The Beaulieu MAR 8

Specifications:

Lens: Angenieux
Focal Length: 6.5mm - 52mm
Aperture: f1.8 - 22
Focusing: 0.8m - infinity
Exposure: Automatic and Manual
Film Speeds: 10 - 320 ASA
Frame Rate: 12,16,18,24,32,48 & 64
Motor: Clockwork - 1 wind will allow approx 30sec filming at 18fps
Light Meter Batteries: Built-in rechargable. Replacements no longer available.
Filter Size: Series VII (49mm will also fit)
Film Capacity: 25ft

Filming Experiences:

I truly love this camera! It is in a league of it's own and in my opinion is the "Arriflex" of the 8mm world, it really is that good! As soon as you hold this camera in your hand you will know you have something special. It's looks and the sheer quality leaves all the other cameras I have tried in the dust.

This camera came in two versions. One with the Angenieux K2 7.5-35mm as fitted to a whole host of cameras including the Leicina 8SV and the very rare, which i was lucky enough to get hold of, Angenieux 6.5-52mm (very wide to very telephoto). As on the Leicina the Angeniuex lenses are razor sharp and are only really matched by Bolex Switars.

Originally designed to give automatic exposure control through a lightmeter mounted below the lens. Beaulieu did their usually trick and built in a rather quirky re-chargable battery system which is no longer servicable and so if your battery has died, as mine has, then you are left with only manual exposure. But this camera is so remarkable this is a very minor grumble and most professional cameras don't have exposure control built in any way- so who cares!

The reflex viewing is via a mirror shutter and focussing is onto a ground glass screen as per most professional cameras. What you see is exactly what you get. So much so that the focusing is extremely fine and you have to be really accurate with your settings as any changes to focus, aperture or focal length effect the depth of field and is immediately apparent. This does enable you to choose what you want to be in focus and what you don't, just like the professionals. And because of this viewing system it means that although the lens is a fairly standard f1.8 the shutter speed at 18fps is an incredible 1/65 of a sec whereas most other cameras of this period will only give you around 1/38 of a sec again adding to the sharpness of the images. This is because the mirror shutter system allows 100% of the light to hit the film and none is lost to the reflex viewing system.

Lap dissolves are far easier than any of the other cameras too. Slowly close the variable shutter, and when it's closed the camera shuts off automatically. You then rewind the film with the reel-up knob and you are ready for the fade-in.

A common complaint I have heard with these cameras is that the springs are very weak and so the film speed is not constant enough. In fact my camera was very bad and ran to an almost crawl as it neared the end of the wind. But I discovered by chance that this is not a problem with the spring at all but is a sign that the camera needs a clean and some lubrication and now my camera runs as sweet as a nut and is very, very quiet especially for a clockwrk camera.

Is there a down side to these cameras? Well there is one - they hold their price. Not only are they hard to get hold of but when you do find one it is likely to be very expensive as it is no secret how good these cameras are.