GAF SS-805 Instruction Manual

GAF° SUPER 8

-

SOUND MOVIE CAMERA
INSTRUCTIONS

SS 805

FEATURES

1.

Automatic/Manual ex­posure selector wheel

2.

Movie light socket

3.

Filter button
Zoom ring with focal length

4.
scale and zoom handle

5.

Focusing ring with distance
scale

6.

Neutral density filter
switch

7.

Viewfinder eyecup

8.

Viewfinder eyepiece

adjustment wheel

9.

Footage indicator
Fade control switch

10.

11.

Backlight button

12.

Exposure battery tester/
monitor button

13.

Battery test light

14.

Motor battery tester
Power zoom switches

15.

16.

Film cartridge compart­ment cover latch

17.

Film type identification
window

18.

Viewfinder light stop

19.

Automatic exposure
adjustment switch

20.

Viewfinder

21. Trigger release

©GAF Corporation 1974

2

22.

Zooming-speed control

23.

24.

25.

26.

27.

28.

29.

30.
Remote control outlet
Microphone outlet
Earphone monitor outlet
Electric eye battery
compartment
Audio gain switch
Tripod socket
Battery charger outlet
(also used for battery
booster pack)
Motor battery compartment
cover

@Reg. U.S. Pat. Off.; Marca Registrada;

Marque Deposee; GAF Corporation, New York, N.Y. U.S.A

Camera appearance
subject to minor changes

3

I

NDEX

Features
Condensed instructions
Installing electric-eye battery
Installing motor batteries

Testing batteries

Lens cap
Loading the camera
Film movement indicator
Footage indicator
Film end signal

Unloading exposed film

Locking the trigger release

Using the viewfinder

Focusing
Using the zoom lens
Exposure
Neutral density filter
Adjusting automatic exposure
Making movies
Backlight button
Outdoor movies
Indoor movies
Fade-in/fade-out control
Remote control
Lens shade
Filter size
Camera care
Sound movies
Microphone
Recording level
Recording signal
Microphone used as remote control

Editing sound movies
Monitoring the sound
Tips for better sound movies
Specifications

4

2

4

6

6

6

7

7

8

8

9

9

10

12

13

13

14

14

14

15

15

16

16

17

17

17

18

18
18

22

Details
on page

5

6

6

17

18

Set audio gain switch

6.
to desired position

7.

Adjust viewfinder to
your eyesight

8.

Focus

Turn Automatic/Manual

9.
exposure selector switch

to click stop in "AUTO"

position

Observe subject through

10.

viewfinder and depress
trigger release halfway—
if needle at bottom of
viewfinder image moves
into area between red
segments, start filming
by depressing trigger
release all the way

Read entire booklet for detailed

CONDENSED

NSTRUCTIONS

I

Install batteries

1.

5

Test batteries

5

7

8

12

2.

Insert sound film

3.
cartridge

Plug in microphone,

4.
place it close to and
aimed at subject

Check sound record-

5.

ing light inside
viewfinder while
monitor button is held
depressed. Light will
flicker as sound of
sufficient level reaches
microphone. Sound
quality may be checked
with earphone
while monitor button

is held depressed.

Details
on page

17

8

9

10

13

information

18

19

I

NSTALLING ELECTRIC-EYE

BATTERY

A 6-volt silver oxide battery
(Eveready 544) powers the elec­tric eye. It is supplied with the
camera, either installed, or packed
separately in the camera box.

To insert battery:

Place camera on flat surface,

1.

upside down. Turn battery com­partment cover on bottom of
camera about

1

/4 turn in direction
of arrow, counterclockwise, as
shown in

Fig. 1.

Remove cover.

1

2

2.

Place battery in compartment

with plus (+) side towards the

bottom of the compartment

(Fig. 2)

3.

I

.

Replace cover.

NSTALLING MOTOR

BATTERIES

Swing open motor battery com-

partment cover on the bottom of

the camera handle

(

Fig. 3

Load battery compartment with
six AA size 1.5 volt alkaline bat­teries. The correct orientation of
the plus (+)and minus (—) ends

3

4

of each battery is shown on label

Fig. 4

in compartment and in

.

Close cover.
Standard (non-rechargeable)
alkaline batteries will drive up to
8 sound or 15 silent cartridges of

m through camera. When alka-

fil

ne batteries are not available,

li
zinc-carbon flashlight batteries
may be used above 55F, but will
be good for about 2 sound or

).

5 silent cartridges.

I

mportant:

Clean all battery
contacts before inserting and
thereafter at regular intervals.

Wipe both sides of each battery
with a rough material to remove

deposits. Since batteries may
develop a leak, remove them
before camera is stored.

Note:

In cold weather keep bat­teries warm, as cold batteries
tend to become inactive. To assure
adequate power, an auxiliary

battery pack (available as an

accessory) may be plugged into

battery charger socket. Keep
battery pack warm by carrying
it in inside coat pocket.

5

TESTING BATTERIES

Depress tester button marked

"Exp." ("A" in

electric eye battery.

Note:

Electric-eye battery tester

operates only when motor bat-

teries are installed.

