Nicholas Rapak

The only problem is that Kodak ships UPS. UPS won't ship to the post office, but if there's a UPS customer center nearby (not a "The UPS Store"), you can ask Kodak to send it hold for pickup. This is the equivalent of the post office's general delivery service, where they will hold it at the PO until it's picked up. You will need a gov't ID to pick up your package.

I was just given a 400' roll of 16mm GAF 2962 black and white reversal film. There's no film speed marked on the canister, nor is there an expiration date (although there is a space for one). Has anyone ever used this film, and more importantly, does anyone have any clue as to starting points for exposure?

Fuji does not sell any reversal stocks in cine formats. E100D is the only option (aside from expensive Wittner stocks) for shooters wanting a projectable color image. This is especially important for people wanting to learn Super 8, or those that find an old 16mm camera and want to try it out without paying for telecine. If Fuji can come up with 16mm and S-8 color reversal, E100D won't be as critical.

You do not need to use the filter key with 100D. The R10 has a slider that allows all SMPTE speeds to be read, along with a daylight/tungsten sensor. Since Kodak's 100D is notched as 100D, it will expose perfectly.

Check the single frame-continuous switch. The switch on my R8 is a little touchy, and it occasionally goes to the single frame mode even with the switch set to "C". I just flip it back and forth, and that fixes it for another few hundred feet.

You could always go for a Nikon R8. It's the "baby brother" to the R10, with a 7.5-60 f/1.8 lens instead of the 7/70 f/1.4 of the R10. On the plus side, it's usually found for half the price.

Was the film in any sort of packaging?

It isn't easy to find a replacement battery door, but a crack in the plastic won't affect the operation. When I got my R8, I had to cut a new coin hole in with a Dremel tool in order to get the compartment open, as the batteries corroded so much that it softened the plastic.

As he does not post here, I am passing on a message from John Schwind at International Film Brokers(the regular 8 guy): This appears to be it for the DS8 format in color, as the only other manufacturer of DS8 is Foma. If there is anyone out there that uses DS8 cameras, I would order as much as you can afford now.

50' of Super 8 is equivalent in running time to 225' of 35mm, so it would be ~$140 for a 50 ft cart equivalent. Not only that, but Spectra's stock to scan price for 12 rolls divides out to $55 a cart, less than 40% of the cost of the equivalent run time in 35.

As John said, almost all photographic films are coated on cellulose triacetate. One notable exception in the cine world is Fuji's Single-8 films. These are coated on a polyester base so 50 ft of film can fit in a cartridge.

No. Tri-X will expose at ASA 160, 1/3 stop over, but that should be good especially if you are planning to project. The only thing I'd recommend is that you buy an ND filter, as 160 is too fast for most outdoor scenes. I get mine direct from Kodak. You can call them at 1-800-621-3456. Pricing cheaper than almost anywhere else, and if you are a student, they have special discounts. BPS Film Lab in Batavia, IL does it for $9.50 a cart. Give them a call at 630-879-8200 for more info and to get order forms.

An 85 will just make everything look orange. An 81 series filter will deliver a nice warming effect to the image, with the 81A delivering the weakest effect, and an 81EF delivering the strongest. If you want to see what effect it will have, shoot a few frames with the filter on a digital camera, and the white balance set to "daylight". It won't be exactly the same, but you'll get a good idea of what you're looking at.

From what I know, the Svema (Cвема is Cyrillic) plant closed down in the early 2000s, and no films are available anymore.

For your first roll(s), I would recommend Ektachrome 100D, the 7285 that Chris mentions. Not only will it work with your camera's internal light meter without manual exposure adjustment, it's a reversal film, which means that you can project the images right after you get your film developed. You can also get it transferred to video for cheaper than negative film. I also notice your profile says you are a student. If you are a college student (in the USA) with a valid .edu email address, you can get discount film stock direct from Kodak: Kodak Education Store. As for processing, there are two options that I use. The first is the Walmart option. All you do is go to the film dropbox, and fill out an envelope that says "Super 8mm film, process E-6" or something similar. It comes back in about 2 weeks, and costs anywhere from $4.88 to $6.88, depending on the location. The advantage is that it's cheap, the disadvantages are that the film is sometimes dusty, and they use cheap polyester leader that enjoys jamming my projector. I use this option most of the time, just because I am usually short on cash, and it's easy enough to clean and put new leader on. The other lab I use is BPS Film Lab in Batavia, IL. They're $12.50 a roll, but the film is always clean and they use Kodak acetate leader that doesn't jam my projector. They don't have a website, but you can call them at 630-879-8200 for more info.