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Super 8mm camera advice


AL Turda

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Hello to everyone, I've been thinking for a while about buying a super 8mm camera, and I found someone who is selling this model:

Bauer - Super 8mm - Royal Model 10E

 

But having a working camera, is only the first step. Can I use 8mm Hama film with a camera like that? (found the film locally too)

Also, would I be able to play the film with a 8mm Kodak Instamatic Projector M66?

 

And eventually, I will need more film, and I won't be able to find it locally, so I searched amazon and found this:

http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-TXR-464-Reversal-Cartridge-502-9046/dp/B0000BZLYQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1433172787&sr=8-1&keywords=8mm+film

 

Does that film work with the above camera? And if so, for how long would I be able to record? I see it says 50 foot cartridge, but I have no ideea how much time that translates to.

 

Thanks

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Yes that film will work, but jeez is it expensive! That roll cost $20.42 from Kodak even after all the recent price hikes. B&H has it for $22 (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/304351-USA/Kodak_1889575_7266_TXR464_Tri_X_Super.html). My local shop, Freestyle, has it for $24. (Kodak used to be very local for me. Sigh...))

 

One roll holds about 3600 frames (usually a little bit more), so that's about 200 seconds at 18fps, or 3 minutes and 33 seconds.

 

Side note: Kodak has a film calculator if you ever need to figure out the length / running time of any amount of footage of any type. There's even an iPhone/Android app

http://www.motion.kodak.com/motion/Templates/OpenFlash.aspx?path=/motion/uploadedFiles/US_plugins_flash_en_motion_filmCalculator.swf

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Don't get too hung up on how "short" a Super 8 cartridge seems. Trick is to shoot only interesting things unlike a video camera where you tend to just let it roll forever. I always wind up with 3 minutes of really good stuff because I only pull the trigger when there's something worth shooting.

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No, there are 60 seconds in a minute.

Josh, it's 3.33 minutes. That's 3 minutes, 20 seconds.

 

Wow, duh. Obviously you're totally right on the math. Although I did go back and look at some of my footage and I usually get 3:25-3:30 per roll. But yes 3:20 at 18fps would be the "advertised length." Thanks Mark!

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Don't get too hung up on how "short" a Super 8 cartridge seems. Trick is to shoot only interesting things unlike a video camera where you tend to just let it roll forever. I always wind up with 3 minutes of really good stuff because I only pull the trigger when there's something worth shooting.

Very true. The other day we went to a carnival and street fair and it took me all day to a total of 70ft consisting of 5-10sec shots that mattered.

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If you've only ever shot video, burning film like it's going out of fashion concentrates the mind. Think of it as money.

I haven't shot film for years but my longest every Super-8 film is just under 11 minutes.

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Al, also to your question about the Bauer Royal 10e, I've got one and it's an amazing camera. IF IT'S IN WORKING CONDITION. I should say I actually have a few models of Bauer Royal because it took me a few to find one that actually ran. For some reason, it seems Bauer Royals are extremely susceptible to battery leakage.

 

But if you can find a working one, they have an absolutely incredible long exposure feature that I love. There is an entire second low-light light meter that flips out and keeps the shutter open until the light meter senses that enough light has reached the camera to make an exposure. Then it moves on. I made this with one:

 

 

Anyway it's super cool as it is. But I've also always had a plan to use an Arduino and an LED to control that time lapse function and turn it into a truly customizable intervalometer. Should be pretty easy. One day!

 

So in conclusion: great camera, if it works.

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