C-8S
- Format
- 8mm
- Introduced
- 1958
- Original archive
- View preserved page ↗
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Paillard Bolex C-8S camera for standard 8mm film
At a glance
- Overall Dimensions
- 5" x 3 1/2" x 2"
- Weight
- Approximately 28 oz.
- Lens Mount
- Accommodates one standard D mount lens.
- Single Speed
- 16 frames per second.
- Tripod Socket
- 1/4" thread
Specifications in detail
- Outer Case
- Highly polished duraluminium body, covered in genuine Morocco leather. Metal parts are chrome-plated.
- Film Capacity
- 25ft daylight loading spools of double run 8mm film. When a roll runs through the camera, only half the width of film is exposed. The spool is then reversed and run through again, exposing the other half. When processed, film is split and spliced together giving 50' for projection. Projection time at 16 fps for 25' roll is 4 minutes.
- Threading
- manual, with no loop forming; with the pressure pad opened the film is simply placed over a guide roller, threaded behind the gate, over the bottom guide roller and onto the takeup spool.
- Motor
- Constant speed, spring motor mechanism; governor controlled. Generous winding key, attached to the camera, folds back against its side when not in use. Spring cannot be over-wound.
- Viewfinder
- optical type; shows the scene as viewed by a standard focal length lens. Accessory prism attachments adapt the viewfinder field to 5.5mm and 36mm, as well as parallax correction for close distance filming.
- Release Button
- continuous exposures can be made by a sliding release lever or cable release. The lever can be locked to prevent accidental exposures, or set for continuous hands-free filming.
- Shutter
- 165 degree disc shutter gives an exposure time of 1/35th second at 16fps.
- Footage Counter
- Precise reading of exposed film footage. Audible end-of-film signal. Resets to zero upon reloading.
- Single Frame
- A cable release socket allows the user to expose single frames for filming animation, titles, etc.
Serial numbers & production years
As documented on this model’s archived page. Look up any serial on the serial lookup page.
| Serial range | Year |
|---|---|
| 713,501 – 745,000 | 1958 |
| 745,000 – 822,000 | 1959 |
| 822,000 – 885,000 | 1960 |
| 885,000 – 910,000 | 1961 |
| 910,000 – 973,000 | 1962 |
| 973,000 – 984,500 | 1963 |
Related models
Double 8mm cameras of the same period· 1950s Cameras
The original archive
The preserved BolexCollector.com page, exactly as captured.