Depress tester button marked
"Mot." ("B" in

motor batteries. If the batteries
are good, depressing either button
will turn on a green light in the
battery tester window ("C" in

Fig. 5).

dark while a button is held
depressed, the battery(ies) indi­cated by that button must be

5

Fig. 5)

Fig. 5

If the window remains

to test

) to test

replaced. Rechargeable motor
batteries may be recharged ac-

cording to instructions supplied
'with accessory battery recharger.
Test batteries again after

recharging.

LENS CAP

To remove:

Depress protruding tabs simul­taneously and pull cap away from

lens.

To attach:

Depress protruding tabs, press
cap against front opening of lens

barrel and release tabs.

LOADING THE CAMERA

Pull back latch and swing open

m compartment cover

fil

Insert Super 8 sound movie film

cartridge, label side up, film in
smaller opening toward lens. The
wider notch in the cartridge near
the label must be
tridge-locking pin
down the rear corners of the
cartridge until it clicks into
place.
Close cover firmly.
As the camera is loaded, the
cartridge automatically sets the
correct film speed for exposure
control. Use a film with 25/40 or

6

7

under

Fig. 7).

(

(

Fig. 6

the car-

).

Press

6

100/160 daylight/tungsten ASA

fil

m speed combination, or the

universal (type G) ASA 160 film.

The camera also accepts regular

(silent) Super 8 film cartridges
having the same ASA speeds

mportant: While handling

I
cartridge, avoid touching the
film. Moving film in either
aperture may cause the car­tridge to jam, making it
unusable.

As the footage indi­cator will continue to operate even
when the film is jammed, make
sure that the film advances prop­erly by observing the "Film Move-

ment Indicator" described below.

FILM MOVEMENT INDICATOR

A fast or slow flickering in the

m movement indicator above

fil
the viewfinder image (shown in

Fig. 8)

indicates that the film is

advancing properly. If the flicker-

ing does not start, or stops before
the end of the film is reached, the
cartridge may be defective and
should be replaced.

FOOTAGE INDICATOR

The needle in the footage indi-

cator shows how many feet

(yellow figures) or meters (white
figures) of film have been ex-

posed. All the film in the car-

8

tridge has been exposed when
the needle reaches 50 (feet) and
15 (meters).

FILM END SIGNAL

When almost all the film in the

cartridge has been used, a red
signal appears at the top of the

m movement indicator in the

fil
viewfinder (shown in

Fig. 8).

red area extends gradually. All
the film has been exposed when
the entire circle is covered and
the film advance indicator stops
flickering.

The

*When silent cartridges are used, the

camera will run slightly faster, at approxi­mately 20 frames-per-second.

7

UNLOADING EXPOSED FILM

When all the film has been
exposed, open the film compart­ment cover.
Depress all the way red "Eject"

9

button (shown in

Fig.

) and lift

out cartridge. The word

"EXPOSED" now appears on the

m in the smaller opening.

fil

HAVE THE FILM PROCESSED
WITHOUT DELAY

If a partially-exposed cartridge is
removed from the camera, some

m is lost and the needle in the

fil
footage indicator returns to zero.

LOCKING THE TRIGGER
RELEASE

The trigger release can be locked

in two positions:

1.

To prevent accidental opera­tion of the camera, lock trigger
by pushing it up, in the direction
of the arrow

2.

To get into the scene, place

(

Fig. 10

).

camera on a tripod, aim it at the
scene, focus, turn the light-stop
knob to the left*

(

Fig. 11

),

depress
trigger release, then push it up
to lock it. The camera will keep

running until the trigger release
is unlocked.

USING

THE VIEWFINDER

The bright, through-the-lens re­flex viewfinder shows each scene
as it will appear projected on the
screen.* The rubber shield on the
viewfinder eyepiece may be turned
to fit either eye.
To adjust the viewfinder to your
eye:

Zoom lens to the 60mm tele-

1.
photo position by depressing

front power-zoom switch, marked

"Tele".

2. Align the ∞ (infinity) symbol on

the focusing ring distance scale
with the reference line on top of

9

MPORTANT:

I

with microphone switch or accessory remote control,

When camera is operated in the remote mode, either

10

unlock trigger release BEFORE removing film cartridge.

*The light-stop knob closes the viewfinder

to prevent light from entering the optical
system from the rear. To open the view­finder, turn the light-stop knob to the right.

8

be sure to

11

"If the view is blocked, turn the light-stop

knob to the right.

the lens barrel
through viewfinder at an object
at least 500 feet away.

Turn the milled adjustment

3.

wheel
then counterclockwise, until

i
microprism area.

Fig. 13)

(

mage is sharpest in the circular

(

Fig. 12

first clockwise,

),

then look

FOCUSING

Zoom lens to telephoto position

(align figure 60 on zoom ring with
reference line). Turn focusing ring
until subject's image appears

sharp on milcroprism focusing

disk in viewfinder
microprism area is blurred (as in

Fig. 15

will be blurred, also.

The distance scale may also be
used for focusing. Line up with
the reference line the figure on
the focusing ring that corresponds
with the camera-to-subject dis­tance in feet.
For example, if the camera-to-

subject distance is 5 feet, then
the figure 5 is lined up with the

reference line (Fig. 16

the image on the film

),

Fig. 14).

(

If the

).

