Martin Baumgarten

I don't own the UWL lens for the NIZO, but have used the AMBICO Hemispheric (aspheric) wide angle and also the CANON aspheric Wide Angle, and they will work if using 2 of the 4x close-up lens behind it. The focus is set to Infinity, and for sharp results you'd want to be closed down at least 2-stops from wide open or more. Sharpest results are obtained around F/8 or better. The other problem is the NIZO since it will begin to vignette quickly, so you will actually have to move the zoom slightly to avoid that. This setup has worked on a SANKYO XL620 at the widest 7.5mm position, the NIZO 560 and 480, and on a BEAULIEU using the smaller Angenieux 8mm to 64mm F/1.9 lens (note the Series filter thread is different at 48.5mm versus the 49mm closeup lenses. Anyhow, you'll have to check for vignetting and slightly adjust your zoom, since the degree of vignetting depends on the design of the aspheric lens you're using, and the spacing of the closeup lenses and necessary adapter ring(s). I never purchased any of the UWL lenses since they aren't made of glass, and I thought they were thus overpriced for acrylic. The AMBICO and CANON ultra wide lens adapters are glass and also well coated. Good luck, hope this helps.

Technically, they are correct, no wash is necessary between the REVERSAL BATH and the COLOR DEVELOPER. However, all the other technical information others have provided are fine, concerning a FULL IMMERSION type of processing, such as via RACK & TROUGH or SPIRAL REELS. BUT, my answer concerns the original question in processing using the R E W I N D Tank method...and there are other concerns regarding this. The REWIND TANK process is a compromise processing method of sorts, since the film ONLY picks up fresh chemistry the moment it passes between the two reels in winding. The film is continously wound back and forth, and since it winds up upon itself with no gap between film layers.....only the residual chemistry that is contained within the film emulsion...is doing the work. Compromises and a different type of methodology is necessary to yield decent quality when using a REWIND TANK (Morse G-3, Arkay G-3, Doran G-3, Fairchild Rewind Tanks, Aerial Film Rewind Tank Processors, LOMO Rewind Tank, and the Beacon Motorized Rewind Processor among others]. Proper rinsing between most stages, will help avoid the imprinting problem, and minimize large amounts of residual chemistry remaining in the emulsion to avoid contamination staining. You can NOT apply the same standards for processing of still film, or movie film on spiral reels, to the REWIND TANK type process. There isn't an exact control of each stage to the same critical nature, and if you try to do so, you'll just get awful results in the end. I've been processing movie film manually since I was in my teens, and we also had the MORSE G-3 REWIND TANKS as field units, camera testing, and emergency backups while in the military. Anyone that has successfully used a REWIND TANK method for the developing of motion picture film, particularily reversal film processing, will attest to the necessary variations. That all being said, I hope you can work out a method with your G-3 Tank and get good results, and post the results back on this newsgroup.

IF the film actually got wet, then it's pretty ruined. However, as mentioned, if it's still sealed in the foil packs, it should be okay. As for film that has been shot, if can be cold stored to minimize aging effects after shooting, if unable to get it processed right away. It should be sealed in high quality zip-lock bags, and try to get out as much air as possible. If desiring to freeze exposed film for a longer time, say months or years (if that's how long it will take you to get it processed or doing an experiment), then double bag it as an extra precaution. Even exposed cold stored film will still process quite well long after it's been exposed.

