automatic Super 8 film processors

foreignfilm · July 11, 2007

Hi,

I'm wondering if there are working used ones around. Do you know where can I find them and how much would they be? Thanks.

Robert Hughes · July 12, 2007

Call some film processing and transfer labs; sometimes they have retired equipment on palettes, with no plans to re-enter use. Otherwise, you could try that popular auction house. But before you do so, consider that running a film processing service requires hefty startup and ongoing expenses (think $K). Commercial processing machines hold a significant amount of chemicals with a relatively short shelf life, so unless you plan to run thousands of feet of film per week you'd be much better off mailing your film off to a film lab. Or get a job with the local lab and find out if that's the kind of work you'd like to do, handling chemicals, organising processing runs, troubleshooting quality control problems, dealing with clients, etc.

Of course you can develop small amounts of film at home; a couple weekends ago I bucket processed a cart of Tri-X and it turned out better than I expected.

Edited July 12, 2007 by Robert Hughes

kevin jackman · July 13, 2007

there is a company in the uk that makes and refurbishes small ones. we are talking in the 3000-7000 pound price range. there was one that they had that was the size of a large microwave that oculd do reversal and probably converted to neg.you have to turn this into a business if you want to have this thing operating.

foreignfilm · July 14, 2007

Thanks, guys!

there is a company in the uk that makes and refurbishes small ones. we are talking in the 3000-7000 pound price range. there was one that they had that was the size of a large microwave that oculd do reversal and probably converted to neg.you have to turn this into a business if you want to have this thing operating.

Do you know how I can contact them? Do you have their web address, email address, phone no., etc.? The "one that they had that was the size of a large microwave that oculd do reversal and probably converted to neg", that's what I'm looking for. Yes, I might turn it into a buisness.

kevin jackman · July 14, 2007

Thanks, guys!
Do you know how I can contact them? Do you have their web address, email address, phone no., etc.? The "one that they had that was the size of a large microwave that oculd do reversal and probably converted to neg", that's what I'm looking for. Yes, I might turn it into a buisness.

ok ill do my best to get you the details in the next few days. im just a bit busy at the moment.dont forget to do my processing at cost!remember though, you are looking probably at about 10k usd for the machine.i remember speaking to them about a machine they sold discount that was a demo floor model. i dont know if they have others.

Bart Smith · July 15, 2007

The company being referred to is probably Bray Imaging Technologies Ltd. They are based in Bedfordshire, just north of London.

They have a number of possibly suitable products in their portfolio, including the E Series Film Processor, E6 version.

The reality is that it would be entirely uneconomical to try and set up a commercial enterprise for Super 8 reversal (or neg) using this sort of setup.

Pay the money and get a pro lab to do your developing. You would never recoup your investment, and you would never be able to process as economically as a proper lab will.