Brief Scenes

whats good research before getting into “older” photography/film?

ive always loved the look of “pre-instant/easy” photography(mainly the sharpness in detail, it always seems more “real” than newer color photos) and older films and “home movies” without sound, and id love to try them all out myself(i graduated from art school and am now allowed to be weird for the rest of my life, but i graduated in painting.. and im a bit clueless with photography).
but whenever i go to the antique store near me that has a TON of old cameras and camera equipment i get overwhelmed. theyre all just piled together and i cant even figure out what decade the camera im looking at comes from or what i would need to make it work.

LOL…ok, I might be able to help you, but slow down there for a sec!

Are you more interested in cameras for taking still pictures, or are you interested in movie cameras? If you want a vintage movie camera, then look for a “Regular 8mm” camera. You’ll see them a lot in antique shops and thrift shops. There are basically two kinds of 8mm movie film…Super-8 and what’s called “Regular 8mm” or “Double-Run 8.” Super-8 cameras use a cartridge, and Regular 8mm film comes on a spool.

I’d recommend a Regular 8mm camera because they’re a lot older, and usually they tend to be a lot better made than Super-8 cameras. There were a lot of cheap, plasticky Super-8 cameras in the 60′s and 70′s, whereas Regular 8mm cameras were first made in the 1930′s and they tend to be made more solid, out of metal. You’ll know if the camera is Regular 8mm because the film compartment will have spools.

Also, look for a camera that has manual exposure control, where you can change the aperture. You’ll see a dial on the lens that has numbers like 2.8, 3.5, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16. It’s kind of like the iris in your eye. Those numbers are called “F-stops” and it controls how much light comes into the camera to expose the film. Still cameras and movie cameras both use F-stops. The aperture also determines something called the “depth of field” but that’s a little bit complicated, and you can learn more about that later on if you want.

You can still buy 8mm and Super-8 movie film. In fact, it’s making kind of a comeback. You just have to order it online. Obviously, you’re not going to be able to walk into a corner drug store and buy 8mm movie film. But there are a lot of websites where you can order 8mm, Super-8, and 16mm film.

I can probably help you more, but you need to be a little bit more specific about what you want. If you want an antique camera for still photos, there are a lot of them that use 35mm film, which you can buy pretty much anywhere. There are also other bigger cameras that use 120 roll film, which you easily order online. If you want a vintage movie camera, then there are several places I can recommend where you can order movie film, and where to send it to get it developed.

If you want, you can email me and maybe I can try to give you some more help.

By the way, here are some of my 8mm movie cameras. I have even more now! They all work, and I do actually like to shoot in 8mm as a hobby.

I also have a few videos on YouTube which explain a little bit about how 8mm movie cameras work. Maybe this will help you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKNaDU_R1hE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjMtkNaQ5kw

Linco Inc Office–Photography Equipment Store

Petzl E49P TacTikka Plus 4-LED Headlamp, Black $38.99 While this headlamp is designed specifically for night fishing, it could just as easily be used for other purposes, such as night hiking, camping, climbing, or even hunting.The TacTikka Plus is lightweight (78 g with batteries) and comfortable to wear, which is a good thing, since you’re likely to be using it over longer stretches of time. Another great feature of the LED bulbs is that they are mu…

Xantrex 802-1500 XPower 1,500 Watt Portable Powerpack $426.99 The XPower Powerpack 1500 is a portable power system that produces household electricity for products rated at 1500 watts or less. A clean and quiet alternative to a generator, the XPower Powerpack integrates a 60 Amp/hour AGM battery with a 1500-watt inverter and produces a 3000-watt surge. This system is built to run a range of appliances such as a standard size refrigerator and microwave oven, …

WESCO Folding Hand Trucks- LETTER A $65.35 WESCO Folding Hand Trucks store out-of-the-way until you need them again.Fold down quickly and easily. Includes elasticized cord to secure loads. Choose either lightweight aluminum/poly models or durable all-steel construction. Nose Plate of 15W x 12.5″D…

ALZO Digital Full Spectrum Light Bulb – ALZO 45W Photo CFL 5500K 91 CRI, Daylight balanced, pure white light, 2800 Lumens, Case of 4 Case of 4 full spectrum light bulbs for daylight balanced lighting, energy star compliant, long-lasting at cir. 10,000 hours with 2800 Lumens output; low energy consumption, good for treating S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder), photo studio lights, or starting plant growth. These are Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) bulbs. Fits all medium-base E27/E26 sockets, but this is a large bulb that might …

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with C Spacer $9.99 2 BATTERY TYPES IN 1 KITPRE-CHARGED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIESREADY TO USE OUT OF PACKCAN BE RECHARGED 1500XHOLDS 75% OF CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARSNO MEMORY EFFECTSRECHARGES EMPTY OR PARTIALLY DRAINED BATTERIESENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLYUSER CAN INSERT TWO AA BATTERIES IN SPACER TO CREATE A C BATTERYUPC : 043712130252Shipping Dimensions : 1.08in X 3.84in X 7.13inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.225…

Sanyo NEW 1500 eneloop 2-AA Ni-MH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries with D Spacer $9.99 2 BATTERY TYPES IN 1 KITPRE-CHARGED RECHARGEABLE BATTERIESREADY TO USE OUT OF PACKCAN BE RECHARGED 1500XHOLDS 75% OF CHARGE AFTER 3 YEARSNO MEMORY EFFECTSRECHARGES EMPTY OR PARTIALLY DRAINED BATTERIESENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLYUSER CAN INSERT TWO AA BATTERIES IN SPACER TO CREATE A D BATTERYUPC : 043712130269Shipping Dimensions : 1.34in X 3.84in X 7.13inEstimated Shipping Weight : 0.263…

The Boxee Box by D-Link HD Streaming Media Player $179.99 D-link DSM-380 Network Audio/Video Player DSM-380 Network Media Players…

Western Digital My Book Live 1 TB Personal Cloud Storage Drive $179.99 Simplify your digital life by consolidating your movies, music, photos, and files in one location for everyone on your wired or wireless network to share with a Western Digital My Book Live Network-Attached Storage drive….