Well, it's not all doom and gloom. Super 8 Today Magazine has put tremendous strain and time constraints on the Editor to put this out, which despire the cost, has been mainly a labor of love. Many of us miss the long discontinued "Super8Filmaker" Magazine, and this was a nice modern homage to that former ediface of the peak Super 8 era in the 1970s. Something else may come again in the future. Having put out a club magazine that was nowhere near the quality, I can understand the effort involved. We have the internet, something that didn't exist back in the heyday of many hobbies.....and it's the fabric that keeps so many things alive by allowing rapid contact and communication across the spectrum of our passion for film. As for KODACHROME......lamenting time is over, KODAK been trying to kill it off for many years and we had the warning. I know it wasn't or didn't seem long enough warning, but we had one. Remaining KODACHROME filmstock is not dead in the water, at least it can still be used and processed four different ways in some form of Black & White, and while not as cheap to process, it's not super expensive either. PPS processes it here. As for DS8's future, FOMA will continue to offer it, now that they have resolved their film base production/procurement issues. As for the perforation problems on the GK filmstock with Velvia, I wasn't aware of any problems. I suggest letting GK Film know about the problems so they can be addressed. As with any very small scale production of some product, there is always the potential for some errors. There are some other companies that have the film slitting and perforating equipment, so possible options still exist. As long as rawstock in film is available, it can be made into a variety of gauges by those that have the resources to do so. Considering the ever rapidly changing technology out there, we at least can still shoot film in various gauges on a variety (albeit lesser variety) of filmstocks. The 9.5mm filmmakers are glad to even still get film for their beloved gauge! Some cameras may become less practical to use due to production costs for limited filmstock runs. A good example of sorts is running the Double 8mm Magazine format; just too many hassles and costs for most....and there's a million spool loading cameras. I love the quality and feel of those well made BOLEX H series cameras also, but at least if for some reason DS8 were to die out entirely, there's still Double 8mm and 16mm to make films with. These types of complaints have been voiced over many years in many magazines and club meetings, and here on the internet. The comeback has always been, "Use it or Lose it", and while so often our numbers among the small film gauges are smaller, this does apply. At least you can stock up, and freeze the film. I know it holds up pretty good as I'm still shooting on film with early 1980s expiration dates (but that batch is nearly gone and others follow). The wealthy millionaires which so often support other hobby interests regardless of costs or whether it makes any profit just to indulge their pursuits seem to lacking amongst our numbers. Anyhow, dreaming about stuff is fine, but in the end....get out there and use what we have, make a film, and have fun seems to be the real answer.

Do NOT rotate the cartridge takeup core.....UNTIL you first depress the Pressure Plate to relieve the pressure on the film.........OR you could end up breaking the film. Depress the Cartridge's Pressure Plate with a small screwdriver or tweezers..keeping away from touching the film as best you can. Then rotate the takeup core clockwise and the film should easily glide down over the depressed pressure plate and move through the cartridge and takeup on the core. To help the film glide/transport through the camera better and easier (once you've determined that the cartridge is not the problem, and you've tested the camera otherwise without film via running it and with fresh batteries etc), get some good spray Silicone and spray a clean cotton flannel cloth, then wipe the camera's film gate liberally with this. Also, to help the film in the troublesome cartridge, [AFTER having first pulled down a few inches and wound up the slack on the takeup core to make sure the film is indeed transporting okay].....pull the film in the Cartridge Gate upward a little so you can get underneath it....then wipe the Pressure Plate with a Cotton Swab that you sprayed with the Silicone. Prestone Silicone Spray works fine, as does the heavy duty Silicone spray available from hardware shops etc. ALWAYS make sure the Silicone is applied some moments after you have sprayed the cloth or swab.....to ensure that the propellant has evaporated. This leaves only the silicone behind and it won't harm the film. Alternatively, a good movie cleaner with lubricant or movie film lubricant will work as well. But, the silicone method has worked for me for decades...resulting in very stable film transport and images, many times on cameras that had steadiness problems. Anyone that has used EKTACHROME 64T can attest to how wet that filmstock is with lubricant. KODAK had to use plenty to get that thick filmstock to transport well in the cartridges. Lastly, a word about the cheap plastic Super 8 cartridge. Unless there was an assembly problem, it's much sturdier than many think. I still have the very first cartridges that I opened and reloaded film in from 1981, and they have run over half a dozen reloads in them each and still work fine. The builtin pressure plate is very sturdy and can be firmer sprung than that of many spool loading cameras. The difficulty the cartridges have is in their coaxial design, in which the Supply Side is a stationary hub, and the film has to rotate around it sitting on a Slip Sheet Disc. The other potential problem is the sharp curves the film has to take in transporting through the cartridge, where there is only one roller as it exits the supply side on its way to the gate, and only a rounded plastic moulded hump on the takeup side. In practice, this has worked since the invention of the "KODAPAK" Super 8mm cartridge. But I mention all this since filmstock being used now is thicker lately, the cameras are getting older (so there are many tired cameras out there, from mainly lack of use and age), and that high humidity can sometimes cause film sticking initially when first using the cartridge after opening the foil pack. Hope this helps you. If the problem persists with other film, consider just getting another camera....plenty out there, and many can be bought very reasonably priced and even cheap.