USING THE ZOOM LENS

The zoom lens does the work of
several separate lenses. It has an
8 to 1 focal length range and is

continuously adjustable from the

7.5mm wide-angle setting to the
60mm telephoto setting.

I

mportant!

lens is in the long telephoto posi­tion (40 to 60mm), the slightest
camera motion will result in a
jumpy screen image. To keep the
camera steady when the lens is
used in the 40 to 60mm telephoto

range, use a tripod, where feas­ible, or steady camera by placing
elbows on a firm support.

When the zoom

12

13

1614

15

9

When lined up with the reference

ne, the figures 7.5, 10, 15, 25, 40,

li
and 60 on the focal-length scale
around the lens indicate in milli-

meters the focal length of the

lens at that setting. For example,
when 15 is lined up with the ref­erence line (as in

Fig. 16),

effective focal length of the lens

is 15 millimeters.
The zoom feature is used to con­trol the subject's image size and
the area included in the scene. At
the 7.5mm wide-angle setting the
subject's image is the smallest
and the surrounding area in­cluded is the greatest. From the
same camera position the 60mm
telephoto setting will make the
subject largest and it will reduce
the amount of surrounding area.

At in-between settings, the sub­ject's size and the area covered
will vary between the two

extremes.

When the front power-zoom
switch (marked "Tele") is de-

pressed, the lens zooms toward

the telephoto (60mm) position.
When the rear power-zoom
switch (marked "Wide") is de-

pressed, the lens zooms toward

the wide-angle (7.5mm) position.

10

the

The zoom feature may be utilized

in two ways:

To control the subject's size in

1.
the image, depress either zoom
switch to bring the lens to the
end of the zoom range, then de-

press the other zoom switch and

observe the subject in the view-

finder. When the size is right,
stop zooming and start the
camera.

The subject's size may be

2.

changed while the camera is run­ning. To get a moving-toward­the-subject effect, depress the
front ("Tele") power-zoom switch.
Depressing the rear ("Wide")
switch will result in a moving­away-from-the-subject effect.*

The focal length of the lens may
also be adjusted manually by
raising and lowering handle at­tached to zoom ring.

The power-zoom speed control
set to "S" (slow) provides a satis­factory zooming rate for most
movies. When a faster zooming

rate is desired, turn the continu­ously-adjustable speed control
toward "F" slowly and stop when
the required zooming speed has
been reached.

EXPOSURE

The through-the-lens CdS ex-

posure meter provides com-

pletely automatic exposure con­trol when the exposure selector
wheel is turned to the click stop

(

in the "AUTO" position

Fig. 17

The needle in the viewfinder
shows the f/stop set by the elec­tric eye.
Some lens openings on the f/stop
scale are indicated by dots. The

lens openings represented by the
dots are shown in

Fig. 18.

To check light level, depress
trigger release halfway.
When the light is too low to pro-

17

When the camera is packed or stored,
make sure that the zoom switches

*

are not pressed against an object.
Depressing either zoom switch will
keep the zoom motor operating, ex­hausting the batteries.

).

duce properly-exposed movies,
the needle remains in the red
area at the left side of the f/stop
scale

(

Fig. 19

Movies made with the needle in
that position will be too dark,
underexposed. In extreme cases
of underexposure the film may
not even show an image.
To prevent underexposure, stop
making movies when the needle
touches or is in the red area on
the left side of the scale.
Do not make movies with the
camera pointed at the sun or
other bright light source. The

18

).

bright light will influence the
electric eye and make the pictures
too dark.
When the light is too bright, the

needle touches or enters the red
area on the right end of the scale

in the viewfinder. This may occur
when the camera is loaded with
fast film and is used in bright light

(in sunlight or under extremely
bright artificial illumination).
Movies made with the needle in
the red area on the right side of
the scale will be too light, over­exposed (see "Neutral Density
Filter" section below).

19

To set the lens opening manually,
turn selector wheel clockwise,
toward "MANUAL", until needle in
viewfinder is over the desired

f/stop.

Fig. 20,

shows the lens opening set at f/8.
In the manual mode, use an ex­posure meter to establish the

correct lens opening for the pre­vailing light level. Set film speed
scale of exposure meter at ASA
speed of film (as indicated on film

box or in film instruction sheet),
then read lens opening at the 1/40
second shutter speed. Set the

camera lens opening 1.5 stops

20

for example,

11

larger than that indicated by the

exposure meter to provide the

usual exposure compensation
required by all wide-range zoom
lenses calibrated in f/stops. For

example, if the exposure meter

indicates a lens opening of f/5.6,

set needle in viewfinder halfway
between f/2.8 (dot) and f/4.

NEUTRAL DENSITY FILTER

To prevent overexposure, the

camera features a built-in .6 neu­tral density (ND) filter. When the
needle in the viewfinder reaches
the red area at the right side of the
scale, turn ND button to the left,
as far as it will go, to align the

dot with the white index line on
the camera body
the neutral density filter posi­tioned in the lens system, the

needle will swing to the left, out of
the red area. Remember to retract

neutral density filter when it is no

longer needed by turning button
to the right to align white dot with

index line

I

mportant:

button as far as it will go; do not

leave it in an "in-between"
position.

(

Fig. 21

(

Fig. 22

).

