Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Bell&Howell Soundstar

my profile | my password | search | faq & rules | forum home

»	Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE » Operations » Film Handlers' Forum » Bell&Howell Soundstar

Author

Topic: Bell&Howell Soundstar

Paul G. Thompson
The Weenie Man

Posts: 4718
From: Mount Vernon WA USA
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 12-20-2001 06:38 PM

While rummaging around in a bunch of Hock Shops, Thrift Shops, etc., I stumbled upon a Super 8mm camera. Since it cost a whole $3.50, I figured it would be worth it.

It is a Bell & Howell Soundstar Filmosonic XL camera Model No. 1225, Serial No. 82340025. It is in very good condition (even the magnetic recording head looks good), but I don't know if the camera works or not.

Has anyone had any experience with these critters? How was the sound quality? Does anyone service these anymore? Who? Does anyone have any technical data on them?

Thanks

Paul

| IP: Logged

Ken Layton
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1452
From: Olympia, Wash. USA
Registered: Sep 1999

posted 12-20-2001 06:52 PM

The entire B & H 8mm movie camera & projector line was sold to Mamiya of Japan around 1980. You can get parts and service for B & H 8mm equipment from U.T. Photo in Burbank, Calif. (323) 245-6631 www.utphoto.com

Brad Miller also has an 8mm forum.

| IP: Logged

Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 12-20-2001 07:20 PM

Note that these would have originally used mag-stripe super-8 film in 50-foot cartridges. Mag-stripe 8mm and 16mm film is no longer available new, so the sound-recording feature is pretty useless. You can still get the unstriped film, however. Unfortunately, shooting 8mm is no longer much cheaper than 16mm and the usefulness of the format is substantially less.

| IP: Logged

Randy Loy
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 156

Registered: Aug 1999

posted 12-21-2001 08:31 AM

Paul, Scott is correct that Super 8mm film with a magnetic sound stripe is no longer manufactured. However, if my memory serves me correctly, I recall seeing something in a filmaker's publication a few years ago that indicated that someone is actually adding magnetic sound stripes to originally unstriped Super 8mm film.

| IP: Logged

Jeff Taylor
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 601
From: Chatham, NJ/East Hampton, NY
Registered: Apr 2000

posted 12-21-2001 09:13 AM

Paul: During my earlier years we always shot silent 16mm "home movies" but some years ago (before camcorders obviously) I borrowed one of those BH sound 8 cameras from a neighbor and shot an hour or so of footage on a family vacation to Europe. Not owning an 8mm projector I sent it off to be duped onto VHS when I got back and have never looked at the film since. The one major disappointment I recall was that there's a fair lag for the sound to synch every time you change scenes. I don't know how many frames the mag head is advanced, but I'd take, say, a street scene in London with taxi horns and bus noise, then switch to a scene in a park and you'd still have the taxi horns for several seconds. Not fatal, but disconcerting given the numerous relatively short shots in home movie making.

| IP: Logged

All times are Central (GMT -6:00)

Printer-friendly view of this topic

The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.