Last S8 camera made.

[superadio]

Hi folks. Anybody knows when last super 8 camera was made, and what brand and model? If there was new camera avaliable, i would consider buy one. I have about 8 different cameras, and most canon. But now almost everyone has some kind of fault, or malfunction

[Blue Audio Visual]

Well that would be the Эенит кварц 1x8C-2, last production of which was in the early 90s.

Or it may be more correct to say that the last time they were assembled was in the early 90s.

Anyhoo....

[etimh]

I would have said the Canon AF 310XL and XL-S. Don't know much about that Zenit Quarz model. Good info.

Tim

[aj]

Well, the енит кварц 1x8C-2 is here to see: http://zenitquarzcameras.blogspot.com/

Weren't the Beaulieuxes assembled till really the end? There are even websites, not so well kept, which claim that these are still manufactured Not true of course. Wittner bought the parts stocks and Beaulieu is now into a steady cam like thing. Wittner is selling refurbished pro8mm things.

Otherwise the Canon af310xl is a recent thing. It even/already has SMD electronic parts inside.
Useless with sound because the wining of the gears really gets onto the soundtrack.

[Will2]

Useless with sound because the wining of the gears really gets onto the soundtrack.

Even with an external mic?

[Blue Audio Visual]

Worth bearing in mind that most recent production ≠ most reliable.

The simpler the camera is, the less there is to go wrong.

[S8 Booster]

brand new as of 2008:
http://www.japantrends.com/gakken-8mm-c ... ector-set/


Regular 8mm though.....;)
shoot...

[Andersens Tears]

According to the Canon Camera museum, production ceased of both the AF310xl and AF310XL-S in 1985. These were their last super 8 models.

The Bauer s360xl was I believe released in 1985 - Bauers last super 8 camera - made by Chinon.

I think the Elmo superwide and Traveller both came out between 1984 and 1986.

All of these were consumer cameras made by the popular high street brands.

[aj]

Useless with sound because the wining of the gears really gets onto the soundtrack.

Even with an external mic?

The boom mic is useless.

Of course, using a microphone on a wire or wireless on a reasonable distance will work The sound of the gears is however rather annoying. And is hearable over long distance.
Tragic is that it comes the axis of the powerzoom which is hardly used

Still, a nice travel camera with a excellent 1.0 lens which is usually in focus when shooting close by

[aj]

Worth bearing in mind that most recent production ≠ most reliable.

The simpler the camera is, the less there is to go wrong.

Indeed. I have a 40 year old Regular 8 Canon Ciné Zoom 512, spring driven. Still excellent and needed only a fix for a replacing battery. The felt light-closure is in excellent condition too.

A 1014xls is very nice, especially if you get one in the box from a widow of caring hobbyist. But the electronics are complex and can go defunct just from aging. Foamy light traps frequently get sticky on all brands of cameras.

[Angus]

To the best of my knowledge, when I started shooting super 8 in 1986 you could still buy new cameras from Chinon, Beaulieu and Bauer. I think Elmo had recently ceased production.

Chinon stopped production that year, but there were some cameras from the above brands on shelves. They would have been the last mass market super 8 cameras.

Beaulieu continued a while longer, their professional cameras were in production well into the 1990's...though how many of these were actually new cameras is debatable.

Bell & Howell had some cameras in the 1980's including AF models but they were probably made by Chinon. Sankyo finished circa 1982, though their website was offering a spare parts service as late as 2000 (where parts existed).

[cubdukat]

I would have said the Canon AF 310XL and XL-S. Don't know much about that Zenit Quarz model. Good info.

Tim

The Quarz actually was sold by Pro8mm for a while as the Kinoflex. It was their entry-level camera before they started making the Pro814.

If you've ever dealt with a 16mm K-3 before, you'll know that Russian cameras like that are a wildly hit-and-miss affair, with the majority of them being "misses." Zenit lenses were touted as being every bit as sharp as Zeiss glass, but I have yet to see anything shot on a Kinoflex that didn't look like the lens was dipped in melted Vaseline and beeswax that had cold water poured on it immediately afterwards.

Somehow I thought the last one was the Beaulieu 9008, which was nothing more than a 7008 Pro with a 1.78:1 gate.

[jpolzfuss]

brand new as of 2008: ...
Regular 8mm though

Nope - it's a Single8-camera!

BTW: Here are the official "years of production" of the Zenit-cameras:
http://www.zenitcamera.com/catalog/movi ... ction.html

However Beaulieu produced a few 4008 ZM out of old spare parts in 2000. And their "9008"-models still got produced in the early 1990s as well...

Jörg

[ekoe]

Yeah Jorg, I remember in 2000 there was limited availability of newly assembled 4008zmII's. I think it was Bavaria Film GMBh, but I might be confused.
There was a rumor regarding the possibility of an S8 Ikonoskop A-Cam. Not sure if there was any credence to that.
I agree with BlueAudioVisual's comment about the simplicity of a camera. It's difficult enough to find someone who can service your 1014 xl-s, let alone re-assemble it properly. I've had a few service people actually cause other issues during re-assembly, and these were 'proper' S8 service techs. It can be very frustrating.