh stock of Kodachrome...

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I think I am finally ready to start shooting!

Thanks to everyone who offered help and advice!
 
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Yes, IMHO it's the best camera for the price I paid. I was hoping to spend a little less on an 814 xl-s, but the cameras don't come up for sale too often.

And for it's age, I cannot find a single scratch or blemish on it. Everything seems to be working as if it was brand new.

Now it's time to finish the script.... :lol:
 
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Very nice looking camera there Rob. And all that Kodachrome! WOW! Wish I had HALF of that! LOL Looks like you'll be having fun for along time. Good luck with the rest of the script and keep us updated when you start shooting with your new camera.
 
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WideShot said:
I'm totally salivating right now. You got a lighting setup yet?
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I have a friend who is helping me with this and he has two tungsten lights (250x-500w each) as well as diffuser's and filters. I know with Kodachrome everyone keeps saying that you need a LOT of light for indoor shooting, so hopefully this will be enough?

HailtotheKing, yes, I got lucky and bought my film stash from Dwaynes. I called them and they said they only had about 400 left, and that they were going fast. I probably have twice as much as I need, but I can always sell whatever is left over (or use for another film, most likely :D )
 
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http://www.pro8mm.com has cameras and camera packages for sale. Pretty expensive, but from what I've seen/read, they are good cameras (the s8mm's are refurbished Beaulieus, which are already great cameras).

I would recommend checking eBay. That's where I got mine. A lot of sellers have online stores with eBay, so you can buy something outright instead of bidding and waiting.
 
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You look set Rob with everything. Cool that you got a lighting guy to help ya out. ;)
I was thinking of getting some K40, when did you order yours? Might not be any left now.

Try Ebay Robert Y. There are good deals on there. What type of camera are you looking for? Opps...I suppose that's a bit OT here, but just PM me if you need any help or anything. :)
 
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HailtotheKing said:
Try Ebay Robert Y. There are good deals on there. What type of camera are you looking for? Opps...I suppose that's a bit OT here, but just PM me if you need any help or anything. :)
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I'm a bit wary of eBay. I had one bad experience there (I sent money, he sent no product, he threatened to have me arrested for emailing him requesting product <shudder>, cops were involved... it was real ugly :cry:) and that was the end of that.

I've been looking around at Super 8 cameras for a long time now myself. I could never find a reputable online store that sold anything decent.

Oh, and Swindling Charade was funny! Loved it. :clap:
 
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mrde50 said:
I'm a bit wary of eBay. I had one bad experience there...
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When buying on eBay, it's just like any other situation: caveat emptor.

Since no one makes super8mm cameras anymore, you can't walk into Bestbuy and pick one up with a warranty. You're either going to buy one from a private seller, a mom-and-pop online store, or a place like eBay.

I would suggest giving ebay another chance, since sellers have a feedback rating, which you can look at and see what others say about the seller, good or bad. The guy i bought from had over 300 feedbacks and they were 99% positive. Also, I was able to view what other types of items he had auctioned in the past, and I saw that he sold mostly cameras and lenses (many of them selling for thousands of dollars), so I was confident that the guy knew what he was doing.

HailtotheKing, I got mine from Dwayne's Photo about 2 months ago. They were selling them for $13.50 each (processing not included). Give them a call at 1-800-522-3940.
 
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Nice...

Robert said:
Hey everyone, just wanted to update anyone who was waiting with baited breath about my camera purchase. Here it finally is...

And, along with my fresh stock of Kodachrome...

I think I am finally ready to start shooting!

Thanks to everyone who offered help and advice!
Click to expand...
In my opinion, the BEST Super8 camera ever made... That's why I have 3 of them... LOL.

Seriously though... Take care of it and it will always be a workhorse for you...

filmy
 
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HailtotheKing said:
Robert, was just wondering if you've shot anything yet ? :)
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Actually, this Sunday (Feb 26) is going to be my first day of shooting. It has taken me this long to finish the script and, more importantly, to organize the actors, the make-up artist, and the crew. But, the film is finally set to roll!

I did shoot one roll of test footage a few weeks ago, and it came out looking better than I expected. I haven't transfered anything to DV yet, so there is nothing to upload. But, now that I am finally starting, I expect things to go rather quickly.

Wish me luck :)
 
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Robert said:
Yes, IMHO it's the best camera for the price I paid. I was hoping to spend a little less on an 814 xl-s, but the cameras don't come up for sale too often.

And for it's age, I cannot find a single scratch or blemish on it. Everything seems to be working as if it was brand new.

Now it's time to finish the script.... :lol:
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You're awesome. Thats a cool looking camera. I dont know anything about film stuff, just digital. Does that camera have sound?

I bet its gonna be an expensive hobby.
 
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King Goldfish said:
You're awesome.
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Thanks! I think so too :D


And yes, the camera does have sound, but since they don't make sound s8mm film anymore, i didn't use it. I recorded sound on a separate mini disc.

And as an update, I received back the transferred footage and loaded it up into my computer. It looks FANTASTIC! Much better than I had hoped. While shooting, I was worried about the light issue: i was working with over 1000k watts of lights in a small room, and everything seemed too bright and washed out to the naked eye, but the camera light meter was still reading fairly low. I remembered reading about how kodachrome film needs lots of light, so I trusted the camera meter and shot accordingly. Good thing, because the footage came out perfectly... deep shadows, rich colors, etc... any less light and it would've been too dark.

I am just starting the slow editing process, but I hope to upload some teaser clips soon.
 
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