JUST BOUGHT A BOLEX 8MM CAMERA?Congratulations new film camera owner! Here are a few hints and suggestions for using your Bolex camera: 1) Film cameras make some noise. It's all the gears, pull down claw, mechanical regulator, etc. This is normal. 11 & ½ full turns from fully wound down to fully wound up. Do not force the wind handle past 11 ½ full turns. I wind the camera in half turn increments. From fully wound down, I wind until I get to count to 20 half turns, then I very slowly wind to the stop. Bolex recommends fully winding the spring motor after each shot. This will ensure that the motor runs at consistent speed. Some older cameras spring motors may run slightly slower when reaching the end of the wind. Failure to rewind after each shot may result in the motor reaching the end of it's wind before the shot ends. This is result in the film will be exposed slower than normal which will result in the finished film playing faster than normal. See Bolex Owners manual for more information. 2) Most Bolex cameras have a built-in light meter, with calibration adjustment screws. See the manual for your model. In film production, due to the costs involved, accurate light measurement is a must. Consider using another, separate light meter, such as a Sekonic L-398 (about $179.00 or less, used) or similar. Light meters are cheap enough to purchase used on eBay. Metering should be done slightly below the chin (incident) of the key person in a shot with the meter light dome pointing towards the lens of the camera. There are other ways, however this will work fine for most filming projects. 3) Film and processing is expensive compared to video. Before shooting a large project, consider shooting a "test" roll of film. After processing you can compare what "you wanted" to "what you got". Make a note of the test scenes and what was shot and under what conditions: back light, strong sunlight, indoors, etc. Compare the developed reel with what you expected. You may find that the camera and/or you metering results need to be "tweaked". Adjust accordingly. This can save you a lot of money. 4) Film cameras should be inspected, cleaned and lubricated on a regular basis. Consult your manual for recommendations. Bolex recommends a 1 year CLA cleaning and lubrication interval. A 2-3 year interval is more common. Cameras that have been stored or used under dusty conditions will require more frequent maintenance. 5) Do NOT store the camera or transport in a hot/dusty location. Film cameras tend to pick up dust as they use both oil and grease in their operating mechanisms. 6) Bolex cameras are covered with Moroccan leather. You can clean them with "Lexol" brand cleaner and "Lexol" brand leather conditioner. Lexol is sold at car parts stores as well as ACE hardware and at Amazon.com. Clean and treat leather yearly. 7) Metal camera body edges and Declic handles can be polished "like new" with any fine polishing compound. We recommend "Bluemagic" brand. Its used for aluminum and magnesium car wheels. You can find it at hardware and automotive stores. 8) Avoid touching the lens glass with your finger tips. The oil and acid on the human hand will etch into the glass if left on long enough. Clean with lens paper or denatured alcohol. Never use canned air on a lens. It may actually blow dust into the lens mechanism. 9) Avoid using canned air to clean the inner compartment of the camera. Blown air may actually cause dirt and dust to get inside of inner case where the motor gears are exposed. Use soft, lint free cloth or "Kim-Wipes" (tm). If you are doing your own maintenance, use "clock oil" for oil lubrication. We use a synthetic oil. Oils such as "3-in-1" or "sewing machine oil" tend to "gum up" after a while. 10) When the project is finished, you can remove the film spool after running the camera with the lens caps on. This will wind the exposed film onto to the take-up reel. Remember to leave a "tail" or small amount of unexposed film on the end of the take up reel before removing or flipping the reels around. If you don't, light hitting the already exposed footage may damage (overexpose) the last shot. You won't have this problem if you use a changing bag. Remove the film reels in a dark area or use changing bag. See the Bolex manual. Depress the run button until the spring in fully unwound. This is not necessary if you are going to use the camera again soon. The purpose of running the motor down is to relieve the tension on the spring motor. For long periods of storage the spring should always be run down.
Original Bolex light meter batteries are no longer for sale as they contained mercury. There are replacement batteries available. One such battery, a Silver Cell, #357, is included with the sale of our P-1, 2 or 3 camera battery kit. As it is a different size, a custom made adapter is necessary.
DO NOT INSERT BATTERY FIRST!
The camera's battery holder is located on the right side of the camera case at the top right corner. The cover plate unscrews counter-clockwise. The adapter is a "slug" of machined aluminum with insulation all around except for the ends. Insert the slug first, then the battery. Direction of the slug does not matter. Its only purpose is to take up the difference in length between the original and replacement batteries.
DO NOT INSERT BATTERY FIRST!
What does matter is that the battery itself be put in with the (+) sign on the battery visible. Or in other words, with the positive side (+) outward. The screw-in cover will touch the bottom of the battery and make contact on the plus side of the battery. See the BOLEX manual for the procedure to use the light meter. When finished filming for the day, you can leave the battery in place. It will last for approximately 1 year under normal use. Replacement batteries are available from: http://www.bolexrepair.com or you can do a Google search on Energizer 357 Silver Oxide Cell. Cost is approximately $3-5.00 plus postage. Try local stores also. You'll pay tax, but save on postage.
