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Film (or Digital) Cameras for under $5000, for a young film maker.
I’m a film student, I’m about to graduate and I’m looking into a great Film Cameras, or possibly, a digital camera if the deal right. I’m thinking a:
German Arri SR1 Super 16 PL mount with 400′ Mags
Or
Eclair ACL 2 Super 16 PL mount with 400′ Mags
To my knowledge, there is no Digital Camera under $5000 that is comparable to Super 16mm but if you know of any, I would like to hear of it. I plan on renting Superspeed lenses for the Camera so it’s not necessary a kit with lenses. I will be filming Narratives and recording Synch sound, so any proposed cameras would have to be quiet.
If you don’t have any suggestions but have some knowledge in the area, I would like to hear opinion – ACL or German SR1?
Best.
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4 Replies
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Hi Tommy,
Haven’t you heard that “film is dead”?
If you insist, here’s a real nice looking Aaton package on ebay for $4999:
JS
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That’s a pretty nice XTR package, John… most of them aren’t that clean since there’s tons of them out there as rentals.
I’m kinda with the “Haven’t you heard film is dead” mentality, although personally I love shooting film. Then again… my film cameras have been sitting unused in the cases for at least two years. I’ve sold off all the 16mm gear, and am only hanging on to the 35mm gear…. and then mostly only out of nostalgia. That, and film camera prices have plummeted so much in the last couple of years that I don’t wanna just give it away.
If you are insistent on film, you might also look at the Russian Kinor 16mm camera. The Russians made some surprisingly good cameras through the years (primarily Kinor for 16mm and 35mm, and Konvas for 35mm) and they can be had sometimes very cheaply. In fact, the 35mm version of the Kinor is almost a part-for-part clone of the MovieCam SuperAmerica. Then again, a couple of months ago I saw a very complete SuperAmerica package sell on eBay for only a couple thousand bucks. Film camera prices have dropped like a rock.
Also, keep in mind that if you are planning on renting lenses, you could just rent a camera too, as needed.
But, that’s unsolicited advice… so getting back to your original question… both the Arri and Eclair are good cameras, but if I had to pick between only those two I would choose the Arri. They’re built like tanks and would probably be easier to service than the Eclair. Eclairs can sometimes be a little finicky.
T2
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Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
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I’d personally go Arri (or that Aaton – very nice!) as more people know the camera so if there is an issue, you’ll get it fixed easier and will have a bigger support community in general. The SR1 has always been FAR from quiet in my experience though.
Personally, I never felt a need to have a camera – it’s the film costs that kept it out of my reach. $5k could probably get me 10 weekends with an SR3 body in the Nashville area as houses will basically give them away.
If you’re going to be renting lenses (with S16, I’d want something sharper than Super Speeds as well), might as well rent the body.
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