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Future of Film Cameras
The future of motion picture film cameras, especially 16mm gets discussed a lot. All film cameras are mostly mechanical, and they can be pretty easy to decipher, which means they will be around for many, many years yet.
There’s hardly any 16mm camera manufacturers left in the world other than Arriflex, and it’s very unlikely that they will ever make another film camera again, let alone a 16mm camera as they have been global leaders in the digital cinema realm for almost two decades now. Their Arri 416, it’s probably the best and newest 16mm camera out there, even though it’s about eighteen years old. I think they no longer have the expertise, infrastructure, and most crucially the will to make another 16mm camera.
The market for film cameras is very small and building a new 16mm camera will be expensive. We need to look no further than Kodak’s Super 8 camera, it was a very expensive and difficult affair even for a big company like Kodak to make a new Super 8 film camera which costs a ‘whopping’ 5500 USD this is far too expensive for most people, and it raises all sorts of questions about the cameras target customer and its features. Super 8 used to be cheap, an easy way to get into film, that’s not the case now as it’s become very expensive.
For me it’s all about the images and whether they create the right mood and atmosphere and do justice to the script and the story that is being told. I truly believe that those images can be digitally acquired too. Getting drawn into the long-standing ‘film vs video’ debate is pointless, as today’s digital imagery is miles better than the standard definition analogue video that had existed before High-Definition digital, which by todays standard was very crude and primitive.
So, we come back to whether a new motion picture camera will ever be made. In 2022 Logmar Camera Solutions announced that they will make a new 16mm camera, but it seems that very quickly they decided to pull the plug on it and decided not to make it. It was going to be expensive, close to 30,000 Euros, I am sure that the high cost put people off. While in may ways the film camera is considered a simple tool as it ‘just’ transports the film and most of the work is done by the film stock and lens, but transporting the film is a very delicate process, which requires tight tolerances, high quality build and great precision, all adding to the fact that making a camera is very challenging. Therefore, it becomes difficult to make a cheap, but good 16mm camera for a tiny market.
There are several dedicated individuals across the world that are tinkering away, either refurbishing existing cameras, building new parts and accessories, some are even building a new 16mm camera, maybe there’ll be a crowdfunding campaign, so fingers crossed I am very hopeful there will be a new 16mm camera soon.
My
new 16mm camera
Like many I
worry about the future of film cameras, especially 16mm, so far there’s
there has been nothing new. I have made my own Super 16 camera, it’s
small because most existing 16mm cameras are big and I feel they attract
too much attention, when out on my own I have noticed that shooting with
my 16mm camera [an ACL isn't that big but] sometimes people can become
self-conscious and awkward. However, when I take out my phone or a small
photographic camera nobody seems to be bothered. I think many see a phone
or a small camera as normal and therefore pay no attention to them.
My S16 camera is not entirely new, it started life in the 1950s as the
Movikon 8 which uses 8mm, 8mm goes by various names such as Standard 8,
Regular 8 or Double 8 film. It’s important to remember that 8mm film
is not Super 8, this is really 16mm film with double and twice as many
perforations so that four frames can fit into what would be one 16mm frame,
making film more economical for the home move maker.
The
Movikon 8 has a very ‘funky’ and interesting design as it looks
like a photographic camera, something I have never seen in a movie camera,
except in modern digital cameras. This unique design really helps filmmakers
as they can film quite unobtrusively without attracting to much attention,
where one is not intimidated at all and can film quite discreetly, even
in a ‘guerrilla’ style and we can use the accessories such as
gimbals which are intended for mirrorless cameras.
I was a little disappointed since the Movikon is for 8mm, but when I saw
the internal mechanism, I knew that it could be modified for 16mm and
that’s what I did. I had decided to keep it very basic, all I needed
was a small Super 16 camera, a non-reflex viewfinder was fine for the
time being, so I decided not to mess with the viewfinder optics, I also
decided not to have a footage counter either – keeping the modification
as simple as possible.
I fitted an electric motor running from an externally placed 9-volt battery.
I built the battery housing with a switch and remote-control socket, so
I didn’t need any complex cabling in the camera, justtwo wires from
the motor to a D.C. socket, I could attach the battery holder and fit
it on the ‘existing’ hot shoe at the top of the camera. The
speed is 18fps, I could change it, but I at the moment I'm fine with 18fps.