PROBLEM: I did some single frame shots. Then I went back to doing normal filming. After a few seconds, the camera stopped. I can wind the camera, but the film only runs a few seconds before the same problem appears. What's wrong? ANSWER: Sound like the film has lost its registration. The claw is unable to register into the film so the camera stops running. The fix is to remove and reinstall the film to reset the "loop". Do this in the dark of a closet or inside a changing bag and you can continue to use the film as it will not have been exposed. Done with the film exposed to light will "fog" the film. If the camera has not been used in a very long time (5 years or longer), a service (CLA) may be necessary as the lower take up spindle may be seized. PROBLEM: How do I change film in daylight if the entire roll has not been shot? ANSWER: Use a changing bag. A changing bag is a dark (usually black) cloth (or plastic) bag sufficient in size to hold both the camera and the film. It's construction design makes it "light tight". The camera and film are put into the bag and the operator (film changer) inserts his hands. Sometimes there is a drawstring to pull, that eliminates any light from entering. Film can then be installed or removed without fogging the film. Exposed film is returned to the canister it was originally supplied in. Here's some links to bag sellers:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/cinemasupplies/harchanbagsm.html You can also find others by searching for " film changing bag" at www.Google.com. PROBLEM: I seem to be having problems getting my P1 Bolex to focus. Focus is okay for a close subject, but when I zoom out (telephoto), the focus changes. How do I do both? ANSWER: Using Zoom lever, zoom out to the farthest telephoto point past the subject. Open camera iris all the way (smallest number or f=1.9). This lets in the most light to make focusing easier. Focus using viewfinder's split image on subject or horizontal or vertical line near subject. Now readjust eyepiece (diopter) for sharpest view. If necessary, repeat focusing and eyepiece (diopter) adjustment. The focus is now set. The diopter is set. Use zoom lever to reframe subject. Adjust iris for correct light. Shoot film. PROBLEM: I can't seem to find fresh film. Any suggestions? ANSWER: http://www.8mmfilmstock.com/color8mmfilm.html http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/catalog/catalog.htm http://www.spectrafilmandvideo.com/index.html
Click here for the Links page... Most sellers also do or can have done, your film developing. Some can transfer to Mini-DV or any other video format for editing, at the same time. Ask. PROBLEM: I can't find a replacement battery for my P-1's light meter. The original Mallory RM450 (mercury cell) is no longer manufactured. What can I do? ANSWER: There are several "fixes". The least intrusive is to use a "Silver Oxide Cell" Eveready (357) and a spacer to take up the difference in length. The cell lasts about a year and does not requires any internal modifications to the camera. It is quite a bit shorter so a spacer is required. The spacer which is inserted first should be insulated. Some kits use flat washers as spacers. Out kit uses a double insulated aluminum "slug" spacer which goes in first. Then Silver Oxide cell is inserted with the PLUS (+) sign showing. Then the cap is screwed in. No other modifications or recalibration is necessary.
See kit here:
Click here for the Accessories page... PROBLEM: On my Bolex Reflex P-1 there appears to be dust or black speck in my viewfinder. Will this cause any problems? ANSWER: If the dust or black speck is in the reflex part of the viewfinder, it will not show on the film. The Bolex viewfinder shows an image that is reflected from the light that passes through the lens onto the film. Small amounts of fine dust on the primary front lens will not be shown either. You should clean or at least check the lens to see if it is clean before every shot. When changing film rolls, be sure to check the film gate for dirt or hairs or other 'crud". The viewfinder diopter is removable. Turn counter-clockwise to unscrew. Don't loose any of the thin spacers that may be there. These spacers set the initial range of diopter focus. You can clean both the front and back elements of the diopter using a Q-tip or lens paper. Remove dust or contaminants carefully. Viewfinder lens elements are not coated, but like all glass lenses, they can be scratched. After cleaning, re-install using the same spacers. Tighten using the outer part of the diopter with the rubber eyepiece removed. Reset diopter ring. PROBLEM: What is fogging? ANSWER: Fogging is a condition whereby light contaminates exposed or unexposed film causing the film to have a "foggy appearance". This can happen when changing film rolls in sunlight or otherwise exposing the film to unnecessary light. Use a changing bag or at least, change film in a shaded area and run at least a few feet of film before shooting. PROBLEM: I think I overwound my Bolex camera. What is over winding and how does it happen? ANSWER: Bolex cameras are powered by a coiled flat spring motor. The spring motor has a small set of "gears" that "turn limit" the total amount of turns the spring motor can be wound. This is about 11 ½ full turns for the 8 mm Bolexs. If too much (excessive) force is applied once the turn limit has been reached, one the gears will "jump" over the other. The camera will wind but only a small amount. It will then only run several seconds. The fix is to remove the spring motor and reset the gears to their proper relationship with the internal spring of the motor. If the camera has been left overwound for several years, the spring will be damaged beyond repair.
