The Bell and Howell Model 1201 Super 8 Movie Camera : Retro Tech Review

In this video I take a look at a very interesting Super 8 home movie camera. This is the Bell and Howell Model 1201 movie camera.
I bought this second hand back in the mid 1990's. I used it quite a lot, and I always found it to be reliable and easy to use. In this video I go over the various features of this camera, plus I talk about my own experiences shooting with Super 8 motion picture film.
As I mentioned, Super 8 can be loads of fun to shoot with. It is a great way to get that classic movie look, without having to pay more for 16mm or even 35mm movie stocks. Many independent rock bands have shot music videos on Super 8. It is also still used by many underground filmmakers.
But, overall, it is definitely not cheap to work with. As I mention in the video, even way back in the 90s when I was shooting with this format, the film cartridges themselves would easily sell for $20-$25 each. And developing would be another $25-$30. Now, from what I have seen online, it seems to be twice that amount for both the film and developing.
However, there are places that offer package deals. You can get the cartridge, developing and digital scanning of your footage in one big package deal. Again, this is still not cheap, especially when you consider that you only get a little over 3 minutes for each film cartridge.
But, when considering the sheer fun of shooting with Super 8, you may want to ignore the cost and do it anyway. It is indeed a very fun format to work with!
As I suggest in the video, you can have the best of both worlds by shooting on Super 8, but then having your footage digitized. That way you can edit the footage digitally. So, you have the classic look of movie film, with the potential of digital editing.
This is a great little camera. If you happen to stumble upon one in the second hand market that still works, you should definitely pick it up!
Are you into Super 8? Have you done a lot of work with Super 8? What do you think of it? Did you actually use it as a home movie format way back in the day? Are you a student filmmaker who has used it? Where do you get your Super 8 film developed? Feel free to leave a comment!
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