That's true, the NIZO Pro doesn't have the same features, but it's better since it does have manual zoom, manual exposure, a variable shutter (which can be locked so exposure time is shortened), aperture readout in the viewfinder, 2 speed power zoom and other features. The YASHICA due to the time period when it was built, as with many Super 8mm cameras from the 60s into early 70s, had light meters that keyed to a much wider ASA/ISO range.....for films that hadn't even been made yet....but were on the drawing table. As nice as your YASHICA 600 is.....it has it's own drawbacks; power zoom only....and that sucks, no exposure information in the viewfinder (except for a low light level warning), no manual exposure adjustment (nor any auto exposure lock, only the bias settings). So....better? That's relative of course. Anyone dabbling in the Super 8mm field will quickly learn that sadly, some cameras have desireable features that others don't have, and hardly any have all the features many of us want or wanted....so it can be a little frustrating. That's the world of design and marketing, and it persists into many other products; cars, audio equipment, digital cameras etc. [The model which replaced yours just a year or so later, the YASHICA Electro-8 LD-4/LD-6/LD-8 models have the automatic Lap Dissolve feature...and use a variable closing shutter not an aperture fade, so they make great dissolves.] So to recap here, yes it will read both TRI-X and VISION 200T as ASA/ISO 200 with the Filter removed (either automatically or manually by yourself), or as ASA/ISO 130 or thereabouts IF using the Filter since it will reduce exposure by 2/3rds of a Stop. HOWEVER....I do recommend cutting your own filter notch in the TRI-X cartridge....that orange filter will really help make your skies and other daylight details 'pop' via the more correct tonal representation. Due to the inherent higher sensitivity to Blue and UV light, B&W films tend to have skies wash out, water often too bright, and wimpy if any cloud details. That's why for virtually all B&W photography and filmmaking, negative or reversal, use of Filters in the Yellow, Medium Yellow or Orange range are highly recommended. Red, Green or Blue or other filters for dramatic effects away from the norm. So, good luck on your film shoot now. ADDENUM: And, that's WHY I always recommend owning several Super 8mm cameras....since some have features you may want or need for certain projects and other cameras don't have those features.....as well as a nice small travel camera, and some junkers for taping to a car or bicycle etc for those riskier shots.