Always turn the ND

).

red

With

ADJUSTING AUTOMATIC
EXPOSURE

The factory-adjusted automatic
exposure corresponds to inter­national standards. Most users
find it ideal. Since tastes vary,
however, an exposure-adjustment
knob is provided for increasing or
decreasing the exposure set by
the automatic electric eye.
In the normal position, the zero
mark on the exposure-adjustment
knob is set at the white index line,
as shown in
exposure (lighter image), turn the
knob clockwise with a coin. The
amount of exposure increase de-

21

22

Fig. 23.

For more

pends on how far the knob is
turned. Each dot near the word
"Lighter" represents a plus 1/3
f/stop exposure increase. There­fore, aligning the first (closest to
the zero) dot with the index line
will result in a 1/3 f/stop exposure
increase (about 30%). The second
dot set at the index line will give a
2/3 stop increase (about 65%),
while the third dot will provide a
full f/stop (100%) exposure in­crease. F
index line may be set between the
dots.

23

finer adjustment, the

or

12

For a darker image, turn knob
counterclockwise. Each dot near
the word "Darker" indicates 1/3
f/stop less exposure, with the
maximum full f/stop exposure de­crease reached at the third dot
from the zero. Use in-between
settings for finer adiustment.

MAKING MOVIES

mportant:

I

Manual selector wheel to the
click-stop at the "AUTO" position.
Make sure trigger is unlocked.

Always

Turn Automatic/

depress release

slowly.

When the camera is loaded, the
lens focused, and the viewfinder
adjusted to your eye, just press
the trigger to make movies auto­matically. Keep camera level and
steady. Camera movement and
inaccurate focusing are especially
noticeable when the lens is used
in the telephoto position. Use a
tripod whenever feasible; the
tripod socket is on the bottom of
the camera handle.

BACKLIGHT BUTTON

When the sun is behind the sub­ject, the area facing the camera is

usually too dark. To lighten the
dark areas in the image, keep the
backlight button depressed

(

Fig.24) while the camera is

running.

24

13

OUTDOOR MOVIES

A built-in orange filter, positioned

behind the lens, adjusts the

camera to outdoor work with

indoor film.

Bright or hazy sunlight coming
from behind or from either side of
the camera is best for outdoor
movies. For backlighted scenes,

remember to keep the backlight
button depressed while the
camera is running.

I

NDOOR MOVIES

Accessory GAF'' movie light

models and similar units fit the

socket on top of the camera.

Attaching the movie light adjusts

the camera automatically to film­ing under artificial illumination by
retracting the daylight (orange)

filter from the optical system.

If a movie light of a type that does

not fit the socket, a floodlight, or
existing artificial light is used, the
filter button must be held de-

pressed while the camera is run-

ning

(

Fig. 25).

method, the movie light plug,
supplied with camera, may be
screwed into the movie light
socket

25

(

Fig. 26

As an alternate

).

Do not forget to remove the movie
li

ght plug for outdoor movies.

When loaded with the universal
type G film, camera will operate

correctly under any type of illumi­nation, without adjustment.

FADE-IN/FADE-OUT
CONTROL

The automatic fade-in/fade-out
feature may be used to add a

"professional" touch to movie
presentations.

When the fade-in control is used,

the image in the projected scene

26

14

will emerge gradually from com­plete darkness. To fade-in a scene,
depress trigger release halfway,
then depress fade control switch
and watch the movement of the
needle in the viewfinder. As the
needle comes to a stop at the
extreme right end
the camera and release the fade
control switch.
When the control is used for a
fade-out, the image in the pro­jected scene will turn dark gradu­ally. To fade-out at the end of a
scene, depress the fade control
switch while the camera is run-

(

Fig. 27

),

start

ning and hold it depressed. Keep
the camera running until the
needle in the viewfinder reaches
the black portion within the red
segment (as shown in

Fig. 27

REMOTE CONTROL

The accessory remote control
cord has a plug at one end and a
switch at the other.
Place the camera on a tripod or
other solid support, aim it at the
scene, focus, then turn the
viewfinder light-stop knob to the
left. Insert the plug into the remote
control socket, slide the remote

27

switch to "off", then press the
trigger and lock it. Locking the
trigger in the "running" position

).

will not operate the camera when
the remote control cord is
plugged in.
Operate the camera from a
distance with the remote control
switch.

LENS SHADE

(black rubber ring packed sepa-

rately in camera box)
Snap open collapsible lens shade
so that smooth side is out. Screw
metal center ring, clockwise, into
threaded front end of lens mount.
Do not force.
Use lens shade outdoors and in­doors, to prevent glare caused by
stray light falling on lens. Do not
use lens shade when a movie
li

ght is attached to the camera.

15

FILTER SIZE

The lens accommodates a Series

VIII filter in

0.75 mm thread-pitch screw-in
mount, or in a 61 mm slip-on
mount.

a 58 mm diameter x

CAMERA CARE

Protect camera from dirt, rain,

dampness, and excessive heat.
Avoid touching the lens. To clean

lens, breathe on it first, then wipe
it gently with a soft, lintless cloth

or tissue. Do not use chemically
treated eyeglass tissues as they

might damage the lens coating.

