Chris Dodkin
West Coast Correspondent
We're rounding 2nd base, and heading for third in my series on vintage 8mm film cameras, and here for your delectation is the Bell & Howell, 'Filmo' Sportster, Double Run Eight. (On the left)
This tiny camera, like it's closet competitor, the Revere Eight model 88 (Right), stands only 5 inches tall, and is just 3 inches wide. It is however very heavy for it's size, and has a very high quality metal case.
It's the Walkman of it's day!
Back in 1932 - Kodak invented the Double 8mm film standard, as a way to bring cine to the masses, most of whom could not justify the expense or size of 16mm cameras.
B&H produced the first Filmo camera in 1935, but did not adhere to the 8mm Kodak standard - instead of the film being passed through the camera twice to expose two strips of images on the 16mm film, the original Filmo only passed the film through once.
Once the Kodak standard took off, B&H modified the Filmo to use the double 8mm standard, and production started of the model shown here in 1936, and continued through to the 1950s.
Just think about that - US soldiers in WW2 would carry these little 8mm cameras around with them on the battlefield!
My model is most likely a 1940s unit - and is in mint condition. The exterior finish is extremely hardwearing, with a Hammerite type look/feel. The case is cast metal, and has a ridged finish to aid grip.
The viewfinder is tiny, but it works, and the whole feel of the camera is solid and dependable, with a lovely smooth clockwork mechanism.
As in the later B&H 319 model, there's clearly a significant attempt to help the photographer expose the film properly, in a wide variety of conditions. There's no light meter on the camera, so B&H have provided a sort of exposure slide-rule device on the side - which allows you to select a number of parameters and have it show you the f-stop suggestion for various lighting conditions.
This thing is just awesome - it's so over the top and detailed - it even has a setting for 'deep woods & ravines'
Haven't wrapped my brain around it yet - mine has no manual, so either I figure it out, or find a manual online - I'll pay it some attention and see if I can reference it to a modern light meter to figure it out.
You get a fixed lens (12.5mm f2.5) which can be swapped out for other focal lengths (should you have any). Aperture is easy to manually adjust on the lens barrel
If you swap in another B&H lens - you have built-in mattes on the camera, that you can swing in front of the viewfinder to correct for the new field of view - neat!
You get a setting wheel for FPS - and a film footage indicator, so you know when it's time to turn the film over.
The whole camera is of course clockwork, and it has a nice chrome 'key' on the side, and a very smooth spring mechanism. The shutter release on the front of the camera can be pressed down for filming, and up for single frame (stop animation) - this must be where the 319 got this feature from.
The long production run for this model of camera must be in part be due to it's quality of construction, and it's basic simplicity. Nearly 20 years of models which were all basically the same - I've seen numbers of units produced quoted as over 300,000 - but I've no real way to verify that.
However, there is general agreement that this was the leading camera in it's day - putting the cine camera in the pocket of many 'ordinary people', and setting the bar for personal technology, in the same way as an iPhone does today.
It inspired many 'copycats' - and the Revere Eight model 88 which I'll review next, set out to take the market from the Sportster, providing similar features for 'half the price'.
Given that the Sportster was $99.75 in this 1950 magazine advert - they had some room to play with!
This tiny camera, like it's closet competitor, the Revere Eight model 88 (Right), stands only 5 inches tall, and is just 3 inches wide. It is however very heavy for it's size, and has a very high quality metal case.
It's the Walkman of it's day!
Back in 1932 - Kodak invented the Double 8mm film standard, as a way to bring cine to the masses, most of whom could not justify the expense or size of 16mm cameras.
B&H produced the first Filmo camera in 1935, but did not adhere to the 8mm Kodak standard - instead of the film being passed through the camera twice to expose two strips of images on the 16mm film, the original Filmo only passed the film through once.
Once the Kodak standard took off, B&H modified the Filmo to use the double 8mm standard, and production started of the model shown here in 1936, and continued through to the 1950s.
Just think about that - US soldiers in WW2 would carry these little 8mm cameras around with them on the battlefield!
My model is most likely a 1940s unit - and is in mint condition. The exterior finish is extremely hardwearing, with a Hammerite type look/feel. The case is cast metal, and has a ridged finish to aid grip.
The viewfinder is tiny, but it works, and the whole feel of the camera is solid and dependable, with a lovely smooth clockwork mechanism.
As in the later B&H 319 model, there's clearly a significant attempt to help the photographer expose the film properly, in a wide variety of conditions. There's no light meter on the camera, so B&H have provided a sort of exposure slide-rule device on the side - which allows you to select a number of parameters and have it show you the f-stop suggestion for various lighting conditions.
This thing is just awesome - it's so over the top and detailed - it even has a setting for 'deep woods & ravines'
Haven't wrapped my brain around it yet - mine has no manual, so either I figure it out, or find a manual online - I'll pay it some attention and see if I can reference it to a modern light meter to figure it out.
You get a fixed lens (12.5mm f2.5) which can be swapped out for other focal lengths (should you have any). Aperture is easy to manually adjust on the lens barrel
If you swap in another B&H lens - you have built-in mattes on the camera, that you can swing in front of the viewfinder to correct for the new field of view - neat!
You get a setting wheel for FPS - and a film footage indicator, so you know when it's time to turn the film over.
The whole camera is of course clockwork, and it has a nice chrome 'key' on the side, and a very smooth spring mechanism. The shutter release on the front of the camera can be pressed down for filming, and up for single frame (stop animation) - this must be where the 319 got this feature from.
The long production run for this model of camera must be in part be due to it's quality of construction, and it's basic simplicity. Nearly 20 years of models which were all basically the same - I've seen numbers of units produced quoted as over 300,000 - but I've no real way to verify that.
However, there is general agreement that this was the leading camera in it's day - putting the cine camera in the pocket of many 'ordinary people', and setting the bar for personal technology, in the same way as an iPhone does today.
It inspired many 'copycats' - and the Revere Eight model 88 which I'll review next, set out to take the market from the Sportster, providing similar features for 'half the price'.
Given that the Sportster was $99.75 in this 1950 magazine advert - they had some room to play with!
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