Geoff Howell

I guess another factor in using film on something like Thunderbirds would be the need for over-cranking for all the pyrotechnics/explosions/fireworks etc! Was it possible to shoot higher frame rates on mid 60s video cameras?

one down side about super 8 is learning to frame stuff for 1.33:1 is of limited value these days. I've always found it fascinating to watch how editors deal with inserting archive footage like this into 16:9 TV shows

Ha! you're right! I remember when I was a kid in the mid 80's they used to have a big workshop on the South Bank next door to the Royal Festival Hall! as for the show it's self I'm pretty sure it was all shot on video as was the case with most UK studio based productions at the time

looks wonderful! I'm glad I didn't see this before the end of last month, Ikonoskop were offering the camera with £1000 off until the end of the year; very very tempting!

Correct me if I'm wrong but doesn't Pro8 buy raw stock slit, re-perf it and load it in to super8 carts just like Wittner and Cinevia? From what I remember they were in fact offering Ektachrome 100D in super8 years before Kodak. Company's like this need to be looking for potential manufacturers / sources of film beyond Kodak and Fuji to ensure any kind of long term survival

Good call on 28Days Later! I remember at the time a lot of people just flat out refusing to believe that it was shot on Mini DV! Has there ever been a better example of "it's not the tools but the person using them" !?

I'd bet that a third party would buy raw stock from Kodak and slit and re-perf it for use with 16mm like they've been doing with Fuji slide film and super8.

Looks great! what kind of setup did you use for the motion control timelaps shots of the house?

It is! or at least the 5D2 was! not sure where they stand on more recent models though

Fuji jumped ship because the market is shrinking at an alarming rate. Here in the UK the BBC stopped accepting material shot on super16 just prior to Fuji pulling the plug; this and other similar decisions would have had a considerable impact on keeping their motion picture division as a viable business. Its not as if there are a large group of TV producers migrating to Kodak as film (from any manufacturer) simply no longer factors in to their day to day operations.

Ahh yes! I remember the whole North Korean super8 story! it's all documented here, unfortunately it seems that this stock is our equivalent of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster :lol: It's really funny how everyone was so desperate for it to be true, the main argument seemed to be "well it's a know fact that Kim Jong Ill is a massive film buff and if you look at recent footage of North Korean military parades you'll see loads of camera men wielding Arri SR's and various Aatons!" however the sad truth is in a country where even the middle classes are on the brink of starvation a fleet of fully kitted out RED's or Alexa's is no doubt way beyond the budget NK state TV

true, I'm very interested in where Lomography is getting their 110 color film, some say it's repackaged stock from an Italian company others are saying it's produced on commission somewhere in China.

not sure what the US to UK exchange rate is like at the moment but unless it's a typo Fuji UK are doing 400ft for under £30!

the thing is though how many of the hipsters buying that camera from Urban Outfitters are going to be aware of Spectra or Cinevia? Until the supply of 100D drys up there are at least four or five well known shops near me that I can casually buy film over the counter at a decent price. Also I'd be very very weary about being too dependent on Fuji continuing to supply the Raw materials, A couple of years ago Cinevia and Retro8 in Japan were planing on selling single8 cartridges loaded with Provia 400X, apparently Fuji were more than happy to supply the film and everyone was happy; but right at the very last minute Fuji pulled out saying that they were concerned about the film jamming in cameras and having to deal with angry customers wanting their money back. Cinevia/Retro8 unsuccessfully argued that: A, the film would not jam as they had tested it thoroughly. B, the cartridges wouldn't feature the word 'Fuji' on the labeling so any angry customers would be handled by Cinevia and Retro8 Anyway, it seems that Fuji moves in very mysterious ways and it's not totally inconceivable that they could pull the supply of Velvia and Fujichrome on a whim or worse still end production all together :blink:

but sadly no readily available color reversal film to put in the bloody thing.

+1 for the Panasonic AF100, or there's a ton of really good deals on Gh2's lately, or wait for the Black Magic Camera to start shipping. P.S. the op didn't say what the camera was to be used for so film might not be practical

hopefully someone like Lomography.com will have a crack at producing and selling to the highly lucrative hipster demographic. They're already producing their own brands of 110 and 120 stills film so I think super8 might be up their street.

no color reversal film being readily available is a disaster and will only make super8 increasingly inaccessible to those newcomers wanting to just pick up a camera and shoot as simply as possible.

I think he's probably just showboating for the media; don't forget that he started out as an add man and knows his way around a good soundbite!

I love film as much as the next person, but there seems to be this crazy notion that back in the pre-digital days everything produced was just super :huh: The 'crap to good' ratio is probably just about the same as it ever was: there was crap music being made before the invention of Pro Tools and there were crap movies being made long before digital video came on the scene. the only thing I think that has significantly changed is the way in which everything is now distributed. In the past you'd actively have to go out of your way to consume entertainment/art/whatever; these days everything's on tap and we are constantly bombarded with media that 9 times out of 10 we have little or no interest in; and yes it sometimes feels a bit overwhelming

no problem, yeah it sounds like it's not getting any power from the batteries. try giving them a clean and see it that helps Good luck!

I've just dug mine out and the motor still runs when I remove the small battery. when you look through the viewfinder and hold down the start button can you see a flashing red led? also what state are the battery contacts in? any sign of corrosion or leaks? I've noticed that both the contacts on the right hand side of the battery compartment are pretty tiny; it could just be that they are not making contact properly

thanks! Putting either Tri-x or 7217 in to an old rt200n cartridge seems like the best bet

How do you set the reloaded cartridge to correctly expose in automatic cameras such as the Fujica P2 where there is no manual control for the ASA number? Dose Single8 have a notch system like Kodak’s Super8 cartridges? I’d love to get back into shooting Single8 as I recently got a Fujica AX100 with the underwater housing for only £1 on ebay!

there's interesting stuff about the 'Rapatronic' camera here The way they explain about 'the shutter with no moving parts' makes it sound deceptively simple, I wonder why it didn’t catch on in other film cameras at the time