Clean out the interior of the

camera occasionally with a
camel-hair brush, paying special
attention to the film gate

Do not attempt to remove or oil

any part of the camera. If anything

goes wrong, don't try to repair it

yourself. Take it to a dealer, or

send it to the nearest GAF
Consumer Photo Service Center

sted below.

li

(Fig. 28).

GAF CORPORATION
Consumer Photo Service
Center

Emma St.
Binghamton, N.Y. 13902

3500 North Kostner Ave.
Chicago, III. 60641

16217 Kittridge St.
Van Nuys, California 91406

58-10 Broadway
Woodside, New York 11377

P.O. Box 490
Portland, Ore. 97207

16

28

4601 Winters Chapel Road

P.O. Box 47999

Atlanta, Ga. 30340

I

N CANADA
GAF (Canada) Limited
Consumer Photo Service
Center

70 Alexdon Road
Downsview, Ontario

9411 Cote De Liesse
Dorval, Quebec

1195 West 8 Ave.
Vancouver 9, Brit. Col.

I

mportant:

sale (dated sales slip with name
and address of dealer) is now
accepted as proof of purchase for
establishing the warranty period.
No warranty card is provided. To
help identification in case of loss
or theft, keep among your per­sonal records the camera model
designation (GAF SS 805) and the
serial number appearing near the
tripod socket on the bottom of the
camera handle.

The original bill of

SOUND MOVIES

Making sound movies with the

GAP(R) SS
However, to fully utilize its
sophisticated sound components
for recording clear, true sound on
your film, study and follow the
"Tips for Better Sound Movies"
section below.

805 camera is simple.

MICROPHONE

The microphone is equipped with
an on/off switch and a 15-foot
wire that permits placing the
microphone near the subject. The
wire ends in a two-pronged plug.
Insert the plug into the micro­phone outlets of the camera, as
shown in
the way. Depress each battery
tester button in turn, for an
instant, to be sure that batteries
are O.K. Slide microphone switch
to "ON". You are now ready to

make sound movies.

29

Fig. 29.

Push in plug all

If the wire is too short for proper
placement of the mike, use an
accessory microphone extension
cord.

RECORDING LEVEL

The camera is equipped with a
gain control that automatically
adjusts the sound level as it is

being recorded. A high-low audio

gain switch is also provided. In

most instances this switch is set at

the

in
used to suppress background
noise and when the to-be-recorded

sound is too loud.

30

(high) position, as shown

"H"

Fig. 30.

The "L" low position is

17

RECORDING SIGNAL

A flickering green light is visible

inside the viewfinder when sound
is being recorded while the
camera is running*. When the
sound source is too weak, the
green light will not appear, while
it will stay on without flickering if
the sound is too loud or when

there is too much background

noise.

MICROPHONE USED AS
REMOTE CONTROL

The camera can be started and

stopped by operating the On/Off
switch on the microphone. This
allows the camera operator to be
in the picture without using film
while he gets there. It also permits

ming and interviewing by one

fil
person.

To use the microphone as a remote

control: Place camera on tripod,

aim it at the subject. Plug in micro-

phone and slide switch on
microphone to "Off" Focus. Close

viewfinder by turning light-stop

knob to the left. Depress shutter

The flickering green light appears only

"

when the camera is loaded with sound

m, the microphone is plugged in, and the

fil
electric eye battery is good (as it also

powers the sound system).

18

release and lock it. Take your
place in the scene and start
camera by sliding microphone
switch to "On". Camera will keep
running and sound will be
recorded until mike is switched
"Off".

EDITING SOUND MOVIES

Sound movies may be edited as
silent movies, with some restric­tions. The sound recording for
each frame precedes the image by
18 frames. As a result, the film
cannot be cut at just any point:
entire scenes must be cut out and
spliced together. To provide room
for cutting, without transferring
sounds to the wrong scene, run
the camera for about two seconds
before starting to record sound
for the scene and stop recording
about two seconds before the
camera is stopped after the scene.
These gaps will permit editing
without cutting away portions of
the sound.

MONITORING THE SOUND

The flickering recording signal in
the viewfinder shows that sound is
being recorded.

With the earphone
plugged into the monitor outlet
of the camera it is possible to
hear the sound being recorded
while it is being recorded. This
allows the operator to constantly
check (and correct at the source,
if necessary) the recorded sound.

MONITORING SOUND
WITHOUT RUNNING
THE CAMERA

This valuable feature permits the

operator to check and adjust the

sound before filming begins. It

can save a lot of film: the camera
does not have to be started until
microphone placement and sound
source have been checked and

found satisfactory.
To check the recording signal
without running the camera,

position microphone near sound
source, turned toward it, look into
viewfinder and depress monitor

button (same as electric eye tester

Fig.

5).

button, "A" in

The
flickering green light will appear
and continue to flicker as long as
the monitor button is held
depressed and sound of satis­factory level reaches the

microphone.

RECORDING SIGNAL

A flickering green light is visible

inside the viewfinder when sound
is being recorded while the
camera is running*. When the
sound source is too weak, the
green light will not appear, while
it will stay on without flickering if
the sound is too loud or when

there is too much background

noise.

MICROPHONE USED AS
REMOTE CONTROL

The camera can be started and

stopped by operating the On/Off
switch on the microphone. This
allows the camera operator to be
in the picture without using film
while he gets there. It also permits

ming and interviewing by one

fil
person.

