PRODUCT PROFILE - October 2003
The Exquisite Bauers - True Craft and Design  

The Bauer C Royal runs on 6-AA batteries located in the permanent hand grip which also power the internal light meter - no "button battery" concerns here thankfully. Its weight is just about right with no tendency to feel top heavy or otherwise unbalanced. The leather is especially pleasing as is the fantastic optical effect the footage counter gives off. It just makes you want to see the numbers rotate. The camera offers 18, 24 and 54 frames per second as a permanent switch while there is also a secondary 54-fps momentary botton. The zoom, while a bit fast as are 99% of the super 8 camera zooms out there, is very smooth and continues to run until fading to a soft stop (and start) once you release (or press) the rocker switch.

In contrast, the C8 Makro has managed to reduce the AA battery requirements to only four. The finish on the camera is excellent and the full featured control panel a nice touch. The camera introduced a 9fps setting (not sure why that undercranked feature was so popular??) as well as a 36fps setting. Other speeds include 18, 24 and single frame. The view through the finder is nice but a bit old-school. Stick with bright, high contrast subjects for best viewing conditions. The macro feature is excellent and can be used at any focal length setting - A very nice feature when you cannot get to close to those small subjects. This camera would make an EXCELLENT animation camera given these features. Both cameras offer the ability to preset your aperture so as to avoid any unexpected lighting changes.

Interestingly, the C Royal camera has a provision for a side accessory that screws into the left side of the camera body. It then allows for smooth fades using the camera's unique variable shutter capabilities. Speaking of which, the camera offers a variable shutter! This is just the ticket for performing fades with no change in the depth of field of the scene. The dial is also well suited to performing a manual fades with ease. Finally, the camera also has the ability to perform in-camera dissolves but this is best done with the accessory attachment.

The Bauer C Royal also accepts a battery booster which contains 3-AA batteries for storage in your pocket during cold shoots. With the advent of modern alkaline batteries, this may not be necessary but does provide good piece of mind.

Generally, all of the Bauer cameras are worthwhile to acquire with a special pre-disposition towards the "Royal" line of cameras. Manufactured in Germany, these cameras offer pleasing aesthetics, good value, and ultra-sharp lenses. As mentioned elsewhere in this website, the Royal 8E Makro and it's bigger sibling, the 10E offer incredible abilities aincluding the very rare ability to expose each frame for as along as necessary to render an image - particularly useful in street light scenes and city views at night. Combined with a tripod and backwinding, you could double expose an image for that classic telephoto moon shot against a city skyline!

As for picture rendering on film, the Bauer's provide for excellent sharpness and awesome color. Don't be fooled by the age of the lenses - they do perform and will offer precise focus, contrast, and saturation. I took my C Royal sailing on San Francisco Bay and was very impressed with the results. You will not be disappointed with these cameras.

In order to find one of these gems, keep your eyes peeled on the online auctions. I found the C8 Makro for only $29.99. At those prices, you can barely buy a tank of gas here in California! So, skip a week's worth of driving and starting hunting those auctions. By the way, I was the only bidder! And if that is not enough reason, I also found a Canon Autofocus 310XL Sound camera, new in the box for $25 - again I was the only bidder! (Review still to come.)

In the physical world, I found the Bauer C Royal at a camera swap meet for $30. And trust me, people will laugh when you ask them about super 8mm cameras. Just be sure to respond with an innocent sounding question about how their latest digital picture taking is going. Rest assured they are producing crappy images compared to what can be captured on wonderful film (pick a format). To say nothing of the expensive printer inks, "photo quality" paper, and time. Me? I would rather shoot film and spend the rest of my time making webpages to share the excitement of a by-gone, over-engineered era! Don't let those old fools get you down...

I hope you enjoyed this photo essay on two great cameras!

Happy Film Shooting!