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1st 16mm camera
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Contributed by
Glen
Berry
Glen Berry is an award winning filmmaker and the Editor of film underground. Berry has written for Moviemaker magazine and FilmFestivals.com
I will be purchasing my first 16mm camera, and I had some questions. I have a budget of $15,000 through American Express Equipment Financing,
and I am interested in getting the best package I can for the purpose of making 16 mm (or Super 16mm) indie films.
I own a recording studio, so I knowledge about recording
sound just not in terms of cameras (sync etc.)
I know Arriflex, but I have little experience with the 16S, 16BL, and SR3.
I have even less knowledge about Bolex.
So ultimately my question is this ... can you suggest the best set up with these budget requirements?
Regarding the best camera you can get for $15,000,
we would recommend an Arriflex BL or SR I if you can find one. The bolexes are excellent cameras but are manual wind (30 second shot duration on one hand crank) and are not crystal sync, making them unsuitable for sync sound work. They have become the symbol of indie film makers for their durability, simplicity and low operating costs but are not useful outside of shooting wild sound short films, stock footage or documentaries.
The Arri S is an good camera but unfortunately does not have a crystal sync motor for doing sync sound. Arriflex BLs can be found starting at around $4500 for an older package in fair condition. The only BL that we have at this time is a late model with a new motor and Tobin crystal sync system in excellent condition for $8700. The only other camera that we carry that would be suitable for sync sound feature films would be the Arri SR III but it may be a little out of your price range at $24,000. You may be able to find a used 35mm camera package for under $15,000 dollars, we recommend that you do a little research into different cameras.
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