To use the microphone as a remote

control: Place camera on tripod,

aim it at the subject. Plug in micro-

phone and slide switch on
microphone to "Off" Focus. Close

viewfinder by turning light-stop

knob to the left. Depress shutter

The flickering green light appears only

"

when the camera is loaded with sound

m, the microphone is plugged in, and the

fil
electric eye battery is good (as it also

powers the sound system).

18

release and lock it. Take your
place in the scene and start
camera by sliding microphone
switch to "On". Camera will keep
running and sound will be
recorded until mike is switched
"Off".

EDITING SOUND MOVIES

Sound movies may be edited as
silent movies, with some restric­tions. The sound recording for
each frame precedes the image by
18 frames. As a result, the film
cannot be cut at just any point:
entire scenes must be cut out and
spliced together. To provide room
for cutting, without transferring
sounds to the wrong scene, run
the camera for about two seconds
before starting to record sound
for the scene and stop recording
about two seconds before the
camera is stopped after the scene.
These gaps will permit editing
without cutting away portions of
the sound.

MONITORING THE SOUND

The flickering recording signal in
the viewfinder shows that sound is
being recorded.

With the earphone
plugged into the monitor outlet
of the camera it is possible to
hear the sound being recorded
while it is being recorded. This
allows the operator to constantly
check (and correct at the source,
if necessary) the recorded sound.

MONITORING SOUND
WITHOUT RUNNING
THE CAMERA

This valuable feature permits the

operator to check and adjust the

sound before filming begins. It

can save a lot of film: the camera
does not have to be started until
microphone placement and sound
source have been checked and

found satisfactory.
To check the recording signal
without running the camera,

position microphone near sound
source, turned toward it, look into
viewfinder and depress monitor

button (same as electric eye tester

Fig.

5).

button, "A" in

The
flickering green light will appear
and continue to flicker as long as
the monitor button is held
depressed and sound of satis­factory level reaches the

microphone.

To monitor sound with the

earphone without running the
camera, plug in earphone and
depress monitor button (electric
eye tester button). The sounds
reaching the microphone will be
heard while the button is held
depressed.

TIPS FOR BETTER SOUND

MOVIES

You may have heard of people who

ve near the elevated tracks and

li
are able to conduct a conversation
in normal tones as a train passes
by with deafening roar, while their
visitors cannot hear a word. Or
you may have taken part in a
conversation while someone was
watching TV in the room. Usually
the people conversing are not
aware of the TV sounds, while the
TV watcher is oblivious of the
conversation. The above are
examples of the human mind's
ability to be selective, to hear only
what it wants to hear, at the
exclusion of other sounds also

picked up by the ear. In the case
of the train this takes considerable
conditioning, while the TV
example is quite common.

The microphone of your sound

camera is like the human ear: it
will pick up all sounds reaching it.
However, it is not backed up by a
selective human mind. Remember
this when you plan your sound
movies. For clean, clear sound in
your movies you have to make
sure that only clear, clean sound

is allowed to reach the
microphone. The most common
causes of unsatisfactory sound

recording are background noise,
more than one sound source,
microphone placement and poor

location. Let's discuss these one
by one and see what can be done
about them.

Background noise

Background noise or ambient

noise level (as it is often called) is
the sum of sounds that exists at
the time of sound movie making,

in addition to the sound intended
to be recorded. A surprisingly

high level of background noise

can remain unnoticed by the

moviemaker due to his mind's
ability to ignore undesirable
sounds.

Checking the sounds reaching
the microphone with the earphone

is the best way to detect
background noise. With the
earphone all sounds reaching the

microphone will be heard as the
earphone represents a single
sound source, here the selectivity
of the human mind does not
apply.

What can you do about the

unwanted background noise.

Before we can answer, the
function of the automatic gain
control must be described.

The function of the automatic

gain control is to provide the

soundtrack recording head with

an optimum input that will result

in the best recorded sound
quality. To achieve this, the
control seeks out the loudest
sound that reaches the micro­phone and adjusts it to optimum

recording level. This works fine
when the loudness of the to-be­recorded sound is far above the
level of the background noise
(ambient noise level). As the
automatic gain adjusts the main
sound source, it also adjusts the
background noise in proportion,
so that the background noise will
be barely heard in the recording.

19

However, if the loudness of main
sound and background noise are
not too far apart, the background
noise will be recorded at a

disturbingly high level. This can

be prevented to a degree by
turning the audio gain control of
the camera to -L" (low), as shown

in

Fig. 31 ,

and placing the
microphone closer to the to-be­recorded sound source. The
lowered audio gain will reduce

the level of recorded background

noise, while the decreased

source-to-microphone distance
will raise the level of sound from
the main source. The result will be

a cleaner, clearer recording. The

"L"

(low) setting of the audio gain
control may be used to prevent
another undesirable effect caused
by background noise. When the
main sound source pauses
momentarily, as when a speaker
stops talking, the automatic audio

gain will amplify the only sound
available to it at the moment, the

background noise. The resulting

effect can be quite disturbing: in
one moment the speaker is heard
clearly, the next moment noises
can be heard, almost as loudly.
The remedy here is the same: turn
the audio gain control to "L" (low),
and place the mike closer to the
speaker.

