Bell and Howell 8mm movie outfit w/ Model 323 8mm camera + leather case + movie lights + original wooden case

This is an usually well preserved, fully working 8mm movie outfit from the early 1960s.

It includes:

A Bell and Howell 323 Sun Dial camera with leather case; a Bell and Howell light bar with two 375 watt bulbs; and an original wooden 'luggage-style' case.

This was an expensive kit when first sold in the late 1950s and early 1960s (we saw a slightly different version listed for $99.99USD in a 1958 catalog--that would $1,062.35 in 2023 money).

Here's how the Bell and Howell 323 camera was described in a 1961 Sear catalog: 

Super Comat 10mm f2.5 lens gives you 56% more picture area than ordinary 13mm lenses. Fixed focus from 3½ feet to as far as you can see. Sixteen frames-per-second speed. Economical spool load. Continuous lock run and single frame expo-sure. Runs 10 ft. per winding. Rugged metal body.

The camera is fully mechanical and does not feature a light meter; instead it has a manual exposure dial with guidelines for what f-stop to use in different lighting conditions. You can use an external light meter (or phone app); use can use 1/30 sec. as an equivalent shutter speed for metering purposes.

Film information

This camera uses standard 8mm film (sometimes called 'double 8' or 'regular 8m'). We recommend Fomapan R100 as an affordable film for use this this camera.

Condition notes

The camera was tested with film installed (the film was not developed); the motor is running smoothly. The camera is very well preserved with a clean viewfinder. The light bar and bulbs are working correctly (please note we do not guarantee the light bulbs; they have a short running time and can be replaced with conventional bulbs). The original carrying case and leather camera case are in very good condition.