Gareth Blackstock

well I have purchased quite a few cameras that were not working, and with some simple fixes, I was able to get them working again. So that's one junked nizo to my five repaired, good enough odds I think for people to attempt simple repairs on their own defunct cameras. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ Have an actual look at the website, you will discover that I do not use a soldering iron, nor do I remove circuitry. Merely removing covers and cleaning can hardly be considered intence surgery. For a person who followed my examples carefully to completly bugger their camera is more the fault of their doing a step wrong, than my examples. And I did, a few years back, find someone who STILL FIXED cameras, it cost me $140 to be told the camera was a dead one, and it came back with a cracked casing. Also, as I live in Australia I was not going to send a $100 camera overseas for repair. However, I have listed a local repairer on this site: http://mishkin.yolasite.com/australian-super8.php Obviously not the one I had previous experience with. And in response to your last comment, as you find home repair to be detrimental and risky, why not compile your own list of repairers? I am sure it would be quite handy.

Hello, I am encouraging people to have a go at fixing their defunct cameras to help them shoot some film through it. it would seem a shame for a camera to rot in the closet simply due to corroded battery contacts, or some other simple fix. And if they ruin the camera for good trying to repair it? no loss, it is not as though the thing was running perfectly before hand. And, if you look at the website, I give lots of warnings and tips on the care that should be taken. I always encourage people to have a go repairing things for themselves, two reasons: the money they save, and the fact that they are potentially depriving a rip off merchant of hard earned money. cheers

G'day, I have just updated my site to include some details on repairing the Canon 1218 camera, as well as the 814 and 1014. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ I have also updated my main site concerning details of Super8 stock purchase, process and transfer in Australia and New Zealand. http://mishkin.yolasite.com/ I hope the links are handy, cheers

Hello, I faced the same problem when I wanted to shoot super8 with a recording device. Most people said a thick blanket would suffice, but as I had time, I built my own, and I was amazed that it blocked almost all sound! I made up a little website attempting to deal with sound recording with super8 for the budget restricted, it is at: http://mishkin.yolasite.com/sound-recording.php I also made up a page showing pics of the blimp I made, total cost around $50. Depending on the mic you use, and distance, this camera/blimp set up is perfectly silent. http://mishpics.yolasite.com/super8-blimp-designs.php good luck!

A really good point has been raised concerning the lights, they get very hot! use a centrally located power board so all lights can be switched off between takes. I cannot stress enough that your work lights have either glass or wire covers over the bulbs, I have seen a blown one, and it looked like some one had poked a toothpick through molten glass! Also watch out for wall paper, it will get scorched very easily. If anyone does the umbrella thing, you have to use heat proof paint as used for car engines, and with everything, do not put it too close to the light. Purchase a fire extinguisher, a small one, just in case. reason being: a friend followed my instructions on making me a reflective beach umbrella while i was shooting, he failed to buy the right paint, suffice to say, once dried we set it up, and within 7 minutes or so it turned into a giant fireball, luckily I had an extinguisher! If you have trouble setting your F-stop, just set it to 5.6, but be very sure you only shoot what is well lit, to get an idea of what the tri-x might receive light wise, put on some very dark cheap sunglasses, what you can see, so to the camera. I realise this might cause a lot of consternation from other forum visitors, but at the least, it gives a person a good understanding of where the shadows begin. Also, it will only really work with tri-x, indoors, under lights. And, yes, I have used this method with good results. Good luck, and remember to shoot 18fps, and 24fps if panning quickly. cheers

I have shot tri-x at night and it turned out very well. I used two 500watt tungstan work lamps, one for the back drop or back wall, and one bounced off the inside of a beach umbrella painted with chrome heat paint, or the ceiling. even your movie light will be sufficient as long as it is close to the person, it will be grainy too. make sure your light has either a glass shield or wire over the filiament in case it blows, never handle the filiament, or bulb with your hands, use a clean cotton rag or gloves. the smoking is probably dust burning. using reflectors is a good way to go to get hard lighting over a broad area, just glue tin foil, or aluminium foil onto a large piece of cardboard(a broken down moving box), if that is too hard a light, paint it white. while using one light has many limitations, bounce light of surfaces to make up for it, or buy another work light. good luck www.mishkin.yolasite.com