20

There is another, and perhaps
best way to prevent background
noise from interfering with the

recorded sound: eliminate it. It is
often possible to silence the
offending background noise: an
air conditioner, TV, vacuum
cleaner in the next room, loud­ticking clock, etc. may often be
turned off or stopped. Another
way of preventing background
noise is by changing location:
move camera and subject to a
quieter place.

Wind can also cause background

noise in outdoor movies. While
itself silent, wind blowing over
the mike often causes a whistling
sound in the recording. To mini­mize wind noise, protect the
microphone with a shield formed
from approximately

1

/4 to

1

/2 inch

thick plastic foam sheet (available

in most 5 & 10 cent stores). Attach

the plastic foam to the micro-

phone with a rubber band, as

shown in

Fig. 32.

Wind screens
made for the purpose are also
available in many hi-fi stores.

To prevent camera noise from

being recorded, keep microphone

at a distance of

at least

3 feet

from the camera. If (particularly

in small rooms) the camera noise
persists, turn the audio gain

control to low ("L").

Handling the microphone can
also result in distracting back­ground noise. Rather than hold­ing it in the hand, it is better to
place the mike on its stand, or
tape it to some convenient object.
Professionals often hang up the
mike in front of and just above the
subject, outside of the picture
area. If there is an extra person to
hold it, the mike can be dangled
in place from the end of a fishing
pole.

31

32

More than one sound source

The most typical example of this
is several people talking at the
same time. As the "director and
producer" of a sound movie, be
firm with your subjects, stop them
from doing it. Occasionally, a

rehearsal will be needed to estab-

li

sh the order in which the subjects
will speak or the way they are to
conduct a conversation. What­ever it takes, make sure that only
one person will talk at a time.
This, of course, does not apply in
a scene where several people
wish happy birthday at the same
ti

me, and at similar occasions, but
the basic rule of clarity in sound
recording is that most of the time
only one person should be heard.
When due to circumstances more
than one sound source has to be
tolerated, place the microphone
close to the source to be recorded
and turn the audio gain control
to "L" (low).

Microphone placement

The microphone supplied with
the camera is omnidirectional: it
will pick up sounds coming from
all directions. This is desirable
when people gathered around the

microphone are to be heard, each
in its turn: the microphone will
pick up the speech of each person

with equal efficiency.

However, when one sound source

is to be favored over others, place
the microphone close to that
source, turned toward it, other­wise sound from other sources
will interfere with the sound from
the selected source. If needed, a

unidirectional accessory micro-

phone can be used. The camera

will accept any microphone with

an impedance of 200 to 600 ohms.

The unidirectional mike favors

sounds coming from the direction

it is facing; its use can result in

cleaner recorded sound under

certain conditions.

Do not let people talk directly into

the microphone: it can result in a

hissing noise every time a sibilant

letter is pronounced. Place the

mike lower, pointed upward, and

have the subject talk over the top

of it, rather than into it.

Poor location

Not every place lends itself to
sound recording. Some rooms,
for example, with uncovered floor
and walls can create an echo that

results in garbled recordings.
Carpeted floors, drapes and so­called acoustic ceilings tend to
absorb sound, rather than reflect

it, and usually result in cleaner

recording.
When monitoring with the ear-

phone shows that sound repro­duction is poor in spite of the best

mike placement and other precau­tions, it is better to change loca­tion than produce a movie with

poor sound.

MORE TIPS

More than anything else, advance

planning can help you produce
sound movies of high quality. Plan
the image and the sound as a

unit, let one reinforce the effect of
the other. Make notes, then use
them as you set up each scene.

When you make movies of "sound-

less" subjects, such as scenery,
add sound in the form of narrative,

music, or both, using the record-

ing function of the sound

projector.

21

Make your films more entertaining
by telling a story with your camera
(instead of just showing a series
of disconnected scenes). When
you film a child's birthday party,
for example, you can create a

simple story by including the
following scenes: getting up in
the morning, the beginning of
the "great day"—wrapping

presents—baking (or buying) the

birthday cake—getting dressed
for the party—arrival of guests—

party games—cutting the cake

—

guests leaving—cleaning up
after the party—etc. Another
example: To turn a travel-movie
into a story, include (in addition
to the usual "tourist attractions")
scenes showing personal aspects
of the trip: the family getting ready
— leaving home—overnight stops
—

roadside restaurants—shopping
for gifts— unusual people you
meet— heading for home—etc.

Utilize your zoom lens: shoot
several scenes of each subject,
some at the wide-angle, others at
the normal and telephoto settings.
Use the power-zoom (sparingly)
to get striking effects. Vary overall
views with closeups in each scene.

Do not restrict yourself to movie­making outdoors in sunny

weather. Scenes made on cloudy

days, even in rain, add variety,

will make your movie more inter-

esting. Mixing indoor and outdoor
scenes also helps.

Titles connect scenes into a
smooth-flowing presentation.
Camera stores sell a variety of
titling outfits. Follow the instruc­tions supplied with the titler.
You can also make good titles
without a titler, by including
close-ups of signs in your movies.