I tend to agree with Jean-Louis that it's a telecine related problem. The jumpiness is too even and steady throughout your segment to believe it came from the original incamera exposure. However, it still could be the camera...but I have never seen unsteadiness like this from a NIZO; it tends to jump if in the camera, but not so perfectly from frame to frame. Regarding the other issue, of the EK100D film being thicker and running rougher etc. This has also been an issue many times with the previous EK64T as well. A similar situation can occur with FOMAPAN R-100, which normally is not available in Super 8mm cartridges but can be custom loaded that way privately. As with any Super 8mm film cartridge film sticking or jumpiness incamera problem, a nice wipe of the film gate with a clean cotton flannel cloth moistened with pure Silicone will solve that. Should a cartridge give further problems, pull the film out of the cartridge gate so you can wipe the pressure plate with Silicone as well. That has cured 99% of any problem I've ever had with cartridges being problematic that way. Super 8mm film cartridges will jam for a small variety of reasons: [1]. High humidity present in environment upon opening of foil seal pack, causing film emulsion to swell like a sponge...that part that's exposed in the cartridge gate. This will usually cause a film to jam right at the beginning. SOLUTION: pull the film downward and rotate the takeup core clockwise to take up the slack. If very humid, make sure to wipe film gate with Silicone....if a deep film chamber such as a rear loading camera (which the NIZO is), you can just GENEROUSLY wipe the exposed film surface with Silicone and it will wipe the camera gate when you reinsert it. [2]. Film jamming from using the Film Rewind, Double Exposure, or Lap Dissolve function on a camera. What happens is the film will jam, either because the rewind function was begung too early in the cartridge (wait until at least 5 feet of film has been run) or too late in the cartridge (don't inititate a film rewind within the last 5 to 10 feet of a cartridge's remaining film length). SOLUTION: Take up any film slack by rotating the film takeup core clockwise, if no slack....then depress the Pressure Plate in the cartridge by using a small screwdriver or tweezers to either side of the film...and while holding it in, pull the film downward. Do this for a few inches of film, sometimes it has to be done for as much as a foot of film....then keep taking up the slack by rotating the film takeup core clockwise. NOTE: Should the film NOT pull down due to a severe jam....do NOT force it then. The film could just break. Notify the lab of a film jam in this situation when sending it in for processing. [3]. Film jam caused a film pull-down to takup core rotation problem.....or by using high running speeds in a given camera ( Slow Motion ), in which the film takeup core isn't rotating fast enough to keep up with the film fed to it from the cartridge gate, so it overslacks into the takeup chamber side of the cartridge. This either manifests itself via a full jam, or if shot at normal running speeds of 18fps or 24fps, can just cause the film to jitter while it's running. SOLUTION: remove cartridge from the camera and wind up the excessive slack in the cartridge by rotating the film takeup core clockwise until the film is taunt. Do NOT force the film too tightly. If the problem persists on a given camera, then use the film in another camera instead and/or avoid using the Slow Motion feature on that given camera causing the problem (IF the problem only happens in the Slow Motion mode setting). [4]. Film manufacturing problem regarding sprocket holes (perforations) or a faulty cartridge where film is not unspooling from the supply side smoothly due to a warped or jammed Slip Disc (thin plastic disc the film sits on and rotates as it feeds) or a jammed or popped-off or otherwise damaged film feed roller which is just above the film gate where the film turns over on so it's emulsion side out as it runs thru the film gate. Any cartridge related problem requires opening the cartridge to assess the problem, resetting the film in the fixed cartridge or another one, and then sealing up the cartridge. ADDENUM: There's another way to fix jammed Super 8m Cartridges, but it is involved and requires opening up the cartridge and resetting the film correctly so it will run. If the jam occurred early enough before main filming, it's best to just rewind the entire film load and reload it into a good working cartridge. I know what you're thinking, where does one get this done. PPS does this type of service here....but if you do your own film processing, you can learn how to work with the cartridges to use them. It does require making up a small jig to wind the film up for the Supply Side of the Super 8mm Cartridge so that it will rotate on the stationary hub smoothly.

The YASHICA 600 Electro has only two methods to move the builtin Daylight #85 Color Conversion Filter; via the top slot for a Filter Key (or the movie light adapter which had the key as part of its base) which when installed...moves the Filter out of the lens path, and second, via the Film Chamber Cartridge Filter Pin (moves the Filter out of the lens path when a Super 8 cartridge is installed that does NOT have the Filter Notch). So for your uses, in using VISION 200T film in Daylight.....double check the cartridge to see if it has the Filter Notch. This notch is about 1/4 inch from the bottom of the front edge of the cartridge. IF it's not on the film cartridge...then I suggest using a pair of needle nose pliers and carefully breaking off part of the cartridge wall, and make your own notch. The notch is about 1/4 inch from the bottom, about a 1/4 inch high and about a 1/4 inch deep. If you make your notch a bit larger, that won't be a problem...as you don't want it to push the Daylight Filter out of the lens path. To move the Filter out of the way for Tungsten filming, you'll have to use a Filter Key in the top slot, or make you own out of very stiff cardboard. By looking down the lens with a small flashlight, you'll see the filter move out of the way. Alternatively, you could remove the cartridge, and fog only an inch of film doing so, and then tape a small piece of plastic over the Filter Notch so that upon reinsertion the cartridge will remove the Filter out of position (but, if doing so, First make note of your footage counter, then shoot a couple seconds of film so as to not affect anything you just exposed).