Welcome to shooting super8, I hope you find it to be a great format. concerning cameras, there are so many available in Australia! Chinons are good, Yashica are very reliable, most Canons are good, reliable, but high end models can be too expensive! Sankyo does a great camera, reliable! Whatever camera you get, keep it cheap until you know what you want to do. Make sure it can shoot 18fps and 24fps. Make sure it runs! If buying off ebay, ask them to put some AA batteries in it, otherwise they will say they "are selling it for another person, therefore don't know if it works" Putting batteries in the camera is not testing it. 100D film is fantastic for colours and low on grain. E64 is a grainier film, but more lifelike colours. Plus-x and Tri-x are great films too. I made up a website awhile ago just for Super8 users in Australia, you might find some of the links handy. www.mishkin.yolasite.com goodluck Gareth

hello, I read your post, the website below might be helpful. If you feel adventurous you could take it apart yourself, or try finding a repair shop. goodluck http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ cheers

Hello all. I got around to replacing the lens on my canon 814. Now she is ready to shoot to see how the repairs have gone. The 1014 is still a work in progress. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ As before, feedback is welcome, but i hope others can make use of the pictures. Soon i will put the pictures into a powerpoint that can be downloaded for easier off line viewing. cheers

G'day. It was suggested I make up some pdf's that people can download from the site. I uploaded two powerpoint presentations, the files are smaller, less than 1mb each, and they are not protected so people can enlarge the pictures if they need to. I hope people can download and place them on other websites so they might stay online for a long time. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ cheers, Gareth

G'day. Well I figured as the camera was dead, instead of it being an expensive paperweight, i would give it a go. The process worked when i repaired a 1218 using the same methods... luckily all went well, the camera works now, just have to replace the lens, will let you know how that goes. cheers

I recently purchased an 814 that was "dead on arrival" after buying it off ebay. I figured I had nothing to loose, so proceeded to dismantle it hoping to find the cause. On the way, i thought if a took photos of the procedure, and posted them, they might help another in the same boat. I also included some pics of a 1014 i picked up that was not working, still looking into that one. I did the same procedures on a 1218 i bought a year ago, again, D.O.A, and I got that one going to. If people want to see pics of that, I might be able to dig them too. Anyway, have a look at the website below, might come in handy... http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ The good news was, the camera now works great, and if anyone was curious, have a look at the site. If I have made any glaring errors, let me know. I hope the pictures are useful. cheers, gareth blackstock

Below are links to some cameras off ebay.com, usa version. just examples of worthy cameras http://cgi.ebay.com/Minolta-Autopak-8-D6-S...id=p3286.c0.m14 http://cgi.ebay.com/YASHICA-SUPER-60-8MM-E...id=p3286.c0.m14 http://cgi.ebay.com/FILM-TESTED-ELMO-350SL...id=p3286.c0.m14 http://cgi.ebay.com/CANON-SUPER8-S8-CAMERA...id=p3286.c0.m14 http://cgi.ebay.com/Sankyo-CM600-Super-8-M...id=p3286.c0.m14

there are dozens of cameras out there that are worthy of shooting great images, sankyo, chinon, yashica, hannimex, elmo, et all! If anything, these cameras might be a little less used than the popular canons. concerning functions, as long as it can shoot 18 and 24 fps, has a manual exposure ability, and can take E64 film cartridges, you will have no problems. Be sure the camera takes "AA" batteries, rechargeable ones may be well past thier useability. Be sure no special items are required to hold the batteries in the handle such as plastic battery packs. Be sure to check the lens for fungus, and avoid, looks like tiny cobwebs inside the lens, avoid scratches no matter what the seller says. if the camera has "XL" on it, this means it can shoot low light happily, if not "XL" use some lights. by and large people have very different experiences with all types of cameras, but most cameras take good images, are reliable, and robust. The cameras i mentioned above can be bought for as little as $15 to as high as $45 on ebay, cheap enough to experiment with! At these prices buy three! happy shopping

