Logmar.dk is now accepting preorders for their new precision Super 8 camera called Gentoo GS8

[Nicholas Kovats]

Gentoo penguin: (/ˈdʒɛntuː/ JEN-too) (Pygoscelis papua) is a penguin species (or possibly a species complex) in the genus Pygoscelis.

Logmar.dk is now accepting preorders for their new precision Super 8 camera called Gentoo GS8, i.e. 4,995 EUR (approx $5,280 US)

Note that is has C Mount with back focus adjustment in conjunction with an optical bench, etc. 

From their website - https://www.logmar.dk/gentoo-s8/

"Please note that the pictures are of our 3D printed prototype camera and hence the build quality is notably poor 

– the real production model will be built in aluminum.

Camera is shown with following non-included accessories: Lens, NATO Rig ARRI Rosette, NATO Rig handle, Small-HD 502 3G-SDI viewfinder, CoreSWX battery, Kodak Super8 Film"

"Partial feature list:

- 3G-SDI 1080p output supporting critical focus and low-light conditions.

- User programmable frame rates up to 48fps with crystal synchronization - perfect for music videos, documentaries etc..

-Multiple Start/Stop Trigger inputs with support for trigger handles etc.

-Side display with status info, frame counter and system settings information

-11VDC to 28VDC polarity agnostic input power port (LEMO 0B.302 industry standard)

-Two fused (LEMO 0b.30x) 14.4V VBAT Power outlets for powering lens motors, viewfinder monitor etc.

-Gentoo is designed around the CoreSWX Nano Micro 98 industry standard V-Lock cine-battery which allows multiple hours of operation

-Uses standard Kodak 50ft cartridges in combination with a re-usable spacer providing true pin registration

-Multiple customization options with NATO rigging, cheese-plates etc.

-Designed and build of aircraft grade aluminum in Denmark.

-Developer access is possible (open source firmware)

"The Gentoo is designed specifically towards production companies, rental-houses, studios or professionals wanting 16mm like image quality with the cost and convenience of 8mm. The Gentoo is built to be the most versatile 8mm camera for any storyteller wanting reliability and the ultimate creative freedom as it comes with on-camera support for NATO rigging, cheese-plates etc. allowing you to easily customize it.

Gentoo sports modern amenities such as industry standard V-Lock allowing you to shoot hours of footage on a single charge and quickly being able to swap the battery in the field seamlessly or power the camera from another power source such as a drone, Steadi-cam rig, car battery etc. More importantly we are proud to present an extremely low light capable viewfinder which provides critical focus through an 1080p60 resolution ultra-fine grid ground-glass meaning that never has it been so easy to get focus right.

Gentoo is also the first 8mm camera to introduce pin registration without the need to form a Latham loop. This unique Logmar invention provides image registration within the exposed frame on a standard 50ft Kodak cartridge and not at the next image like our former Chatham camera, meaning that scanned footage will yield the best possible result.

The Gentoo is a “slot in” cartridge camera where you only need to insert a re-useable spacer in the regular Kodak cartridge to obtain true pin registration and away you go.

Each camera is bespoke, hand assembled, tested and built to order in Denmark.Our subcontractors have a rather high minimum ordering quantity for the parts required and as such we will only be able to make a single production run of complete cameras and hence we will be opening up pre-sales now and only once we have reached the critical mass will we send out a proper order confirmation and require a deposit downpayment before commencing manufacturing.

We are currently in the process of preparing paperwork, sales material etc. 

Enquire to know more!

Yours truly

Tommy L. Madsen ( Tommy@Logmar.dk )"

[Andries Molenaar]

Here and there they may be a professional filmer with plenty budget but this is going nowhere.

Likely they are not going to sell more than from the earlier Logmar which only sold out the beta-serie and only after a long time.

BTW NATO is into setting standards for grip equipment?

 

[Doug Palmer]

1 hour ago, Andries Molenaar said:

Here and there they may be a professional filmer with plenty budget but this is going nowhere.

Likely they are not going to sell more than from the earlier Logmar which only sold out the beta-serie and only after a long time.

 

 

I won't be buying one myself (not so much into S8 now) but I don't think the price is exorbitant, if it's as they describe.  I can remember paying at least that... in today's money.... for a new Beaulieu.  If it really is a new design of pin-regn. movement that surely makes it  superior.  However, the problem with super-8 now,  seems to be its high running cost.