I changed the shutter to 180 degrees and made a new CAM so that a new
pull down for 16mm was possible, making the shutter and CAM was the most
difficult part of the modification. I enlarged the aperture in the gate
for Super 16 and fitted a c mount for lenses. Now that I write about it
everything seemed simple, but it all involved a lot of thinking, research,
time and fine precision tinkering, as I had to test and constantly rebuild
bits until everything worked perfectly.
Standard 8 spools only hold 25 feet, the packet says that there’s
25 feet of film on them. This would give me about 55 seconds of shooting,
not enough, but this is not actually correct, if you measure the film
[like I did] you discover that there’s actually more film on those
little spools, about 35 feet. I have now checked many Standard 8 spools
and every spool holds about 35-38 feet of film, even the small home developing
tanks take over 35 feet of film too. Still not enough, but this was encouraging.
I realised that a typical 100ft spool of 16mm has about 106 feet of film
and that this could be divided equally onto three little camera spools
with each having about 35 feet of film giving me over one minute’s
screen time, not enough, but for me it’s an acceptable trade off
to having a small and an incredibly unique looking practical camera. I
will share some tests soon.
Getting
into filmmaking using 16mm film is not as difficult or expensive as it
might seem, but there are so many questions about the relevance of film
and 16mm and not all of them have straight forward answers. A popular
subject seems to be whether film is still relevant in 2024 as many hold
the view that digital cinematography can do a better job. This view is
certainly perpetuated more when we look at today’s popular film workflow
where in most cases after the film is processed it is scanned and edited
digitally, leading many to question why use film in the first place especially
if the images end up in the digital realm. Well, this is a little simple
to answer, the characteristics of film, it’s subtle nuances still
cannot be all replicated by our modern digital cameras, but digital is
perhaps the best way to see traditional film, as film is fragile and easily
damaged, digital preserves film and in my opinion even enhances its look.
To the next question: What do we do to get started? Well, I have a few tips to get started with 16mm film without spending a lot of money and without it getting too complicated. Perhaps the simplest way is to hire or borrow a camera, buy the film stock, shoot it, and then get it processed and scanned.
Finding
decent 16mm cameras to buy at affordable prices seems to be getting harder.
In simple terms there are two types of 16mm cameras: 100ft cameras and
the 400ft cameras. The 100ft Cameras take daylight spools and these are
very common, these cameras are also smaller, easier to use and cheaper
to buy, but they don’t all maintain sync especially on longer takes
they can be noisier and shooting dialogue can be trickier. Most of these
cameras accept c mount lenses, which are common, smaller and more affordable.
If buying, be careful and don’t spend more than £150.
The 400ft Cameras are larger cameras, and used widely by professionals in broadcasting. I would only consider only the Arri SR 2, Aaton LTR 54 and the Éclair cameras, these are all professional reflex, sound sync cameras. Most are modular and their lenses are separate, they use PL mount lenses, which can be very expensive so renting them is the normal, the Éclair cameras can use c mount lenses, but the cameras are older. Most of these cameras can be rented too rather than buying, if you do end up buying one maintenance, upgrades it [to say Super 16] and servicing can be a major challenge.
Arriflex
is the only manufacturer left and they don’t make 16mm cameras anymore,
it’s unlikely that they have the expertise, or infrastructure to
repair or service them either, if they do, I’m sure they are the
most expensive option. There aren’t many independent repair agents
and technicians left as most have retired or passed away, spare parts
and replacements are drying up too. If you want a small 100ft camera repaired
the situation is even worse repairing most or servicing them isn’t
realistic, unless you have a Bolex Rex as there seem to be plenty of repair
service options for these cameras, which is probably one of the many reasons
they are so expensive, they have a great reputation and are popular, but
they are not the easiest to use especially for dialogue work.
For 400ft camera you have to load film in a changing bag or a darkroom. Currently there are no new 16mm cameras, though this will likely change as new 16mm cameras will be available soon.
