Bell & Howell Autoload Super 8 (1969)

Name: Bell & Howell AUTOLOAD SUPER 8
Brand: Bell & Howell

"Autoload Super 8" is a name Bell & Howell put on a whole family of home-movie gear, cameras and projectors alike. That naming sprawl makes this one of the trickier entries in the archive. The same badge appears on the Model 308 camera (dated 1969), the 374 camera, the 1235 and 430 cameras, and on projectors like the 346A, 356, and 324. No single source sorts out the full hierarchy, so treat this page as a map of the family rather than a profile of one specific machine.

The one model with a firm date is the Model 308 Autoload Super 8 Camera, from 1969. Beyond the year, the record is thin. The only concrete artifact is a 38-page factory service and parts manual, which at least tells us the camera was meant to be serviced properly. The "Autoload" name implies some kind of simplified film loading, but no description of the mechanism survives in the sources we have.

The projector side of the family is a bit better documented. The 346A was designed for the Super 8 format, took a 400-foot take-up reel, and used a 150W, 120V lamp with a G17q base (rated around 15 hours). The 356 was advertised as "Quiet, bright, automatic," with reel-to-reel automatic threading - "slip the film into a slot, it threads itself."

Here is what's missing: no lens specs, no exposure system details, no dimensions or weights, no original prices, and no production years for anything but the 308. Market prices in the wild range from €17.50 for a 324 projector to $499.99 for something in better shape, with a 374 camera at €25 and a 442 camera outfit at €160. Those are asking prices, not settled values. One collector noted a 346A that arrived with an inoperative Bell & Howell power supply.

If you own one of these and have documentation, such as a manual, a spec sheet or a brochure, the archive would like to hear from you.