[Andries Molenaar]

13 minutes ago, Doug Palmer said:

I won't be buying one myself (not so much into S8 now) but I don't think the price is exorbitant, if it's as they describe.  I can remember paying at least that... in today's money.... for a new Beaulieu.  If it really is a new design of pin-regn. movement that surely makes it  superior.  However, the problem with super-8 now,  seems to be its high running cost.

If the Beaulieu cost like 200 film equivalents. The new camera could be considered cheap as it costs 100 film equivalent. Or possibly film is just as affordable.

[Giray Izcan]

The camera is promising except it is s8... the money spent on s8 as opposed to s16 doesn't make the format worthwhile. I love s8 and shooting it but not at a price point of a used Alexa or 16mm camera... 

[Giray Izcan]

I get that some people use it for weddings and stuff, but realistically speaking, how many weddings actually requests the format? It sounds like a terrible investment. 

[Pavan Deep]

I think the price is what will put many off, it seems to be common for many to use Super 8 only a few times and for that a decent used Super 8 camera like the Canon 1014XLS [which is usually expensive but not that expensive] is perfect . Now if this was a 16mm camera people might be more willing.

Pav

[Robin Phillips]

I asked on their facebook page and they said its a max8 gate, which is a bit more interesting. Im considering one for motorcycle mounting and other scenarios where mounting a large 16mm camera is too difficult or too risky (as in replacing the 16mm body may be out of the question), especially if the image quality is up to par with their original super8 camera. That being said I'll be waiting for actual footage off it before making any decisions. 

[Heikki Repo]

One very important thing to notice: this camera is not intended for poor owner-operators, who want to shoot a cheap film format. This is for rentals companies who have customers with deep pockets and who want to have reliable tools for shooting the next music video for an A-list artist or a television series that wants to use super-8 for some shots (see HBO's new basketball series). For such users money is not such an issue, time and reliability are  - and while those Beaulieus, Canons and Nizos serve really well poor artists, using them for a bigger budget production might be a bit too much of an adventure, at least if they could instead have a camera with a video tap, V-mount batteries, rigging features...

Edited May 23, 2022 by Heikki Repo

[Jefta Varwijk]

I'm excited for a 15k s16mm! Gimme gimme gimme!

[David Sekanina]

6 minutes ago, Jefta Varwijk said:

I'm excited for a 15k s16mm! Gimme gimme gimme!

Lasse's facebook posts:

"Rockhopper is a self-blimping camera like the ARRI 416 with PL mount but it’s price is nearly 10x that of Gentoo.

 

anyone can buy but the Rockhopper is an expensive camera which will only be announced next year and most likely deliveries would be fourth quarter 2023 so it’s far out"

[Uli Meyer]

31 minutes ago, David Sekanina said:

Lasse's facebook posts:

"Rockhopper is a self-blimping camera like the ARRI 416 with PL mount but it’s price is nearly 10x that of Gentoo.

 

anyone can buy but the Rockhopper is an expensive camera which will only be announced next year and most likely deliveries would be fourth quarter 2023 so it’s far out"

So the price for the Rockhopper has doubled in only a few months. Earlier in the year I had a reply from Logmar telling me it would cost at around 25k Euro.

[Robin Phillips]

I wonder if they're looking at 416 prices and the willingness of folks to pay 15k+ for the indie assist HD taps and want to go after that market? granted SR3s are going for 30k so maybe that was a factor too? One would think they'd have to have orders lined up from rental houses though to make that price jump, but maybe thats just what the thing is gonna cost?

Does seem unfortunate if the price has jumped that high though. a 50k arri or red camera body has a large enough market for owner operators to make that investment back and profit, not sure if thats true for 16

[Heikki Repo]

Producing high end, low quantity items is expensive. Post pandemic logistics issues raise costs and Russia's invasion in Ukraine is making everything more expensive, food and especially energy included. And most likely since the Rockhopper is in its early stages 25k was just a rough estimate that had to be revised to better reflect reality after details became clearer.

Back in 1974 an Eclair ACL with two 400ft mags cost $9,500 USD new. According to inflation calculator, that would be $55,000 now...

[Robin Phillips]

thats fair. I guess its just a question of if the market can support that price given the limited market vs digital. I suppose we shall see. 