from what i have picked up here and there, if the footage is shot at 18fps, and the finished product is to be 29fps, a frame is copied and replicated to stretch out the frame rate. Ie if you shot a flower for 2seconds at 18fps, then 11 frames would be copied and replicated to bring it up to 29fps. I am unsure of the effects of this, and others might have more accurate information on how the system works? but, apparently most non-synch super8 cameras fluctuate in frame rate, often around 21fps to 23fps. This depends on so many variables from battery charge to camera make as to be an unreliable assumption. good luck, cheers

Concerning the benefits of 18fps versus 24fps: 18fps is great for shooting non-synch film, lasts longer! but do not pan sideways too quickly, or film passing vehicles, it comes out "patchy" but for most moderate action i believe 18fps is fine. 24fps is ideal for all fast action, either filming a scene of high activity or running with the camera. Some state that shooting at 24fps lends a sharper image, as the film moves past the shutter faster, but i think this depends more on your camera's shutter angle, a canon 518 is 185 degrees which seems a happy medium between 220 degrees for low light, and 150 degrees for lots of light. Shooting 24fps when attempting to synch to sound is always best. And i think all this depends on whether you live in a NTSC or PAL country, shooting at 24fps in the states, the lab you transfer with will do so at 29fps, shooting 24fps in Australia for example, the transfer will be almost on par with what you shoot. ask your local transfer house..... cheers. www.mishkin.yolasite.com

O.K, some fair points here, however: for the prices you suggest, my options are still limited, for the $500USD i might pick up one of the early models, from either 1940 to 1950, but the lenses are again another thing all together, again i'm looking at either an ancient lens, or paying almost $250USD for a lens from the 70's. just the other day an arri ST and BL went for between $450AU and $580AU! and these cameras did not come with lenses. Be aware that prices between countries will vary greatly, sure i might be able to pick up a good 16mm from texas, but i include postage, around $150AU average, and the travel here in which damage easily occurs. Ebay has, in my view, has increased camera prices greatly as sellers get on ebay to gauge what they might ask by looking at current auctions with reserves or high bids and taking these as good gauges of what people will pay, however, they fail to look at what cameras have actually sold for. Resolution? here i think we good argue for years here, but IMHO 16mm tri-x or Plus-x shot in old cameras with old lenses, even from the 70's are still not that much better than what a super8 camera can achieve. Better 16mm Frame area is a good point, however, considering that the final presentation medium these days is more likely to be either the internet or DVD rather than projection, I still see Super8 as very competitive. But i still dream of shooting 16mm negative stock with a full lab transfer, maybe when i win a lottery.... cheers

"IMO S8 is great for a suitable story, but since it's not much cheaper than 16mm nowadays I wouldn't use it for much else, unless I want that look for some reason" I do not believe 16mm is only a little more expensive than S8, for example: i have seen reversal 16mm shot on an old camera with old lenses, i have to say i thought it looked like S8. on the other hand, i have seen negative footage shot on a modern camera, with modern lenses, and the result was stunning! equal to 35mm!? IMHO. So, i have gained the impression that shooting 16mm reversal stocks using old lenses is almost equal to the clarity of a well handled S8, and yes, the stock is cheap, the camera resonable too. But, to get the clarity of negative 16mm, one might need a camera worth several thousand dollars, with a decent maintenance history, and then have to use a lab to transfer the footage, around $500 an hour! So, in the end, if i was to shoot 16mm, it would be with modern equipment, or at least a modern lens or two, and i would shoot negative, and i would definetly get someone else to pay for it all! note: Bear in mind that perhaps film services are cheaper in the northern hemisphere, and this may have coloured my opinions accordingly, either way, from my enquiries locally, 16mm remains very expensive! cheers.

