Super 8 camera

A forum to share ideas and opinions on the equipment and technical aspects of film, video and AV making.
ned c
Posts: 910
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:39 pm
Location: Dammeron Valley USA

Super 8 camera

Post by ned c »

http://www.filmkorn.org/sensational-a-n ... m-denmark/

Super 8 staggers on with a new camera available next year (?) for between Euros 2,000 and 2,500 plus cost of C mount lenses.

ned c
Michael Slowe
Posts: 807
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:24 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Michael Slowe »

Yes but Ned, film and labs are getting rare and modern digital pictures far outshine not only super 8mm film, but 16mm also.
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by col lamb »

Interesting, but why oh why should anyone even think about cine. For that cost a good HD camcorder, PC and editing software can be bought.

Cine is dead, it should be permanently buried

There is no place in a modern IAC for cine!!

No young potential members would be interested in such old antiquated technology.

Hollywood may still use cine but that is diminishing and TV is fully digital

I now stand back and wait furious responses.
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
ned c
Posts: 910
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:39 pm
Location: Dammeron Valley USA

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by ned c »

http://www.pro8mm.com/index.php

I agree that Super8 mm film is an anachronism but it still survives although delivering an inferior quality image compared with HD. Why I wonder does it survive at prices for film; processing and digitizing at eye watering prices? To me it's like restoring steam engines; interesting, fun for those who enjoy such things and have the money for the indulgence but pointless. It is fascinating watching the defenders of film as they lose out to digital. We now see pristine images at the digital cinema; no scratches, sparkle; gate weave or sprocket tears. The "film look" is largely a matter of lighting and depth of field management; a well shot feature using an Alexa or Red cannot be easily recognized as "digital". Most movies shot on film go through a Digital Intermediate process and may be re-scanned to film and those heavy with CGI are as much digital as film! There are now no manufacturers of 35 mm film cameras (Arriflex and Panavision discontinued production) and Fuji have closed down their motion picture film manufacturing leaving Kodak struggling to recover from their bankruptcy. There may be a future for film as an archive material but its days are numbered for feature film production. I agree that in our world film is irrelevant so who will buy this Danish throwback?

You have nothing to fear from furious responses Col.

ned c
tom hardwick
Posts: 914
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:59 am

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by tom hardwick »

It's interesting to see the revival of vinyl LPs too. It's not only for the huge artwork display but for the sound. And I can't believe it's the 60+ age group who are re-buying into this technology, it must be the young, those with disposable incomes. Those with more acute hearing, those who will love (presumably) the clicks, pops and hiss that came free with almost any LP I ever bought. The climb towards the Sure V15 III made all of these faults replay in greater hi-fi.

Super-8 is indeed technically inferior to modern, cheap HD video, so it must be the progressive, low fps look they're after, as well as the grain and maybe the intrusive splices. It must also be gate weave, emulsion damage and 4:3 aspect ratios.

So I can see a market for this Super-8 camera. If Media Studies still includes chemical processing of 35mm film they might well want students to know about checking the gate, (financially) controlling their urges to shoot everything, and even enjoy splicing shots together later.

tom.
Roy1
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:04 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Roy1 »

As an old person with alledged film cement flowing in his veins, I have to admit that video is the only way forward. One of the downfalls (for me anyway) of Super 8 film was the lack of means of getting a decent copy made. Many of my original films were shredded by other projectionists using duff projectors. The only problems with video as I see it, is the unreliabilty of some editing programmes. Proof, look at the forums, they are full of
baffled users of new updates to programmes which have bugs in them.
Frank Maxwell
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 5:44 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Frank Maxwell »

I think as long as we still have people on this planet who used cine film, we will have a minority of interesting people who will dabble in this art form.
In its heyday to many amateur made films and some were diabolical. The biggest draw back was location sound shooting. Even the dubbing was very bad. One minute talking then a bit of music then a bit of sound effect.
But some brilliant films were made and many people got the opportunity to progress further in this field on the proffessional level. Ken Russell was one of them.
Today it like a mad jungle. Give a person a video camera and they thing and have the cheap cost to be a Steven Spielberg.
Most people are happy today just to record there holiday videos. But the ones who which to advance in this field have stiff competion.
The one thing cine film teached me? shooting ratio was 1 in 3. Today one can do mulity reshoots and sleep at night. With cine we had to wait a week for results.
Cine was fun and cine clubs had a good following. Today most clubs are in decline. Not through trying too attract new members, but the power of seeing one's video work as taken on a new format. INTERNET.
Michael Slowe
Posts: 807
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 4:24 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Michael Slowe »

No Col, no fury (disappointed?). I would say however, that the industry might still archive their precious (and expensive) feature productions to film as a final effort to find a medium that will always be recoverable. Humans will always be able to hold a 35mm frame up to a light and view it.
tom hardwick
Posts: 914
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:59 am

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by tom hardwick »

Now here's a way to breathe new life into that Super-8 camera you have in the cupboard...

http://hayesurban.com/current-projects/ ... per-8.html

The same idea was tried a few years ago with a CCD chip and electronics that fitted into the gate space in a conventional chemical SLR. Never took off mind.

tom.
granfer
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:43 am

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by granfer »

No, Tom, because there is absolutely no point in it!
At the end of the day, what it achieves is using the body and lens of an old camera to save providing a body and lens for the resulting Digital camera! Which is pretty stupid, when the "cartridge", after all the development costs for what will be a miniscule market, inevitably will cost more than currently available complete cameras with much better specifications!
Those who believe that this will give their treasured Super 8 cameras a "new lease of life" are delusioned and completely losing the plot.
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by col lamb »

I'm still waiting for Kodak to return my cine reel I sent them in 1974

Vinyl, that is different, the audio quality is far superior to CD, and downloaded mp3's, the music industry has been going backwards with quality for years
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
Frank Maxwell
Posts: 110
Joined: Tue May 14, 2013 5:44 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Frank Maxwell »

Some day a person will go into the attic and dig out all the cine film and come up with these words, "WHO IS THIS"?
Touch wood I never had that with Fufi Film.
You never know some person might read this and..............
granfer
Posts: 77
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 11:43 am

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by granfer »

GENTLEMEN..... read post no 13 in this Forum thread

http://www.filmshooting.com/scripts/for ... =1&t=24486

There you go then!
col lamb
Posts: 680
Joined: Tue Oct 16, 2007 9:51 pm
Location: Preston, Lancashire

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by col lamb »

Frank
I did just that, got all the old gear out, set it up, set up camcorder to record

Switched on projector, three seconds later the motor stopped with an acrid burning smell emanating from both the burning celluloid and the carcas of the machine.

Projector now resides in recycling centre
Col Lamb
Preston, Lancashire.
FCPX, Edius6.02, and Premiere CS 5.5 user.
Find me on Facebook, Colin Lamb
Roy1
Posts: 466
Joined: Wed Apr 07, 2010 4:04 pm

Re: Super 8 camera

Post by Roy1 »

Col. Nothing changes, same thing happened to me but this time it was a computer.
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