Best source for buying super 8 film and processing?

[brandon_s.]

I have recently gotten interested in Super 8 filmmaking. I was given

a super 8 camera, and I'm trying to find film and processing at

reasonable prices. From what I've found, it seems that film is going

for around $15-$19 per cartridge, and processing is as high as $18.

 

Does anyone know of any places that are cheaper than this? It seems

a little crazy to pay $35 to enjoy a few minutes of super 8 footage.

[400bpm]

Super 8 filmmaking can be an expensive hobby. $15 per roll for the film, and another $15 for processing is pretty standard these days, and for all that you get ~34 seconds of end product. However the whole shooting-processing-editing-viewing procedure was always rewarding for me.<p>

 

If you plan on really doing a lot of Super 8 work, I suggest you buy your own processing gear and mix up your own chemistry. It's the only way you're going to be able to circumvent the $15+ processing fee for every reel you shoot.<p>

 

Locate and purchase a Lomo spiral reel tank. There's one <a href="http://member.melbpc.org.au/~cksm/projector6.htm">on this website</a> for you to get a look at, but finding one seems to be rather difficult. You may catch one on an auction site if you're lucky.<p>

 

The <a href="http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/569/">Super 8 Metadirectory</a> has archives of posts by Martin Baumgarten that contain great formulae for mixing your own B&W reversal chemistry, and color reversal is done the same as any E6 process.<p>

 

Good luck! It's great fun once you get the hang of it!

[scottl]

Before Kodak discontinued Kodachrome in Super 8 you could buy a cart for $12 and get it developed at Wal Mart for $4. With that option gone (except for surplus K40 stored in freezers throughout the world) Super 8 became quite a bit more expensive.

 

The new E64T might drive prices back down eventually, but never to the K40 price point.

 

Good luck!

[steve_levine]

"""for all that you get ~34 seconds of end product. """

 

 

Actually, 50' of Super-8 runs 3 minutes at normal projection speed.

[franklin_polk]

In addition, if you have any specific questions about gear or anything, the best place to ask is at the filmshooting.com forums.

[craig_shearman1]

1) 50 feet of super 8 runs 3 minutes 20 seconds at 18 fps or 2 minutes 30 seconds at 24 fps. 2) you can still buy super 8 directly from kodak. see their web site. 3) I have a stack of Kodak processing mailers that are still good. email me and I'll check how many I have left and we can talk price. 4) unless you REALLY REALLY specifically want to work in super 8 for some specific reason is makes absolutely NO economic sense whatsoever. Video is so good today and costs virtually nothing. Your first hour or two of super 8 film and processing will pay for a good mini DV video camera and whatever you shoot has to end up on video for distribution anyway. 5) Don't even think about super 8 processing unless you just want to do it for fun. movie film processing is a huge pain and a lot easier to screw up than still photos, even back in the day when lots of people did it.

[craig_shearman1]

Neglected to include my email address: shearman@comcast.net

[brandon_s.]

Thanks for the responses everyone. I appreciate the offer on the Kodak mailers, but unfortunately I don't know of any place to get Kodachrome 40 film anymore, which I believe is the only kind they will process with the mailers. (at least at a reasonable price) The reason that I want to shoot on Super 8 is for the feel and motion of the picture. It's something that just cannot be replicated on video. I have access to great mini-dv cams, but I just love the super 8 film style.

[25asa]

There's also something about projecting that tiny little frame onto a nice big screen. It still looks good to me. I checked into a outfit that transfers Super 8 to Hi Dif video as well.

[colin_thomas5]

I'd wager super 8's made today would last long after those dvc tapes become unplayable. Brandon, to answer part of your question, I thought I read somewhere that Wally-mart and Target will develop the new Ektachrome T64 S8 carts for about the same price as a roll of 35mm E6 (about $5). Not sure about that but it might be worth looking into.

[400bpm]

Thanks for the correction. I have no idea where that "34 seconds" came from :(

 

Self-processing isn't that difficult, or at least I didn't think it was. Loading the 50' reel on the spiral is really the only challenging part and you get quite adept at it after a few reels. The developing procedure is quite controllable and you'll be able to choose your own effects from developer choice, flash exposure, and push- or pull-processing times. I found it all to be quite fun.

[rustys pics]

Don't let the Naysayers put you off. Super 8 is still a viable medium. Video just doesn't look the same. And honestly, a little 3.5 minutes movie is a lot better than sitting through someone's hour and a half shaky, poorly lit Digital Video "opus".

You can get Super black and white reversal processed for around 8 bucks a roll by these guys:

http://filmvideoservices.net/

THey will also send out the new Ektachrome emulsion. They also sell Cine Plus X and Tri-X reversal with processing for a reasonable cost. There are a lot of stellar Super 8 cameras on the 'bay for 20 bucks and under. One of my faves is the Yashica Electro 60EE. The lens is phenomenal. If you have a good projector, you can transfer to DV tape and edit that way too, but as someone said, nothing matches that sharp little image blown up to wall size.

[alexx]

Craig, the "no economic sense" comment is a bit surprising to read. A super-8 camera

bought in 1980 could still be used today with very acceptable quality. How many people

are still shooting with their 1980 camcorder, how about their 1985 camcorder, 1990,

1995...???

 

That's quite an expense in camcorders over the years, no? The answer I believe is that

both formats have their time and place and even if Super-8 is only used 1 percent of the

time, that 1 percent would still be a magical diversion to the 99% of the video we all shoot.

Plus, has anyone discovered how much easier it is to edit an hour or two of family home

movies versus the hundred hours or more of home video we all have acquired over the

years?

 

In the past few years, a company that shoots wedding videos on FILM has risen like a

phoenix and they are doing phenomenally well and have now expanded to several cities

offering their weddings on films services.

[justin_lovell1]

<p><strong><a href="http://www.framediscreet.com">http://www.framediscreet.com</a></strong><br>

<strong> </strong><br>

<strong><br /></strong>We scan/transfer super 8/16/35 to hd/5k resolutions. Also offering color correction and film restorations services to hide scratches/ dust / dirt...</p>

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<p>If you have any questions, feel free to contact us using the contact page on our website. Be glad to help and share with fellow film lovers.</p>

<p>All the best!</p>

<p>justin lovell<br>

assoc. CSC cinematographer<br>

<a href="http://www.framediscreet.com">www.framediscreet.com</a></p>