Issue with Super 8

[Connor Keep]

Hey everyone. A friend of mine sent me some images from her super 8 footage and it looks like there’s darkness on one side of the image. 
 

I’m not knowledgeable enough on super 8 cameras to know what is causing this. If anyone has had this issue or any advice on what would be causing this, it would be greatly appreciated

 

I’ve attached an image below

[Jon O'Brien]

Hmm, I've not seen this before. I assume it's in all the images? Possibly one of the blades of a two-bladed aperture (common on Super 8 cameras) stuck in the closed position, throwing the optical centre off. Or the lens has been bumped in its mounting attachment. Doesn't seem to look like a shutter problem as far as I can see. It would be best to see some actual footage.

[Mark Dunn]

If the image is sharp overall- it's hard to tell from the frame enlargement- that points away from a dislodged lens but I would agree that the owner should be asked if it's suffered any knocks or shocks. We do need to see a clip, though.

[Tyler Purcell]

Most super 8 cameras have built in filters and perhaps one of them fell apart? That would be my guess. 

[Joerg Polzfusz]

Hi!

General remark: According to the S8-standard, the recorded image is slightly larger than the projected one. And most cameras even record a „larger than needed“ image. It’s hard to tell from this single image from the video whether the „too dark“ area is outside the „projectable area“ or not. So it might not be a defect at all, but a normal behavior of the camera.

 

Camera: I once had a camera with a defect in the claw/film advance. It also resulted in areas of the image that were too dark. But on top, parts of the image have also been out of focus. It’s hard to tell from that single image whether this is the case here, too. But it could also be vignetting from external filters/sunshades or from the lens (e.g. not properly screwed in when it’s a camera with a removable lens). Or some dirt somewhere in the camera. (The dirt could also be some part of a deteriorated internal filter.) Or the cameraman simply forgot to unscrew the gradient ND filter. ?

 

Processing: When the area varies throughout the film, then this could have also been a problem with the processing (not enough chemicals, too much or too little agitation,…).

 

Telecine: Do other films come out properly? Otherwise the telecine might have been not properly switched back from regular8 to super8 - or there’s something stuck, e.g. a small piece of film, that produces a shadow.

 

I guess that there are even more possible causes. But it is hard to tell without a sequence of the whole video (maybe 10s?) and without a macro photo of the film (showing maybe 3 frames).

 

Good luck in finding the cause!

Jörg

Edited October 27, 2023 by Joerg Polzfusz

[Jon O'Brien]

4 hours ago, Tyler Purcell said:

Most super 8 cameras have built in filters and perhaps one of them fell apart? That would be my guess. 

Yes that could be it. Maybe it's simply the edge of the internal filter that hasn't fully swung out of the way. Especially if the internal filter is mounted in a metal frame that surrounds it, as the left hand side is completely dark and doesn't look like an orange or ND filter gel. So ... I'd try engaging and disengaging the tungsten control switch (if there's a switch on the side of the camera with sunlight and electric bulb symbols) or engaging the filter key if there is one. You can look down into the lens, with a good light, as you engage and disengage the orange filter behind the lens, and see it move across. If the camera has manual exposure contol you can also look into the lens as you rotate the small wheel and see the aperture blades open and close. Sometimes you have to get the angle of light just right. Good luck!

The other day I pulled apart a broken, completely-unusable Super 8 camera that I bought for almost nothing on ebay to see how these things work and how they can be repaired if needed. This one had a broken drive shaft that turned the film take up wheel in the film compartment, so it was beyond repair. I'm going to sell some cameras so have to learn how to pick good ones. You can learn a lot about camera repair this way. If there's a problem with the internal filter not being completely retracted it's risky but possible to open up the camera and physically try to push the filter out of the way or at least see what the problem might be. I'd be cautious about removing the filter though as it may upset the internals of the camera. Sometimes small ND filters are attached to the mechanism that controls the orange filter.

The orange filter was put in the camera in the first place because Kodachrome reversal film required an orange filter for daylight filming. With negative film, as is commonly used now, you don't need that filter to be engaged. So it normally should rest in a position completely swung out of the way of the light path as it enters the film gate.

Edited October 27, 2023 by Jon O'Brien

[Jon O'Brien]

I mean to say I carefully dismantled the camera, screw by careful screw, in a most methodical manner, intent on scientific enquiry. Haha.