[Andries Molenaar]

3 hours ago, Heikki Repo said:

One very important thing to notice: this camera is not intended for poor owner-operators, who want to shoot a cheap film format. This is for rentals companies who have customers with deep pockets and who want to have reliable tools for shooting the next music video for an A-list 

Really? Poor?

[Heikki Repo]

4 minutes ago, Andries Molenaar said:

Really? Poor?

?

Joking aside, one can't call "poor" anyone, who can afford to shoot even a couple of Kodak's S8 cartridges. However, my choice of words was to underline: all hobbyists or owner operators who complain about price of super-8 film/new cameras/processing here or on Facebook are not the intended audience of this camera. I'm not.

And that's not an error on the camera makers side, actually it is much more sustainable strategy than trying to compete with the multitude of cheap and old high end cameras that have optical viewfinders, intervalometers, optical fade features and all those things that make the above mentioned crowd smile.

This is a professional tool, for a small audience of professionals who need its features. It's like a high end electric minivan for 9 people: too expensive for most people and not that useful for them, but exactly the thing that professionals might find useful in their trade.

[Giray Izcan]

How much professional use a year? Let's cross fingers for a few seconds of s8 in some movie's flashback sequence or some opening credits... I still can't justify the expense. S8 is not a professional format at all. The pin registered Logmar s8 footage that I've seen looks like a messed up 16mm at best but yet cost the same money to shoot. 

[Uli Meyer]

8 hours ago, Giray Izcan said:

How much professional use a year? Let's cross fingers for a few seconds of s8 in some movie's flashback sequence or some opening credits... I still can't justify the expense. S8 is not a professional format at all. The pin registered Logmar s8 footage that I've seen looks like a messed up 16mm at best but yet cost the same money to shoot. 

There is lots of Super 8 footage being shot for fashion adverts and promos. I've seen quite a few on Instagram, they love that Super 8 look. It would be interesting to hear from a big lab how much Super 8 footage they handle. You may be surprised.

[Andries Molenaar]

1 minute ago, Uli Meyer said:

There is lots of Super 8 footage being shot for fashion adverts and promos. I've seen quite a few on Instagram, they love that Super 8 look. It would be interesting to hear from a big lab how much Super 8 footage they handle. You may be surprised.

I rented out an Nikon R10 for that once. Incredible footage from that machine when using proper film and skilled people in a studio.   No need to find another camera. 

[Doug Palmer]

I can't really see why professionals wanting the super-8 look would choose a pin registered camera like this one.  One of S8's charms is its slightly imperfect registration ?  If looking for coarse grain surely a very grainy 16mm stock/processing would suffice, or even regular-8mm if colour available,  both of which are likely to offer reliable (old) cameras.  More choice of speeds too.

The old high-end super-8 cameras may suffer from reliability issues, and so this Gentoo camera is nevertheless very welcome for some.  But the high cost of super-8 film when compared with other formats needs to be addressed.  It puts off a lot of people now.

Edited May 24, 2022 by Doug Palmer
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[Dom Jaeger]

Congratulations to the Logmar team for continuing to design and bring to market new film movie cameras in this day and age!

I have nothing but respect for their efforts. I hope they get enough orders to make it worthwhile.

[Jon O'Brien]

I agree with Dom. Congratulations to Logmar on the new designs and having the get up and go to produce new film cameras. Imagine ... someone out there not just talking about making new film cameras .... but actually doing it!!

There is a lot of "O it can't be done." Bull. It can be done. Just do it.

I'm very excited about this new Super 8 camera and hope to have the pleasure of shooting with it one day soon.

[Nicholas Kovats]

5 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said:

Congratulations to the Logmar team for continuing to design and bring to market new film movie cameras in this day and age!

I have nothing but respect for their efforts. I hope they get enough orders to make it worthwhile.

Don. I like your enthusiasm. They have achieved to date approximately 45% of their 50x unit pre-sales target.  I may post additional prototype pics. 

[Doug Palmer]

Just now, Nicholas Kovats said:

Don. I like your enthusiasm. They have achieved to date approximately 45% of their 50x unit pre-sales target.  I may post additional prototype pics. 

That's very encouraging ?  Max8 too.  Maybe it should be considered as a 16mm camera alternative,  with fine grain film.  Look forward to see how it performs.