I agree very strongly concerning the shakey hand held footage, but whether the format is being used for more than it was invented for..... in this i disagree, there are very few items these days that we use stricktly as per their intention, old cars that we still use everyday, computers that we should replace, motorcycles over 40 years old that we still use, et all! So we can establish that using 40 year old technology, in at least 15 year cameras, is not only do-able, but can create great looking footage!? I think the limitations of super8 are also their saving grace, their lack of "options" keeps the cameras light and cheap, easy to maintain. In fact, without the bells and whistles, compared to 16mm cameras, has saved super8 from over priced workshops selling everything from re-calibrating lenses to grease jobs. And film image quality? surely picture making is more than creating a facsimily of a scene, too often I feel image clarity, sharpness, is prioritised over the "feel" of a scene, the interpretation, a way to convey the "vibe", this is why some stocks are chosen over others. Super8 bridges the gap between image, clarity, and cost. But i agree cartridge jitters are an unacceptable gamble when your shot could be costing you hundreds! cheers.

I reckon the 814 is the better camera, but the pick of the litter, i think, is the 814 electronic. The electronic has a 150 degree shutter, which i think helps get a sharp image compared to the older 814 which is 220 degree shutter, better in low light. If you want some good glass, go the 1218! very front heavy!

hello. I am also based in melbourne, and have made a couple of short films here and there. I had a look at the music video, i thought it was pretty good! Although i cannot help with "on the nail" pointers, there are soome web pages below with forums that have a wealth of knowledge in all areas cine. very helpful here: http://filmmelbourne.com.co.in/ very good resource here: http://rebels.latenitefilms.com/community/ everyone after work looks here: http://filmnet.yuku.com/ Good luck in your pursuit, judging by your youtube sample, I would be happy to work with you, although i cannot pay!? sorry. cheers my site: www.mishkin.yolasite.com

According to this site http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Super_8_EK..._in_old_cameras your camera will take E64 silent film, but you will have to manually adjust the exposure. If you do not do this, the film might be over exposed or under exposed, if this happens you have a fair chance that the footage will still come out ok. Because you have a sound camera, that does not mean you have to buy sound film, this is no longer available new or fresh. Normal super8 film will fit in your camera fine. Although the link below is aimed at the Australian community, it has many links, like what types of film are available. http://mishkin.yolasite.com/australian-super8.php good luck

My first camera was a cheap super8, $20AU for a sankyo and i shot some great footage, and some terrible footage! I dropped it off tripods, it bounced down stairs, it's been strapped to a car bonnet, thrown to a person off a moving train(who missed catching it!) and it still shoots great footage. Since then i have bought many cameras, they all have different capabilities, and are all reliable. Maybe i'm just lucky? And they are all made in japan. To the origonal inquiry: buy a super8 camera, buy a camera you can easily get stock for, and you can easily process. Buy a cheap one to start, because if you break it, no great loss. If it turns out to be a dud, no great loss. Every small format forum on the net has an enormous breadth of knowledge concerning cameras and all their unique capabilities, but as always, be wary of all advice, it is usually subjective. At the end of the day, do what you are comfortable doing, and spending. And get shooting anything, with any camera, with any tripod, with any lense. good luck

hello. I have shot tri-x at night indoors and had no problems. However, i used a lot of lights, all 500watt quartz halogen. If memory serves, i used around 6 bounced for large interiors, and 3 joined together for a hard key light for close shots. You can buy them from hardware stores very cheaply. If possible pick up a 1000watt light. Also reflectors are really handy! glue some tinfoil to a cut down cardboard box, or spray paint the cardbourd white. (use primer first!) Also, use as many house lights and lamps as possible, even flourescent. As you are shooting B&W, the colour temp of the lights will not affect your film. grab some halogen work lights, light it up till your exposure hits 5.6, and shoot with confidence! cheers.

Alright, I have uploaded the audio. it is on the website below. http://mishpics.yolasite.com/super8-blimp-designs.php Either click on the item to play it in the page, or right click and save it to hard drive. (in case you are wondering from the noises in the background, i was filming surrounded by dogs and cats) I look forward to your feedback. cheers