My Bell and Howell 1235 "sound movie" Filmosonic XL

Marco Van · September 6, 2006

does it run on 18fps or 24fps? i can't find anywhere and i can't find

the fps indicator on the camera. i hope you can answer this question

before i start shooting with this camera, thanks!

Rhonda L. McReynolds · September 6, 2006

does it run on 18fps or 24fps? i can't find anywhere and i can't find
the fps indicator on the camera. i hope you can answer this question

before i start shooting with this camera, thanks!

From the Super8Wiki page... Not sure if I agree with the posted 18fps since sound is usually at 24fps...

http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Bell_and_H...5_XL_Filmosonic

Maulubekotofa · September 7, 2006

All of these Sears/JC Penney/B&H sound cameras only offered 18fps sound filming.

:D

Mike Crane · September 7, 2006

All super 8 cameras with no speed selection are always 18fps.

Marco Van · September 7, 2006

am i gonna have problems with the 18fps later on if i synchronize it with sound (separately recorded)?

tell me some pros and cons on using 18 fps.

Maulubekotofa · September 7, 2006

18fps is like classic coke

24fps is like new coke

or:

18fps looks just like 24fps on the timeline, just fewer frames per second.

Also, if you can afford to shoot 24fps in super 8, you should consider 24fps in 16mm instead.

Let's not forget about regular 8mm. That format is best served with 16fps.

They all look great.

Since you have the B&H camera, your wish for information on 18fps is kind of a waste of resources don't you think? The camera should work fine and all of your worries will go away once you are on the computer in NLE.

Edited September 7, 2006 by Maulubekotofa

Marco Van · September 8, 2006

Since you have the B&H camera, your wish for information on 18fps is kind of a waste of resources don't you think? The camera should work fine and all of your worries will go away once you are on the computer in NLE.

well, i have a b&h and a nikon super zoom 8, which has a switch for 18fps and 24 fps. the b&h cam seems to have more buttons for different things. well, maybe i should shoot in 18fps then. thanks anyway for the coke comparison.

Maulubekotofa · September 9, 2006

In ye olden days, 24fps was used to obtain better quality sound due to the faster ips of the filmtrack over the recordning head (speaking of super 8 filmmaking only, not other issues wrt 24fps).

Therefore, 18 fps was used to economize on film and still maintain adequate image and sound quality.

In the real world now, it makes no difference if you film at 6, 9, 12, 18 or 24 fps since on the computer, it all looks the same. Just add you soundtrack and enjoy.

Also, 18fps has been proven scientifically to give you all the human brain requires to enjoy motion picture technology. Faster frame rates are only used due to historical convention as well as making FAST MOVING scenes appear more natural (since 18fps will become too slow).

chris dye · September 9, 2006

I can always tell when Super 8 is shot in 18fps. Shooting and projecting Super 8 at 18fps doesn't look as smooth as shooting and projecting 24fps. There is a difference. It isn't just a 'sound speed' thing. Shooting and projecting at 18fps gives Super 8 that slightly jerky 'home movie' look. Shooting 24fps is smoother and gives Super 8 more of a 16mm look.

I noticed this as a kid when I bought my first Super 8 camera (A Minolta xl-42 sound camera which I still have to this day). The Minolta camera I have actually takes nice pictures, but it only shoots 18fps, so you only achieve that 'home movie' look.

Years later I purchased a Nizo 6080 (which I still have) and it shoots 24fps (among other speeds). I'd never shoot 18fps with that camera. The Nizo footage looks like 16mm if lit properly.

Maulubekotofa · September 10, 2006

I bet someone could post some 18fps footage and label it 24fps and we would have 5 pages of ramblings about how great it is over 18fps. Someone with bandwidth should do that.