Recans

Arni Heimir · January 2, 2006

Happy new year

Are recans reliable? Does anyone have any experience with the Tapesuperstore.com?

Árni Heimir

Reykjavík

Charles MacDonald · January 3, 2006

Are recans reliable?

Some of the suppliers do test each can to avoid ones which have fog or heat damage.

You probaly should ask whoever you are thinking of buying from what their policy is. I doubt if you will get much more than a replacemnet if you do get a "bad" can. consider that your effort is worth a good deal.

Trevor Greenfield · January 3, 2006

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller_info.pl?seller_id=9853

2 reviews, both say bait & switch.

I know it costs more but you're best buying from either one of the few resellers of stock that are reputable or kodak direct.

Dan Goulder · January 3, 2006

If possible, try to keep snips of different film stocks that you use, in order to have a visual double check against improperly labeled recans.

Chris Keth · January 3, 2006

I know it costs more but you're best buying from either one of the few resellers of stock that are reputable or kodak direct.

Definately, unless you're just dinking around with some test ideas or some extra shots for your reel, get your film from a reputable dealer that does tests. You don't want the problems that come with shooting with bad film and not knowing it.

John Pytlak RIP · January 3, 2006

Dealers of "recans" and "short ends" are somewhat at the mercy of the production companies or cinematographers they buy the film from, so they film can have age issues, or fog from poor storage/keeping or x-ray inspection. It could even be misidentified. The reputable resellers know and trust their sources, and do some degree of testing to verify the film identification and whether the film was fogged. For critical work, always best to work with your lab to do some testing yourself (e.g., clip test to check for fogging, uniformity scenes to look for buildup of graininess due to age).

Bryan Darling · January 3, 2006

I've shot several films using short-ends & recans without a problem. I've purchased from Dr. Rawstock. I've also shot with film purchased from ebay without ever a problem. A DP friend of mine uses a lot of ebay & out-dated stock for his films & commercials. We both use the same lab in San Francisco and same telecine. I recently had a print struck from some EXR50 & V250D that was outdated. It turned out great.

John Pytlak RIP · January 3, 2006

I've shot several films using short-ends & recans without a problem. I've purchased from Dr. Rawstock. I've also shot with film purchased from ebay without ever a problem. A DP friend of mine uses a lot of ebay & out-dated stock for his films & commercials. We both use the same lab in San Francisco and same telecine. I recently had a print struck from some EXR50 & V250D that was outdated. It turned out great.

Again, the Kodak camera films keep very well, and "age" gracefully. But if someone left the cans sitting in the hot desert sun for a day, or packed them in their checked airline baggage that got x-rayed, you are at risk. Likewise, if a loader misidentified the recans or short ends that were going to a reseller, you may have an unpleasant surprise when you get a roll of 5245 mislabeled as 5218. Whether it's done by the reseller or you, some pre-testing of each roll is prudent.

Eric Steelberg ASC · January 3, 2006

I've had mostly good but many bad experiences with recans from the biggest resellers in LA. Usually the issue is only with one roll. Problem is that they're buying recans to save money in the first place and have no funds to fix the problems in post or pay the insurance deductible.

Can't tell you how many times I hear "but it's factory-sealed" to which I reply "if it's sealed it can still roast in a PA's trunk and get X Rayed." I even had a job where the reseller swore they snip tested ALL the rolls and two of them were fogged.

I now make it a point to not shoot with second hand film. My name is connected to the images and I don't want mistakes associated with me.

David Sweetman · January 3, 2006

I've only heard great things about Dr. Rawstock

Jeremy · January 4, 2006

I've only had one problem buying recans and shortends, and that was that the film was in the can backwards, the AC didn't notice, and we shot through the base... luckily, it was only one shot on that roll. It just happened to be a really, really complicated shot!

Out of over a hundred rolls I've purchased in the past from Film Emporium and Dr. Rawstock, that was the only bad one.

Mike Panczenko · January 5, 2006

Also, it may seem like a small detail, but it can come in handy when you're in a rush and everyone is waiting for the loader- always make sure you take blunt nose scissors into the tent, or have them close in the darkroom (which should always have the case), when dealing with recans, to cut off the jagged edges. If they do a snip test, this won't be the case, but if you're getting the film from another shoot or a nonreputable dealer, it may still have the dog-eared ends.