Current Camera Setup

In this post I detail the current setup I own camera-wise. It will be updated continuously based on the newest information.

Polaroid

SX-70

My first Polaroid was an SX-70 from the 70s. Specifically the Alpha model without Tripod mount. It is a fantastic camera as its lens is completely made of glass and its body of metal. Also, it is a shutter lens reflex camera which means when viewing through the gorgeous viewfinder you look directly out of the lens which makes it a joy to compose images. Finally, it completely folds down which is a nice party trick and makes it nice and portable. When folding up it oftentimes feels like I am breaking the camera as it requires a little more force as you would think. It is really sturdily built, though. One downside, compared to later Polaroid cameras, is that you need to set the focus manually which can be especially annoying in suboptimal lighting conditions. As an upgrade to the very first SX-70 model this model comes with a guide and additionally with markings helping you to focus. After buying this camera I also got some original accessories like a self-timer, some flashes, a sun shade, a flash diffuser, the 1.5 Tele Lens, a tripod mount, and a cable release. The most worthwile ones in my opinion are the self timer, tripod mount, and cable release. I was able to take some gorgeous selfies and nighttime photos using these. As the camera does not have a tripod mount the tripod adapter is absolutely necessary in my opinion. The sun shade is also handy in really bright conditions. The tele Lens does enable some nice portrait photos but I do not use it too often. I personally never used the flash diffuser as I never took closeups using flash. I got a bag of 10 original flash bars for cheap. Each of them contains 10 flash bulbs. The way they work is that the bulbs burn through everytime you take a photo. They do produce a super bright flash in the process. What I found is that pictures using flash usually turn out too bright for me. When I correct the exposure time down they look good. Also it is hard to set the focus correctly in dark conditions.

600

Later I also started using a 600 camera. Namely, the Polaroid Impulse. Since it is from the 80s it now comes with a full plastic body. Which makes it way lighter. The viewfinder is next to the actual lens which you always have to correct for when taking photos. It comes with a frog tongue which protects the photo in the first vulnerable moments when coming out. This camera does have a flash built in. Also focus is now fully automatic. For me this is a nice camera for taking quick snapshots as it determines automatically where to focus and if flash is needed. Photos usually turn out really well. Since there are a lot more 600 film based polaroids this type of film is more ubiquitous and more easily found. In Berlin it is possible to find both. For example Safelight or Fotoimpex. At some point I would like to get a filter for my SX-70 to be able to also shoot the higher ASA 600 film with it.

Super 8

The Super 8 camera I own is the Bolex 155 Macrozoom. It was built in Switzerland in the 60s. It is built like a tank and makes a fantastic design piece. It is the successor to the Bolex 150 with the main advantage that it is possible to focus anything from a distance of 1 inch up to infinity. For the motor it takes simple AA batteries. The only issue is the light meter which requires two PX-13 1.35v mercury cells. Since mercury was found to be dangerous these are not produced anymore. Even though they made fantastic batteries. The "official" replacement is the 625 battery. Unfortunately it is 1.5V which will cause the light meter to always be slightly off and the resulting film to be underexposed. One option is to manually correct during filming. Since Super 8 film and development is quite expensive I went for a different route. The WeinCell zinc-air battery comes with exactly the same voltage. Two downsides are that it is more expensive and it will deplete even when not used. That is why it comes with a tab. Be sure to buy extra as they are not available everywhere. I already had the problem that I wanted to start filming while on holidays and my WeinCell was empty. Apparently some people build adapters for other kinds of batteries which I might try at some points as it is a cheaper route. I usually buy film at Click & Surr a nice store in Berlin focusing on Super8 filmography. You can get the film directly with Andec development included. They also sell lots of other Super8 accessories like splicers, film leaders, film spools, cameras, and projectors. The nice thing is that their cameras and projectors are thoroughly tested and guaranteed. My camera came out cheaper through eBay. In order to test the functionality I needed to buy, film, and develop a whole film with it. So, had it not worked the Click & Surr route would have been cheaper.

Hi8

As a high camera I own the SONY CCD-TR750E from the 90s. I was able to buy a new Hi8 casette from Amazon. As they ceased production some years ago it was held in storage. Nevertheless, it works marvelously. For digitization I use a simple S-Video to USB converter similar to this one. Using OBS it is simple to digitize that way. After digitization I just record on the same tape again. That way Hi8 is a cheap format for filming analog film. Quality will probably regress once I took many recordings. At that point I would just buy a new tape.

Double Super 8

I inherited a Soviet Krasnogorsk Double Super 8 camera.
Double Super 8 is an exciting format since it has a significantly longer runtime than super 8 due to a trick. The actual film is 16mm wide. Only half of it gets exposed at one time. After half has been exposed the film needs to be placed into the camera in reverse to expose the other half. At the end after development the film gets spliced in half and attached at the ends to obtain double the runtime.

Notes on Development

It is not trivial to get Super 8 and Double Super 8 film developed. Luckily in Berlin, my hometown, a lab developing all kinds of motion picture film survived. I can only highly recommend to get the film developed at Andec. It is also possible to send the film via mail if you are not in Berlin and they will send it back developed. Digital Scans will be provided via DropBox. This lab does develop everything from Super 8 all the way to 35mm cinematic motion picture film. Also, I believe it is the only lab in the world that offers transfering negative Super 8 to positive Super 8 for projection. I usually directly film on positive film (color reversal) as I really enjoy the experience of projecting the developed film in my living room. It just gives another feel to it. As projector I bought a simple old Eumig.