Does anyone else shoot in 8mm or Super-8?

<p>I have a collection of vintage 8mm (Regular or "Double Run" 8mm) movie cameras, and I like to shoot with them sometimes as another hobby. I know Patrick Mont uses Super-8, and probably a couple of other people. But does anyone else here like to use 8mm movie cameras?</p>

<p>I think out of all my cameras, the Bolex K2 is probably my favorite. It's a very nice, solid, all-metal camera, but still easy to carry around. I use mostly Ektachrome 100D, and I send it to Dwayne's Photo to get developed. (Although there are a lot of other labs that can develop 8mm film). <br /><br />I posted this picture on another topic, but here is an 8mm projector I just bought at an antique shop recently. It's a Revere P-90. It works great. (And yeah, I took this picture with film too! Kodak Plus-X in my Minolta SRT-101).<br>

<br />By the way, doesn't anyone know when these projectors were made?<br>

<br /><img src="http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f86/gatewaycityca/8mm_projector_may_2009_c_small.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p>So does anyone else here like to shoot in 8mm or Super-8?</p>

<p>I shoot 8mm and super 8 (as you mentioned). I can't get enough of it. It is just so much fun. It really kills me that people would throw away a film camera for a Sony Handycam. I shoot mostly 7280 in super 8 and Ektachrome 100D slit into 8mm. I just ordered some TRI-X Reversal. I am fortunate to have a lab about 15 miles from my house that procsses black and white and I am yet to try them out! I highly reccomend that anyone that has considered shooting movies to shoot them while they are still around. Chris I would guess your projector is mid to early 50s. Have you ever tried black and white in your Bolex?</p>

<p>I wish! .... but the film and processing costs are far too high for me. That said, I'd like really to shoot some slo-mo using Tri-X Super-8, but I can't find the right sorts of subject matter.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Cool projector Chris. I also like the mechanical 'clicking' noise that some projectors make. I still use my Nizo S 8mm but only on special occasions. Kodachrome 40 is one of my favorites and have just 2 cartridges left. BTW, can anyone recommend a good substitute ?</p>

<p>Chris, I have a Bauer 88C sitting on my shelf, and it's in fully functional condition. I'll never use it. It just has a slight dent in the filter ring. If you want it, it's yours. I had an 8mm projector and a screen, but I got rid of them.</p>

<p>You can cut costs by sending your film out through WalMart and it still goes to Dwayne's. WalMart can't handle black and white though. Film is about $15-20 per roll and processing goes about $6 at WalMart. Rob, I'll take that Bauer off your hands unless chris wants it.</p>

<p>They only super 8 answer to Kodachrome is Ektachrome as it is the only reversal film.</p>

<p>I remember seeing our home movies projected by a Revere similiar to the one pictured, so I would guess the late 1940s.</p>

<p>Ok, thanks Patrick - i'll be checking 'Ektachrome' out...</p>

<p>Ektachrome colors are nothing like Kodachrome, but it is the only film that can be projected. I would LOVE to still shoot Kodachrome but.......</p>

<p>Revere made most of their stuff in the 40s and 50s. I have a Revere-Nikkor Cine lens that is sort of special. Also have a zoom "autofocus" lens from early postwar Japan. The "autofocus" refers to the lens not having to be focused after zooming. I have an old Eumig somewhere and a Yashica 8. Oh, and a Keystone A8. At one time I had a Stewart-Warner "Hollywood" 16mm that was very similar to the Keystone 16. </p>

<p>I don't shoot them. Any movie cameras around here are for display. I used to have a lot of movie cameras around but, as they got less popular, I sold them. I still have an Arriflex 16. </p>

<p>I don't think I could have a movie camera collection and not ever shoot any of them. I could see leaving certain ones on display.</p>

<p>There are a few different films available for Regular 8mm. I know there are a couple B&W films, but I forget what they're called. I think the the only color film available for Regular 8mm is Ektachrome 100D. There's a few different films available for Super-8, but I have only shot Regular 8mm so far, so I really don't that much about Super-8 film stock.</p>

<p>I usually order my movie film from Dwayne's Photo. But here's another place that has a much bigger selection:</p>

<p><a href="http://www.spectrafilmandvideo.com/Film.html">http://www.spectrafilmandvideo.com/Film.html</a></p>

<p>Rob, I'm sending you a private message :)</p>

<p> </p>

<p>The only other 8mm films I know of besides what Wittner offers and sells to many other places is the Foma R100 stock that can only be bought (in the US) from Freestyle. It is out of stock now, but I am going to order some when it comes in.<br>