GENERAL Som Berthoit 8-40 (5x) Zoom Lens Front Element is coated to:
Eliminate flare and ghosting When cleaning, be sure not to damaged the lens coating. Do not used compressed air to clean. This may actually force dirt in. DUST IN LENS A small amount of dust, a speck or so will not normally cause any problems. Clean with lens paper, Kim wipes or other lens cleaning tools. Be careful not to damage lens coating with harsh chemicals! FUNGUS Lens fungus can appear as "spider web" like black, wispy threads or as a "mold-like" growth. Some fungus is easily cleaned. Advanced fungus damage usually cannot be fixed. Do not confuse fungus with cement used to hold lens elements in place. Lens cement will be found only on extreme edges of lens. Cement will sometimes discolor over time. A very small amount of fungus anywhere on the lens will usually not cause any filming problems. Fungus on the outer edges of any element typically will not cause any problems. With the reflex lens removed, looking through the opposite (camera side) of the Som Berthoit lens, you will see what appears to be two round black "dots". These "dots" are normal and are not a problem. They are part of the reflex mechanism and do not show when filming or when view normally through the viewfinder. EYEPIECE "DIRT" Bolex eyepieces can get very dirty. The eyepiece itself can be unscrewed (counterclockwise) and cleaned. On reflex models, be careful not to loose the adjustment spacer rings. There are usually 1-3 rings used to align the eyepiece for the "split focus". Clean the eyepiece as you would clean a camera lens. Do not used compressed air to clean. This may force dirt in between the elements of the diopter. Re-install the diopter assembly and check the diopter marks. They should be the same as before. If not, you have not put all the spacer rings back in or the eyepiece in not tightened correctly. RUBBER EYEPIECE FOR BOLEX Most Bolex cameras are 30-50 years old. The rubber eyepiece (aka eye guard, eye cup, etc) is one of the first things to go. New eyepieces are available. Occasionally on eBay, you'll find a used one for sale. New ones are available from several sources: http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/catalog/catalog.htm Look under Bolex accessories on the left side of the catalog page. Inquire with Chambless to see is they have the correct eyepiece for your camera. Check also with local camera shops. Substitute eyepieces (needing trimming) may be found. Telescope eyepieces may work, but might require trimming. Eyecup trimming instructions: http://members.fortunecity.com/sazeech/trim.htm Lee's (UK) has Non-reflex eyepieces: http://www.leescameras.demon.co.uk/ Try other websites from this link:
Bolex 8 mm cameras were very popular during the 1950s through the 1970's. That make the typical case about 45+ years old. Leather is a very durable material, but only if case maintenance is performed on a regular basis. Most cameras cases have been stored for very long lengths of time and are not in very good condition. The first damage usually occurs at the attach points for the two strap ends. Flexing the most, one or both ends will break. By this time, no treatment will return the leather strap portion back to normal use. It's too dried out. The case itself is usually in better condition, even without regular maintenance as the exposed (inside) part of the case does not dry out as quick. To clean and recondition a Bolex cases, gently clean any dirt or grime on the case with leather cleaner. We at Bolexrepair.com use LEXOL brand cleaner. LEXOL is pH balanced for leather and helps the leather to remain flexible. Follow the instructions on the cleaner. Then treat the leather with LEXOL Leather conditioner. The condition will soften the leather and prevent cracking. Lexol products are available at most larger hardware stores and Amazon.com. Any leather cleaner and/or conditioner can be use, such as "saddle soap", etc. Lexol is about $7.00 per 7 oz bottle for either the cleaner or conditioner. Lexol is the accepted standard for cleaning and preserving all leather products. Use a small, stiff bristle brush to loosen any caked on dirt inside the case and either vacuum or blow out with compressed air. Sometime the inside "lid" of the case (hold filters) will come unglued. You can use any common "white glue", such as "Elmer's" or rubber cement. We like to use clear silicone sealer to re-attached the inside top lid. If you use rubber cement, coat both inside of the case and the back side of the lid with glue. Allow to dry tacky. Press both pieces together. With a minute or so and then pry the two apart, wait a minute. Then assemble one last time and put pressure on the lid to hold in place until the glue sets. New leather straps can be attached to the existing leather band which is usually still on the case. Be sure to use rivets or other mechanical fastener to attach the strap to the case. I have seen glued straps. Not a good idea.
Even if the carrying straps look good, don't rely on them to carry the weight of the camera and accessories. Better to use the original case to hold the camera when not in use, and to use a newer, better (safer) camera case for work.
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