During and after every workshop a popular subject seems to be what is the ideal 16mm camera in 2024! Well, I don’t really have a clear-cut answer to this, nobody does. For me a big thing is future proofing them, while there are many existing 16mm cameras out there, there aren’t many people to repair them. Getting a 16mm camera is a huge issue, there are lots of questions as to what someone new to 16mm should do and what camera system should they invest in. Obviously, everyone wants the best tool for the job, most smaller 100ft16mm cameras are not designed for sound work, they were mostly for amateurs to grab shots here and there, this might not be ideal, whereas 400ft cameras might be too big and the lenses for them might be too expensive.
So rather than buying renting or borrowing a camera might be a more practical option. Asking our advice here is easier as we offer unbiased support and information for anyone who is trying to get into 16mm filmmaking. Any 16mm camera that we sell is fully serviced and tested with film.
Click here and please tell us about your experiences using film, whether you're a seasoned professional using film, or just starting out on your film journey.
Click here we're selling cameras and accessories cheaply, ask me what I have, I have used them all with film and have studied them, they are immaculate and work well, additionally they will brighten up an collection.
Click here to read articles.
This is a test with the Cine Kodak K100 that's been modified to shoot Super 16, it's truly an amazing camera - a hidden gem, it is far better camera than a K-3, it's in a different league altogether as it has far less chance of something failing, light leaks or scratching the film. Personally I think the K-100's are seriously "underrated", as many people don't really know how well made they are, and how smoothly they run. I think they should be regarded at being at the top of the 16mm camera list for beginners in terms of their durability and ease of use. They are incredibly easy to thread film, they work smoothly and extremely quietly and they are very steady and reliable and not to forget they run for ages on a full wind.
The fascinating world of celluloid! The right place if you want to learn eveything about using real film in today's digital world, whether it's still photography, Super 8 or 16mm, though I do focus more on 16mm motion picture film, you'll find up to date articles and stories in the writting section. Everything you neeed to know about working with film is here in this vast and growing resource for analogue film. This site is aimed at both hobbyists and professionals. There is so much information on using film that it can be a little overwhelming click here to find out about using 16mm.
Getting into 16mm - [December 2021]
Many people new to 16mm say they want to buy a reflex Bolex, but can't as these cameras have become so expensive; in fact most 16mm cameras are getting pricey. They then start talking about getting the Krasnogorsk 3 instead [commonly known as the K-3] these cameras are cheap. I must point out the thing about the K-3's, while these are cheap there seems to be too many inconsistencies with them. Comparing the Bolex to a K-3 is absurd, it's like saying a luxury car is the same as a budget hatchback. Click here for a simple and new 16mm Camera chart that basically looks at some key aspects currently available and useable cameras. My favourite cameras are the Cine Kodak K100/T followed by the Revere 101 and then the Bell and Howell 240 [not the EE version].
For the Cine Kodak K100/T instruction manual click here
There are few who love their K-3's and talk highly of them, personally I don't have much time for K-3s, there are just too many horror stories with them, they are notoriously unreliable, unless you're lucky enough to get a good one or can fix one yourself, finding someone to service or do a CLA is virtually impossible.
The legendary Bolex are great cameras, but they have become very expensive. Personally I think they are perhaps a little overrated. I think they are too busy; with lots of buttons and knobs, they are loud and heavy and their wind limits shots to 30 seconds. But the thing is there are many people around the world who can fix and service them.
Fortunately,
I have discovered that there are many other 16mm cameras that don't
have the same 'cult' status as the Bolex, but are cameras that are very
good and much cheaper like the Revere 101/103, The Bell and Howell 240
and the Cine Kodak K-100 series.
The only downside is that the K-100's do not have reflex viewing. While a reflex camera is ideal, it's not a must and I must stress that non-reflex cameras shouldn't be under-estimated, they're much cheaper than the reflex cameras, there are plenty of cheap C mount lenses for them and in most cameras the aperture gate can be easily widened for Super 16. Filming with a non-reflex camera can be a lot of fun, especially for more informal, 'on the move' filming. Parallax has not been a big issue with me when I use a 16mm and 25mm lens, this arrangement works great for me, I use the lens hyper focal settings and for more critical stuff I measure focus. If you must have a reflex viewfinder, the advice is to find a corresponding zoom lens, for example the Angénieux L 1 or L 2.
