James Mehr

I shot a short film this weekend with the 7D, and was quite impressed with the image quality. I'm thinking about investing in a T2i, but was wondering what are the shortcomings of the camera in comparison with the 7D. Has anyone had experience with both cameras? What would I give up if I went with the T2i? Thanks!

I just saw the trailer for the Israeli film "Ajami," and it looks like it was shot, at least partly, on digital. Does anyone know the technical specs for that film? It looks interesting. Thanks!

I'm in the market for a small/portable 16mm editor/viewer to make some experimental shorts. Which 16mm viewer should I look for? Are there any 16mm equivalents to the Minette? Thanks!

I'm about to buy a K3 from someone. He says he's selling it for a friend. What should I look for in the camera to make sure it's all right? How should I test it? Thanks!

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to buy it right now.

I'm in the market for a super8 film viewer/editor. I'm itching to edit something on film again, and this is my most affordable option. I went to super8arena and they have a Bauer F20, but they're in Germany, and I imagine the shipping charge would be high. Are there any places in NYC that selling super8 editing equipment? Thanks!

Well, those who like and enjoy film will continue to use that medium until it is really gone. There's something to be said that in the age of portable HD cameras that you can still buy Super8mm. In the end, it's not the technology that matters, it's what you do with it. I personally love the work of Nuri Bilge Ceylan, and I think he's shown the artistic potential of HD. I would imagine he enjoys the intimacy the technology affords. I would too, but then again I would miss working with film. It should be clear that this is a subjective topic, and I don't really think the pro-film posters are trying to persuade the digital lovers to go back to film. We are simply stating our preference. Being a gamer, I know what it's like to fall in love with technology, and I know when such a love gets out of hand... With film, you're working on a medium that's been in use for decades. There's something to say for that. Most of us will have to learn how to use digital, how to calibrate them, how to expose for them, what their quirks are, etc. I guess you can call this "embracing." But, it's just not the same.

That's kind of like asking a sculptor to embrace 3D Studio Max..... ;)

While I think a 4K scan and projection look better than a 2K scan and projection, you are going analog-digital, and anyone can tell you that there is always a loss in the conversion. True, prints wear down, but then again, in a cynical mode, are films generally in the theatres long enough to weather such erosion? To answer another response, sure you can create a pretty picture in digital. But to me it is a cold image. It's like seeing white noise. It's too rigid. It's dead. Nothing will bring it back. Digital is calculus - the measurement of a curve. Analog is the curve. I was a Film Studies Major in College, so I watched a lot of movies on print. I studied them this way. When I saw the first footage I ever shot on film, 16mm, to see what I saw rendered by celluloid, excited. Here I am, watching a rendering of the world I had studied and examined for the last two years. Here I am, potentially participating in that art. To hell with the technology. Film is beautiful. Film is alive. I don't think this will be a flame war. It's just that, gee, on a forum devoted to Cinematography, you're finding people who actually LIKE film. Who would have guessed?

I argue that the art and passion and creativity come from shooting on film. Personally, it annoys me when people all of a sudden become "pragmatic" about shooting on HD. When I shoot on Digital, the camera is a just a tool to me, and while you can certainly still be creative on a shoot, the experience is diminished. When I shoot on film, I feel like a filmmaker. I think there are a lot of young filmmakers who are discovering film, and realizing the threat HD has over it all. It certainly concerns me. At first, when I watch footage from an HD shoot, I think "Wow, that looks pretty good." Then after a while, I realize that I'm just looking at ones and zeroes, a rigidly defined image that really be no more than that. I think film will be around because it is such a solid recording medium. I may be wrong, but don't they burn Movies/TV shows onto flim for archival purposes? I was always taught that with digital archiving, you constantly have to be upgrading your hardware and making sure to migrate your data regularly. With film, you keep it in a can and in a cool place. Of course it's all subjective. But should we be so dismissive or blase of a medium that holds over 100 years of our cultural history?

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll keep my eye on it in ebay. Does anyone know of any other portable options as good or better than the Kodascope?

David, I was always told that when you shoot on small formats like 16mm or Super8, you lose latitude. For example, when you shoot on 16/Super16, you typically lose a stop in latitude. And in my experience, that's typically true. Am I confusing latitude with Dynamic Range? If so, what is the exact definition of both terms? Thanks!

I just watched the Orson Welles documentary "One Man Band", and I'm now interested in finding a portable 16mm editing machine like the one Orson Welles used. I've used a Steenbeck before, but what kind of portable or semi-portable options are there in terms on 16mm editing? Are there any places in NYC or online that sell them? Thanks!

Hey Todd, It's nice to see a film-medium lover on the boards. I don't think film will go away as quickly as people expect, or want it to. The whole HD craze reminds me of what happened when BetaSP came out. People were transferring there shows and films onto Beta and then throwing away the negatives... only to find ten years later that they look kinda bad. Technology always moves ahead, and rapidly in the digital world, so those who say 2K, or even 4K is "awesome" now will say that it sucks ten years from now. NHK has all ready planned the successor to the HD standard, which is roughly 7K, and it's supposed to be introduced by 2015. It doesn't mean that it will be adopted so quickly, but it gives you an idea where this is going. Are companies going to embroil themselves in megapixel wars in the future, like with still cameras? Probably not. There needs to be a standardization for the HD/Digital realm. Working with all these different codecs and equipment is not an efficient way of doing things. It reminds me of the early days of home computers, when you had IBM PC, Apple, Amiga, etc... There's a lot to say for film, and I think it shows ignorance when people vault towards these cameras and declare that film is dead. If you like the look of Digital, then you like the look of Digital. If you like the ease and cost of it, then it's yours to behold. But there's a reason people and independant filmmakers save up more money to shoot on film. Because to be a filmmaker and not shoot on film means you've neglected half your namesake :)

This might be non-sequitur and even stupid, but are you shooting anything for Nuri Bilge Ceylan? I love his films, and am eagerly waiting for "3 Monkeys" to come to NYC. Yes, I'm aware it's a popular camera, but it doesn't hurt to ask... :)