Super 8
Schneider Variogon zoom
Wedge-era Braun

Nizo S 800 Super 8 Movie Camera

Name: Braun Nizo S 800
Brand: Braun AG (Nizo line, formerly Niezoldi & Krämer)
SKU: SHOP_CAM_VINT_NIZO_S800_20260605
Price: 1600.0 AED
Availability: InStock

Braun's wedge-shaped Super 8: Schneider glass, a CdS meter, and dials laid out like a Braun radio.

This is the Super 8 era's design landmark from the company that made design a discipline. The wedge-shaped Nizo S-series put a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon zoom out front, a CdS meter behind it for automatic exposure, and a deck of dials that look like they came off a Braun hi-fi (because, broadly, they came from the same studio). It is a motion-picture camera: it runs Super 8 cartridge film through at a chosen frame rate, not a stills camera, and the whole control set is built around moving images.

The Variogon is the heart of it. On the S 800, the top of the silent S-series range, it's an f/1.8 7-80mm with a huge 11.4x reach, driven by a powered zoom rocker or the manual ring, focused through a reflex finder with a split-image patch. You meter automatically off the CdS cell, or take it manual. Multiple running speeds, a variable shutter for fades, and a built-in timer for time-lapse make it a genuinely capable filming tool, not a toy.

It feels of its moment (the fold-down grip, the brushed-aluminium slab, the satisfying click of the mode dials), and it shoots a format that is, against every expectation, still alive. The catch is the supply chain: Super 8 cartridges, processing, and the small batteries the meter wants are all things you sort out before you load it, not after.

Match

Who this is for

Good for

Super 8 home movies and short films
design and Braun collectors
filmmakers who want a fast Schneider zoom
time-lapse and single-frame work
shelf-piece with real capability

Character

What it feels like to shoot

Handling one is the appeal. The wedge balances on its fold-down grip, the zoom rocker glides, and the controls have the deliberate, well-damped click of good German consumer kit: the meter, the speed selector, the fade lever all fall under the right fingers. The split-image finder makes focusing the fast Variogon genuinely easy. It is a confident, capable filming instrument that still photographs beautifully on a shelf.

The things to line up are all logistical rather than mechanical. It runs on AA cells (plus the small meter cells on the time-exposure bodies), so fresh batteries are all it asks; and because this is a Super 8 movie camera, the film, lab processing and projection or scanning are worth arranging before you load it.

The glass

Paired with this glass

Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 7-80mm f/1.8 (fixed power zoom)

The Variogon is the reason the big Nizos are remembered: an 11.4x professional zoom, fast at f/1.8 across the whole range, with powered and manual zoom control and split-image reflex focusing. On the S 800 it is the top glass of the silent S-series.

Born 1972

History of the Braun Nizo S 800

Nizo began as Niezoldi & Krämer of Munich; Braun AG bought the company in 1962 and ran the Nizo name across its Super 8 line until production wound down in the early 1980s. The cameras fall into two looks: the boxy silver bodies of the 1960s, and the brushed-aluminium wedge S-series of the 1970s (the S480, S560, S800, the 801 macro, the 156XL and the Professional), whose Braun-studio industrial design made them the design-conscious choice in home-movie Super 8. They sit firmly in the Schneider-Kreuznach optical tradition that supplied their Variogon zooms.

Technical specifications

MFG. 1972 – 1981

Format

Super 8 motion-picture camera

Manufacturer

Braun AG (Nizo line, formerly Niezoldi & Krämer) · Germany

Production

1972 – 1981

Lens

Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon f/1.8 7-80mm power zoom (11.4x). Reflex through-the-lens viewing, split-image focusing

Metering

Built-in CdS through-the-lens meter driving automatic exposure, with manual override; a separate cell powers the meter on the time-exposure-capable models

Viewfinder

Reflex through-the-lens finder with a split-image rangefinder focusing patch

Shutter

Rotating-disc shutter with a variable (adjustable) opening for fades and exposure control

ISO range

Reads the Super 8 cartridge's ASA notch automatically

Flash sync

Electronic flash synchronisation socket (for single-frame / animation work)

Exposure modes

Automatic (CdS auto-exposure), Manual, Time exposure (on the silent S-series bodies)

Dimensions

Wedge-shaped body with a fold-down pistol grip; lens and reflex housing forward, controls on a flat deck

Power

Six AA cells for the motor and zoom, plus two 1.35V button cells for the meter.

Backed by GPP

Service & guarantees

Every analog camera ships through our bench

This unit has been fully serviced and CLA'd: cleaned, lubricated and adjusted, with shutter, meter and light seals checked, and it is in confirmed working order. Inspected at GPP; ask us about this exact body.

CLA'd by GPP: shutter speeds checked, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a known reference.
7-day functional return: if it doesn't work as we declared on this listing, we exchange or refund. Wear-and-tear consistent with the listed condition isn't returnable.
UAE & worldwide shipping: Dubai same-day before 12 PM (AED 50), UAE-wide in 2–3 business days (AED 40), international tracked in 5–10 business days (calculated at checkout). Insurance can be added on request. Customs and import duties are the buyer's responsibility on international orders. Full shipping policy.
Walk in to inspect: Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Mon–Sat, 10am–7pm. Bring a roll if you'd like to test-fire on the spot.

Questions

Things people ask

What film does it take?

Standard 35mm film. We carry the widest selection in the Middle East: colour, B&W, and slide across consumer, professional, and cinema stocks. Need a recommendation for this body? Just ask us.

Is the camera serviced before sale?

Yes. Every analog camera at GPP goes through our bench before it goes on the listing. Shutter speeds verified, light seals replaced where needed, meter calibrated against a reference.

What's your return policy?

7-day functional return. If anything we declared isn't working as described, contact us within 7 days of receipt for a full refund or exchange.

Can GPP develop and scan the photos I shoot with this?

Yes. Our in-house film lab handles colour, B&W, and slide development with scanning. 24-48 hour rush available. More on the film lab.

Can I see the camera before I buy?

Always welcome. Visit Warehouse D36, Alserkal Avenue, Al Quoz, Dubai. Open Monday to Saturday, 10am–7pm.