Cine-Kodak movie cameras and accessories

[wkilleffer]

My wife's grandmother died recently, and my mother-in-law generously set aside some photography equipment for me that they've found in her house as they're cleaning it out. That family had some cool stuff.

One such thing is a Cine-Kodak Titler. Click on the link to see what I mean:
https://www.nwmangum.com/Kodak/CKTitler-1.html

The titler device in this pic is gray, and the black device is a wind-up movie camera fastened to it. Its purpose was to make it easy for movie-makers to add steady, professional-looking titles to their movies. The user would make up a title card, being careful to keep their card design within the size of the titler frame. The titler included a card with exposure guidelines for its use. I don't have any instructions with mine other than how to focus using different lenses.

The titler I have is covered with black crackle paint, like something you'd see on a Ford Model T.

Information about the Titler seems to be hard to find. I'm trying to find out what model or models of Cine-Kodak cameras would have been used with it. I'd like to play around with it if possible. Ebay has all kinds of vintage wind-up Kodak movie cameras in 8 and 16mm, in prices ranging from $25 to $250. Seems a little indulgent when modern camcorders offer more versatility, but I enjoy some of these older things. Unlike the poured plastic camcorders of today, these cameras were metal, often with leather coverings. Someone had to put them together. They just speak of a simpler time.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you,
-Bill

 

[Brooklands]

I don't know about that titler, but the camera in the link looks very much like the Cine-Kodak 16mm movie camera that I inherited from my maternal Grandpa. I used it for a number of years before finally getting a Super-8 that I used into the early 70's, when I shifted to mostly still photography. I don't know that the titler is in any of my Grandpa's old Kodak manuals either.

 

[DrEntropy]

It's a tar baby, Will. Put 'em on a shelf as eye-candy.

Is there even a place you can get 8mm MoPic film PROCESSED now? Nevermind finding good spools of raw film! It's a slippery slope AFAIC. Kodachrome would need intense lighting, Ektachrome 8mm would be only slightly less so if available. 16mm E'chrome ~MAY~ yet be produced in affordable loads but processing would be highly expensive. It's a dead craft at this point. Just admire the craftsmanship. Attempting to actually USE it will just break yer heart, IMO. Now if ya went to IMAX (70mm) ya might have a fightin' chance. But yer wallet will be sucked inside-out in an eyeblink.

 

[wkilleffer]

Now, try to keep in mind that this really isn't the rant that it might sound like...

AFAIK, Dwayne's Photo in Parsons, KS still sells raw film and does the processing. Found that out when looking for Regular 8 to use in the Bolex Reflex that was part of the photo assortment. Haven't ordered any yet. As far as the Regular 8 goes, yeah, it's not the cheapest way to go. Film+processing runs close to $30. And that's $30 for maybe ten minutes of silent footage. But that sounds fun, da&^it. Sort of like making a thrift store documentary...

I do alot of my writing with either a fountain pen or an Hermes 3000 typewriter. My favorite music is on vinyl. One of my favorite cameras is a Pentax Spotmatic that uses <gasp> film in it, and I drive a 35 year old car most days...

Is everything that everyone does *really* practical or sensible?

It strikes me odd to hear someone speaking of an amusement or hobby as a tar baby and slippery slope on a message board dedicated to keeping an eclectic assortment of older cars on the road lol. Putting it frankly, I know of no other slope more slippery other than perhaps recreational drug use. Proportionally, the cost of keeping an old car on the road may be lower, but the costs are still there and seem almost neverending.

<Rant ON> and the parts available these days in most major catalogs seem like CHEAP CRAP with expensive price tags.<Rant OFF>

At least when you buy a roll of KChrome, Ektar, or any of those, you know what you're getting.

And it would look better as eye candy if it had a camera attached to it :laugh:

-Bill

 

[DrEntropy]

I do alot of my writing with either a fountain pen or an Hermes 3000 typewriter. My favorite music is on vinyl. One of my favorite cameras is a Pentax Spotmatic that uses <gasp> film in it, and I drive a 35 year old car most days...

Is everything that everyone does *really* practical or sensible?

Okay, okay...Spotmatics are my second fave. I still shoot primarily with Nikons: F3 with a motor and an' FE coupled to an MD-11. My FtN and F2 are the backups. The F2 has been around th' planet at least twice. I deviate at writing tho... OpenOffice and this Linux box.

Th music?!?! It *IS* primarily on vinyl. But I've duplicated too much of it with CD's... call it GREED. :wink:

As for the daily transport? It's by default an Italian rustpig. My "druthers" would be th' 40+ year-old Lotus S-3 but that just ain't smart any longer.

 

[wkilleffer]

I will confess to owning an ipod. The amp and turntable are too cumbersome to lug between the office and the Y.

Also, I don't use the Spotmatic for everything. My brother got me a Minox 35GL for Christmas that gets heavy use cause, well, it takes great pictures. We have a digital camera that's pretty good, but it needs a new battery and they're not cheap. Unlike the batteries for alot of older film cameras, it can't be found at the nearest Walgreens.

I do some writing on computers. My Macbook with iWork '08 has been handy many times. I'm thinking about loading Ubuntu onto the 3-year old Mac mini.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I recognize the place of modern technology in our lives. But sometimes there's something fun and satisfying in picking up a piece from the past and putting it to work.

 

[DrEntropy]

We're gizmo freaks. Bottom line. :wink:

Now an old Arri 16 with a 400' mag and a couple battery belts, well... :laugh:

 

[RobT]

You can still buy and have processed double-8mm film. Note it is different to Super 8mm. Double 8mm is 16mm film with extra register holes punched in it, and can be processed using the same equipment as 16mm. Making it is also straight forward - folks take 16mm film stock and run it through a machine that stamps the extra holes.

More info at:

https://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/

The really nice 8mm gear was made by the Swiss company Bolex.

Beautiful equipment, no plastic parts, and since it is archaic, you can pick it up for a song on e-bay. Here is a great guide to their stuff:

https://www.bolexcollector.com/

And, yes, I do have a bunch of 8mm gear, and have shot a fair bit of film over even the last couple of years. As the good Dr points out, we are gizmo freaks, and the very best gizmos were manufactured in the 60's. You can actually understand how they work, and stand a chance of fixing them when they don't.

Get addicted - its fun and cheap (compared to old cars anyway).

Rob.

 

[DrEntropy]

You cine/MoPic guys... sheesh. 18 frames a second.

I have to do it one frame at a time.

"Sniper vs. Gatling gun"!!!