I
would advise anyone who wants to experience 16mm to get a simple 16mm
camera, my first choice would be to get a Keystone, these are simple
and easy cameras, I would only consider three models to get, the ones
with a letter followed by a number and then a names like the A9 Criterion,
the A12 Criterion-Deluxe and the A15 Newport-Deluxe, these cameras are
cheap, easy to fix and maintain, but most crucially they are reliable
cameras and the best thing is that and you can use new lenses with them.
Click
The version of 16mm known as Super 16 is still widely used in professional television and film productions. To use 16mm it's not difficult at all, nor is it expensive you just need a camera, film and imagination. 16mm film stock is readily available in a wide range of emulsions and types. Kodak is now the main supplier in the UK of colour and black & white film, but you can also try the black & white products from Orwo and Foma, Ferrania is an Italian company who a starting production of a new colour reversal film. Fujifilm has phased out 16mm film, you may be able to get Fujifilm but you will need to be careful and have to over expose it by one stop. Film suppliers, processing and scanning facilitities for 16mm film can be easily tracked down by doing a quick internet search, film can be processed and scanned at home too.
Currently I am in the process of updating all the pages and links. I am adding new sections on 16mm and Super 16 cameras, film stocks, processeing as well as a section on
Please help and support us and get great offers from our Ebay sales we need to raise money to survive.
1) Film and Photo Scanning LED.
This LED panel light unit has been made to be compact, portable and an independent unit. The LED panel is only 40mm x 30mm therefore it's an ideal size to illuminate slides and negative films from 8mm to 35mm, it gives an even.and uniform light output which is a must to get the highest quality scans of negatives and reversal film. It is powered by rechargeable Li-ion 3.7 V battery [which is a common mobile phone battery] and has its own on and off switch, various35mm slide and negative holders will easly fit the unit.
To raise money I have decided to make frame by frame units for Super 8 and 16mm for more information please click here
2)
A simple tidy frame by frame unit for scannng both 8mm and 16mm, using
a small consumer digital camera, a macro lens or an enlarger lens.
The scanner is small and compact and even easier to use, it has two main components;
-
Panel backlight
-
Film transport plate
For the film transport system a special claw is used to move the film and stop it in the gate and to keep it very steady, I discovered that the backlight had to provide a perfect unform light across the small frame, especially when scanning negative filmThe capture camera and its lens are incredibly important, mirror-less consumer digital cameras works great as they offer great quality and are cheap and easy to replacI have reverse mounted a 50mm Schneider S Componon Enlarger lens, it is an excellent lens and many others use this lens for scanning too. The unit has a micro-switch attached to the claw, this is linked to the camera's shutter telling the camera to take a picture, 100ft of 16mm will have about 4000 pictures, these are strung together later in the computer.
Click here for a simple and new 16mm Camera chart that basically looks at currently available and useable cameras exploring some key aspects. I have looked at the most popular high end models from Arri and Aaton and some basic amateur and semi-professional cameras. I have not looked at everything such as Arri S or CP-16.
Modern sync cameras likt the Arri 416 is super quiet, lightweight, perhaps the best Super 16 film camera, its ergonomic design, integrated electronic accessories and full compatibility with a choice of lenses and accessories make the it one of the most versatile Super 16 cameras around. This camera is heavily used in television and on features and as such it's quite an expensive camera. The 416's predecessor the Arri SR seriesis a less a expensive camera, depending on what it comes with, which model you choose, and its condition, it's probably best to avoid the older SR 1 the best option is probably the SR2 which can shoot Super 16. It's fairly expensive to convert 16mm SR2's to Super 16mm right now, as it's become harder to find places that have the parts/ability to convert 16 to Super 16. Aaton is another campany and their LTR's and XTR's are great cameras and certainly more comfortable on your shoulder when doing hand held work. It's probably better to avoid older cameras from the 1970's as there are many recent cameras around. Aaton Minima is as small as a camcorder, this is an impressive and popular camera, it's not as quiet as the others and it's special spools can be a pain. The Éclair NPR and ACL - The NPR is older and heavier, but in many ways has more feature than the ACL, both are Standard 16 but many have been modified for Super 16, they are much cheaper than the Arri's or Aatons, these cameras have dedicated followers and there's a wealth of online information about them. My favourite is the ACL mainly because it's smaller, and I like the fact that I can use cheaper and the very common C mount lenses.
