Although this camera was probably designed for the serious 'amateur' it nevertheless has the hallmark of beautiful Swiss engineering, very similar to their 16mm cameras. The Swiss are renowned for their precision engineering (think watches !) and Bolex Paillard certainly reflect this in their cameras. This camera uses double run standard 8mm film and is clockwork driven giving about 40 seconds of filming per wind.
Keystone Standard 8mm K25 Capri
Circa 1960. Clockwork motor giving about 45 seconds of shooting time per wind. Interchangeable screw-fit lenses. This model is fitted with a Keystone Elgest f1.9 lens with a focal length of 1/2 inch which, for an 8mm camera, was regarded as a standard lens.
The take-up spool is shown in the right hand picture. Standard 8mm film was in fact 16mm wide with twice as many sprocket holes as standard 16. A single run though the camera (about 2 minutes) exposed one half (lengthwise) of the film. The side plate was then removed in subdued light and the reels reversed to expose the second two minutes on the other half. After processing (usually by Kodak at Hemel Hempstead) the films were slit lengthwise, spliced together giving 50 feet of film and returned within a week ready for projection.
Although this camera was sold relatively cheaply it is, like most Russian cameras, solidly built. As well as the usual 16 frames per second it can also shoot at 8 fps and 32 fps. The motor can be set to run continuously or the shutter released one frame at a time for time lapse photography or animation.
Bolex Paillard are noted for their excellent 16mm film cameras and it was in 1946 when they introduced the first of their compact 8mm designs, the L8, with a single fixed-focus lens. Over the years this design has evolved through their twin-turret B8SL to this triple-turret model. The serial number on the base of this particular camera indicates that it was manufactured in late 1959.
This example is fitted with two YVAR lenses, a 13mm f1.8 standard and a 36mm f2.8 telephoto. Both are D-mount and interchangeable. The third lens position, which could be used to mount a wide angle lens, is fitted with a threaded cover which also acts as a turret lock (not that this should be needed in such a robust design, except maybe in transit).
The normal frame-speed for this camera is 16 frames per second but there is provision for speeds between 12 and 64 fps for slow/high speed photography. Single-frame for animation is also an option. The shutter speed can also be adjusted independently of aperture which enables effects such as fade-ins and fade-outs. A third control on the side of the camera limits the viewfinders field of view depending on the focal length of the lens being used. This is calibrated 12.5 (normal), 25 (portrait) and 36 (telephoto). A clip-on accessory to the viewfinder was available for use with a wide angle lens.
An onboard exposure meter is fitted with 'through-the-lens' metering activated by depressing a lever above the viewfinder which positions a small sensor behind the lens. This sensor is automatically retracted when the shutter release is pressed.
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Bolex D8L Standard 8mm
This semi-professional camera was made in Switzerland in the late 1950's. Until the introduction of small lightweight video cameras the Bolex 16mm film camera was a favorite with television news companies and for shooting outdoor scenes for drama. This particular camera was originally in use at the BBC's Natural History Unit in Bristol.
The camera would normally be fitted with three lenses, a wide, normal and telephoto, mounted on a turret. This camera is shown with a Bell & Howell 17-68 mm zoom lens fitted.
Seven film speeds are offered ranging from 12 fps to 64 fps together with single frame capability which makes this camera ideal for serious stop-motion and animation work.
With side plate removed showing film gate
Frame counter
Film speed selector
Bolex H16 fitted with a Bell & Howell 17 - 68 mm zoom lens
Kodachrome ll colour films were priced at about £4 in 1960 (£1 per minute) making it rather expensive compared with video footage of today. The 'lever' on the right hand side was a mechanical means of determining how many feet were left before the film came to on end.
Circa early 60's of Russian manufacture. Clockwork motor and a fixed f1.9 / 12.5mm focal length lens.
Sankyo Super 8mm CM 300
Circa late1970's. Fitted with an electric motor driven by four 'AA' size cells housed in the foldable handle. It has a single speed of 16 frames per second and automatic exposure which can be manually overridden and set with a small thumbwheel next to the aperture indication window. The lens is a Sankyo zoom 9-30mm f1.8 electrically operated with a telephoto/wide rocker switch mounted on the side of the camera.
The camera used drop-in super 8 cassettes containing 50 feet of film which gave approximately four minutes worth of filming.
Bolex H16 16mm Reflex