Practically every place you film
has a sign you can use as a title.
In addition, road and street signs,
billboards, and even mail boxes
can be utilized to identify and
describe your subject.

The audience will enjoy your

movies more if you set up the
projector and the screen in
advance. When the spectators
are seated, you will only have to
flick the switch and the show is
on.

SPECIFICATIONS

Type

Super 8 sound movie camera

Lens

Chinon Reflex Zoom Lens f/1.7

7.5 to 60 mm

Viewfinder

Single-lens reflex type with
microprism focusing spot­f/stop, over/underexposure
signal, green LED recording
signal, film advance and film
end indicators are visible in
viewfinder—viewfinder eyepiece
adjustment range +2/-4 diopters

—viewfinder rear light-stop is

provided

Exposure

through-the-lens automatic

CdS

exposure control with ±1 stop
adjustment— manual override
also provided—f/stop range
f/1.7-22

Films accomodated

50-foot Super 8 sound or silent
fil

m cartridges

ASA film speed range

Daylight ASA 25, 100 (160 with
Type G film), tungsten light
ASA 40, 160

Backlight exposure
compensation

Pushbutton provides plus one
stop exposure

22

Filming speed

18 frames-per-second with sound
cartridge, 20 fps with silent
cartridge

Zoom

Variable-speed power zoom with
separate "Wide" and "Tele"
switches—zoom ring with handle
for manual control

Fade-in/Fade-out

Pushbutton controlled fading
action with indicator visible in
viewfinder
ND

filter

.6 neutral density filter with
in/out switch

Battery tester

Separate buttons activate signal

lamp for motor and electric-eye/

amplifier batteries

Footage indicator

Sliding rule type, indicates feet
from 0 to 50 and meters from 0 to

1

5—automatically returns to zero

when cartridge is removed

Outlets

Outlets are provided for micro­phone—earphone monitor—

remote control— battery charger/

booster pack

Power sources

Motor batteries: 9 volts, provided
by six 1.5 volt AA-size alkaline
batteries Amplifier/exposure
meter battery: 6 volts, supplied
by one silver-oxide battery
(Eveready 544)

Movie light socket

Accommodates

1

/4 inch screw,
coupled to Type A (daylight) filter;
insertion of movie light automati­cally retracts filter. It may also be
retracted manually with push but­ton or movie light plug

Tripod socket

1

/4 inch

Size

Length 9.18 in. (233 mm)
Height 8.82 in. (224 mm)

Width 3.26 in. ( 82.9 mm)

Weight

4.4 lb (2 Kg)

SOUND SYSTEM
Amplifier

8 transistors, 5 diodes—has auto­matic gain control (AGC)

Sound filming speed

18 frames-per-second constant
drive by a capstan motor and a
drive motor

I

mage/sound separation

Sound precedes image by 18
frames

Audio gain switch

Sound level can be set at "H"

(high, normally used) or "L" (low)

Maximum input voltage

With Audio Gain Switch at "H",
3 mv; at "L" 10 my

Recording signal

Light from green LED flickers in
viewfinder while filming or moni­toring

Monitoring

By listening with earphone (hav-

ing impedance of 600 ohm), or by
observing flickering green light in
viewfinder—sound can be moni­tored during filming, or (while
monitor button is depressed)
without filming

Microphone

Omnidirectional microphone sup­plied—accessory unidirectional
and other microphones with im­pedance of 200 to 600 ohms may
be used

Microphone switch

On/off switch, may be used to
operate camera as a remote con­trol switch

Power source

Amplifier is powered by a 6-volt
silver oxide battery (Eveready

544), also used to power electric
eye

23

GAF CORPORATION

140 West 51 Street,

New York, N.Y. 10020

WARRANTY

GAF Corporation warrants the
GAF°SS 805 Super 8 Sound Movie
camera to be free from defects in
material and workmanship for a
period of twelve (12) months from
the date of original purchase. The
camera will be repaired or re­placed, at GAF's option, without
additional charge to the purchaser,

if returned prepaid to the nearest
GAF Consumer Photo Service
Center shown in the list on page

6, specifying the difficulty en-

1

1

countered and attaching a copy of
your bill of sale showing the date
and place of purchase. Remove

batteries when camera is stored

and return camera well packed

and insured, as GAF is not re-:
sponsible for damage
leaky or defective batteries

caused

and

for damage that occurred during

Photo and Repro Group

shipment. Cost of work performed
at repair shops not authorized by
GAF shall not be reimbursed

.

GAF DOES NOT MAKE AND SHALL

NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY WAR­RANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PAR-

TICULAR PURPOSE OR MER-

CHANTABILITY OR ANY OTHER

WARRANTY WHATSOEVER, EX-

PRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RE­SPECT TO THE GAF® SS 805
CAMERA, EXCEPT AS HEREIN-

ABOVE SPECIFIED. GAF'S SOLE

LIABILITY ON ACCOUNT OF
BREACH OF THE FOREGOING

WARRANTY SHALL BE REPAIR

OR REPLACEMENT AS ABOVE
SET FORTH. IN NO EVENT, IRRE-

SPECTIVE OF THE CAUSE, SHALL
GAF BE LIABLE FOR INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, OR
OTHER DAMAGES

.

Printed in U.S.A. 74

:10390