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.

The only problem with that is stock availability. DS8 is dying MUCH faster than any other format; just ask John Schwind, who complains about his sales of DS8 despite his business being the sale of slow-selling filmstocks. AFAIK, the only DS8 stocks currently being produced are Fomapan 100 and E100D, and the 100D is no longer being furnished by Kodak as DS8 (although if you ask nicely, you could probably get some as long as you meet their ∞ ft minimum order quantity). That shows one advantage to Regular 8. Find any double-perf 16mm stock, and in about three weeks, you can have it in R8. Of course, double-perf stock is becoming harder to find, but at least it's out there.

Once while shooting fireworks on double 8, I forgot to flip the reel around and ended up re-exposing the same side of the roll through the base. It gave a really odd effect. The fireworks would shoot up, then turn red-orange and suck back in at the top of the frame. Neat effect, but I wouldn't do it on purpose.

Check out this link. This is not on the Cinematography forums, but on APUG, a still film enthusiast site: http://www.apug.org/forums/forum172/81677-tungsten-slide-films.html It starts out about tungsten slide films, but the discussion quickly moves to using V3 500T as a still film.

Terry, Yes, Super 8 will just seize up in the event of a jam. That's because there are only two parts of the camera involved in advancing the film: the pulldown claw and the wind mechanism. Not only that, but the entire design of Super 8 was to seize up; that way amateurs that kept advancing the film after it jammed would not break the camera. In a reel-loading system, like regular 8mm, 16mm, or 35mm, there are many more pieces to get damaged. As for the Fuji links on your last post, I don't get it. The only Fuji products coated on a PET base are intermediate and print films. Kodak is your only option if you want PET-base negative films.

Terry, Yes, vinegar syndrome is an important concern for long-term archival storage. However, modern archivists know about the problem and are actively correcting for it. As long as you don't store your film in a hot basement in an airtight canister, your film will outlive you. Besides, even if polyester lasts for millenia, the color dyes will fade to nothing long before then. You are also understating the problem with jams and film tear. With still film, it is one 36mm wide frame that you are advancing, and even then it can create a problem if you are using a motor winder. With motion pictures, you are exposing 24 22x16mm frames every second. If for some reason the advance mechanism on one part sticks, that part will be flying through the camera by the time you realize it. Besides, ESTAR was invented in 1955. If cinematographers saw an advantage in using polyester as an in-camera original base, don't you think they would have petitioned Kodak?

Jenny, what format was the last roll of motion picture Kodachrome? 16mm, 8mm, or Super 8?

I use a Bolex-Paillard 8mm cement splicer. It's easy to use once you get the hang of it, and you only lose one frame total, which is almost invisible at 18 FPS. Tape splices obscure more frames, and the splices are always clearly visible.

I use BPS Photo Lab in Batavia, IL. Their processing has always been clean and scratch-free, and I think they do B&W reversal fairly often. It's also probably the closest cine lab to you. Their phone number is 630-879-8200.

A recent conversation on APUG, an analog still film forum, has determined that Cinelab in MA will process short lengths of ECN-2. I'm not sure about the price, and they will not print, but they said it will be "similar in price to C-41 developing", so ~$5

Wow. You need a new freezer. Every freezer made in the past 10 years has to be able to reach at least a temperature of 5F. 32F is basically a glorified fridge, as Federal law states that all refrigerators must keep food at a temperature below 37 degrees.