How to Make Movies
In the days before home video, the only way to make a visual recording was with a movie camera. While the industry settled on 35 mm, most home cameras used smaller film stock.
Whats the Difference Between Film Sizes?
You usually describe film stock by the width of the film, rather than the size for the frame. Most home movie cameras used either 8 mm or 16 mm film stock in one of three main formats:
- 16 mm: The 16 mm movie camera shoots the oldest design, with relatively large frames and sprocket holes between the frames running down both sides.
- 8 mm: Originally half of its larger predecessor, it often appeared in canisters that let you expose half the film, turn it over and expose the other half and then send it to a lab for processing where it sliced neatly in half and then spliced together.
- Super 8: A further revision of the smaller format, it shrank the sprocket holes in order to provide more frame size.
Choosing a 16 mm Movie Camera
One good thing about film cameras is that the technology has been generally mature for a long time now so that a vintage Canon Scoopic can still provide all the image quality you need without the requirement of constantly chasing the latest technology thats so often found in the DSLR world. A favorite among journalists, the Scoopic is a mature design with a wide range of flexibility due to the following features:
- Lens: The Scoopic featured a 6x optical zoom lens, with wide-angle and from the Scoopic 16M onwards, macro capability. It also featured a single lens reflex viewfinder. The macro lens offers a focal length of 80 to 750 mm.
- Film: Light from the lens falls on a 100-foot film magazine, with later models being fitted for a larger 400-foot magazine mounted on top of the camera body.
- Power: This 16 mm camera uses a 12-Volt Ni-Cd battery that can recharge in 3.5 hours and drive 1600 feet of film on a charge. It also controls the automatic aperture circuit.
Using a Scoopic
Load your film magazines and charge up your batteries. The Scoopic by Canon is a great choice for anyone looking to actually use a vintage movie camera. The cameras zoom lens aims to maintain focus even while zooming, giving you the capability to track your subject as it moves without losing clarity. A tripod socket lets you employ a more stable mount for your camera, so you dont have to worry about the shaky-cam look even when using the zoom lens. It may be vintage, but the films it produces are still broadcast quality.
Content provided for informational purposes only. eBay is not affiliated with or endorsed by Canon.