<a href="http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_search.php?rfnc=407">http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_search.php?rfnc=407</a></p>

 

<p>I wish I could everytime I look at that pride of the VEB Pentacon, the AK8 cine camera. It is such a nice little basic camera, but I have no projector, etc. and my nuttiness does not extend far enough to go the whole course to get this one back into service.</p>

<p>It has a Zeiss Jena f/2.8 10mm Triotar, continuous and single frame shooting, and seems to work like a charm.</p><div></div>

<p>I shoot super-8, regular 8, and single-8 (the Fuji version of super-8). I've got a few Bolex cameras...the P1 and P2 are nice but my favourite for carrying around is a simple B8SL (in fact, that's it on my Community Member page).</p>

<p>If anyone is ever planning to get rid of any 8mm or super 8 cine equipment, please let me know. I have heard tons of people say "I threw away the camera and projector. I had no use for it". There are people out there that would love to use them instead of dumping them in the landfill</p>

<p>JDM- You should use that camera. If you don't want to get a projector just have the film telecined.</p>

<p>That's a thought.</p>

<p>It was a lucky stroke, but the first Wards camera catalog I pulled off the shelf had the P90 in it. From your picture it looks like you still have the wide angle attachment!</p><div></div>

<p>Wow! Thanks JDM! That's awesome. That answers a lot of questions. So, going by the date of the catalog, it was made around 1953. And yeah, it does indeed have the attachment! In fact, I just noticed that a few days ago when I was playing around with it and (carefully) unscrewed the lens.</p>

<p>What's interesting too is that it says it can run on either AC or DC. I also noticed that on a plate on the projector itself. At first, I thought the speed control knob was a variable transformer, which of course could only work with AC. But from what I understand a rheostat is a variable resistor, which can work with AC or DC. What I'm kind of confused about is the motor. If it's a DC motor, I didn't know you could run that with AC. I tried it once...I stepped 120 volts AC down to 12 VAC with a small transformer, and then tried to power a 12 volt DC motor. It just sat there and hummed and wouldn't turn.</p>

<p>Also, were there still a lot places that used DC power back then?<br>

<br />Someone really took care of this projector. It even had the orginal carrying case, which is mentioned in that advertisement! I still can't believe I got it from an antique shop, for only $40!<br>

<br />Oh, and Leon...I'm glad to hear you use movie cameras! Did you get any of your movies transferred to DVD? I actually prefer just waching my movies on a projector. I figure if I'm going to do something the "old school" way, I might as well do it right! But I think I'm going to get some of them transferred to .AVI or .WMV format so I could edit them on my computer and upload them online.</p>

<p>When this one was made, both Joseph and Charlie McCarthy were still around, the Korean war was just coming to an end, and much else (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953">link</a> ).</p>

<p>That $160 would have bought an awful lot of food and gas back then. $6 or 7 thousand dollars was a good annual salary.</p>

<p>Chris it sound like you got one really good projector at a really good price!</p>

<p>There were places that had their own generator systems, usually 48 VDC (IIRC), primarily used on farms and places that weren't anywhere near power lines. Those were mostly gone by the '50s, but I suppose there were some still around. It was much more prevalent before the '30s. You can check in old Sears/Wards catalogs and they'll have appliances specifically for that voltage.</p>

<p>Chris, I prefer looking at 8mm movies over DVDs, too. Back in the 70's, I used to buy Blackhawk films of Laurel and Hardy, etc. Loaned them to a friend, and never got them back. Had a Gaf 10-1 zoom super 8 camera that also did single frame. Loaned that and never got it back! I gave another Bell and Howell super 8 camera to my girl friend's mother a few years ago. Now, all I have is a B&H projector that needs a bulb.</p>

<p>Hey Chris, I still shoot a lot of Super 8. I find Fomapan 8mm hard to get processed...have a few rolls of that left and quite a collection of 8mm and Super 8mm cameras. You are right to project it as the contrast ratio of projected film still blows away anything digital. You can find simple boxes to transfer to video though. Not bad and you can get it out there. Try using a freshly ironed white sheet stretched between two poles or such. Set up your video camera with a tripod on the other side of the sheet. Voila, perfect video transfer! This was called rear screen projection and was used for Hollywood special effects. You will need to flip the image in Premiere or Final Cut after it's transferred. </p>