Super 16 has become quite popular so expect to pay over £8,000 for an Arri or Aaton kit as they are in great demand, probably about £12,000 for the Aaton Minima and about £2000 for a Super 16 modified Éclair, standard 16 and un serviced ACL bodies can sell for under £500. All of these cameras are ideal for narrative filmmaking; they have large 400 ft magazines, they are quiet and have professional high end lenses, but remember with these cameras the camera is modular; meaning that the camera body is usually separate it has a separate viewfinder, lenses, magazines and in the case of Éclair camera's there's a choice of separate motors. Camera packages usually include the camera body, a viewfinder, 3 x [400ft] magazines, batteries, but no lenses, and lenses for these cameras [except the Éclair] are expensive. There is a lot of information online about these and other cameras. The odd one in my chart is the Ikonoskop SP-16, I have included it because it's fairly new, it has sync speeds and is ideal for making music videos, it's natively Super 16.
When it comes to older or smaller cameras for me the Kodak K-100 beats them all [it's on the second sheet of the chart], the K-100 has become my favourite standard 16mm camera, though it can be simply modified to Super 16, but as it is it's a very good camera that is very much over looked, the viewfinder is non reflex, but despite this it is one of the best, it has eye sight correction, and is the largest and brightest parallax viewfinder out there, it's a very quiet camera; making it ideal for recording sound work of course when using the spring motor when fully wound it is incredibly long, in addition the camera can be run with electric motors, currently I am exploring which motor is best suited.
All the cameras that I have listed on my chart are ones that I have used, my favourite sync camera is the Éclair ACL lenses of all other cameras are too expensive, I like the A minima, but the unique loading of the spools makes them difficult to use. With other 16mm cameras that I have listed on the second page again these are also cameras that I have used. My favourite as I've said is the Kodak K100, he older spring wound cameras such as the Revere, the Keystone A series, and the Bell and Howell 240 are great when they work they are easy to fix too, but they are old and may not always work as they should do. The great attraction is that these cameras are incredibly cheap, they do not have reflex viewfinders, but remember any camera can be easily reflexed if you used a viewfinder with an integral viewfinder [dogleg lens] like the Angeniuex. The Beaulieu R16 is good, but it's only standard 16, it's not as tough and perhaps always a little over priced. I am personally not a big fan of the Bolex, but they are good and there are plenty of technicians about who can work on them. I agonised about including the Pâthe Webo, it's a good camera, probably over priced, I don't know anyone who can service them I have had two and both have had issues. I haven't mentioned the K3 or any Russian camera, the K3 is very popular and cheap, it can be easily modified to Super 16, but I don't think I can recommend it largely due to quality control issues; you might get a really good one or a problematic one. I know people who love them, but then I know others who hate them; personally I have had two and they've always been a headache, I have had less issues with older cameras like the Keystones. I haven't got much to say about the scoopics, except they're very noisy.
This site is constantly growing and is always being updated with new stories and articles being added. If you want to ask a question or give ideas about the AFA's new Youtube channel [launching soon] send us a message click here
If you would like to share your expeiences using film or you need any help or advice about using film I would like to hear from you, please use the contact form by clicking here to get in touch.Click here to read about the Super 16 camera the SP-16.
Click here for my backgrounnd. In these difficult times it has been impossible to run practical workshops, in order to continue to run free workshops we need support and help.
Throughout the year I run unique free workshops and short courses in Super 8, 16mm, 35mm filmmaking and sound recording for film. I can also offer private tuition where sessions can be tailored to your individual needs, these are some of the best value education you can get to improve your filmmaking skills. All the tutors are professional fimmakers and they are experienced and qualified to teach at various levels of filmmaking.Using modern analogue professional film equipment combining it with contemporary digital post-production method I hope that everyone gains the fundemental knowledge of the traditional analogue film workflow when used with modern digital tools.
Click here for a history to the workshops.
If you are a school, college or uinversity anywhere in the UK and would like us to run a free film workshop please Click Here.
New 16mm two new cameras announced July 2022 Click Here
You can also hire us for consultancy work especially if you are thinking about using Super 8, Super 16 or 35mm for your film project. To find out more please get in touch.