From my own many years of experience, I haven't noticed any several refreezing problems, with any films that were still completely sealed. I'm still using up film frozen on and off since 1981. It traveled the world with me, so there were five major times times it was thawed out, twice for a month at at time during winter time when it was all being shipped to England and then 4 years later to New York, and then short durations for freezer servicing. The only problems I have ever noted on any films were films that had lost seal integrity and thus were compromised due to humidity changes, moisture buildup etc. For the best quality continuity of course, I suggest minimizing the amount of time it has to be refrozen and thawed out. However, I must say, I was amazed at the color in some Ektachrome 160A Super 8mm that had expired in 1978 that I shot and processed about 4 years ago. Hope this helps.

Spiral Reel processing or Rack & Tray, since both are full immersion methods, they are the best for critical controlled process timing doing Super 8mm. I recommend that over the G-3 Rewind Tank. However.....the problems you're having with the G-3 need to be addressed. IF you rinse well BETWEEN ALL solutions, you'll have far better results. The "imprinting" of the sprocket holes/perforations on the film as it wraps around on the reels is somewhat normal with rewind processing. However, it should only be within the sprocket hole realm on the film and no where else. If it shows up in the image area, the reels are set too wide, or have drifted wider: usually a problem with the later made Arkay or Doran processors...as the original Morse units that do Super 8mm, are metal reels. Lastly, the "solarization" problem you got is due to insufficient bleaching. The Bleach step needs to be often dragged out as much as 5 minutes/passes longer than what you're using. Keep in mind, with rewind processing, you are trying to pass film from one reel to the other via controlled cranking so it passes in a minute's time. IF only doing one 50ft roll of Super 8mm, then you could wind faster and do it in 30 seconds, but you would also have to adjust all your process times for the process to balance out. So, rinse between all solutions for at least two passes/minutes minimum up to 4 passes; this is NOT the washes, but the inbetween the other solutions stages. Also, to make sure you are getting Full Reversal in your images, you can keep the film in the Reversal Bath for another two passes. I hope you're using the normal 6 chemical step E-6 process. IF you are using the 3-bath E-6 process, you might want to not only rinse well between stages, but also introduce a PreBleach chemical step from the normal full E-6 process. This can be purchased separately and will help with the Bleach problem which is causing the "solarization" effect, via leaving behind silver compounds. When using the LOMO tank spiral reel process.......forget about using the draining of the solution and timing that way in the Developer stages......just remove the reel from the solution allowing 10 to 20 seconds for draining (factor this into the timing), and rinse it in a container of water the same temperature. This has to be done in TOTAL Darkness of course, but you could use a small bucket or plastic dish washing container for this purpose. Even better is if you have another LOMO tank to use. However, even if not, you can use two large black trash bags, which will be opaque, and then put the bucket or container with the rinse water and film reel in that (once you've rinsed the film some), then you can turn on the room lights, drain the LOMO tank, and rinse it out. Then fill it up with Wash Water, TURN OFF the room lights, return the film from the container to the LOMO tank and slowly lower the reel into the tank with water, then put the cover on and turn on the room lights. Since once you're past the Reversal Bath step you can work in room light, remaining timing is easier. Do the same with the COLOR DEVELOPER, and this way you'll have significantly more accurate timing in BOTH Developing Stages. For heating of solutions and temperature control, the heaters made for aquariums work well. I also use those cup heaters, as they will maintain temp in a large container quite well once heated up. They do run constantly of course, but that's not a problem. Use some stiff wire across the tank so the element doesn't come in contact with anything or the tank or container sides which are plastic. Another method is just to heat up some hot water and keep that nearby and keep a thermometer in your water jacket tank, and just add some hot water to help maintain that. With practice you can control your solution temperature, which really only needs to be very accurate with the Two Developers, and more importantly....the Color Developer. All other solutions for E-6 can be off by 5 Degrees either way. The First Developer controls the image density, so if the temp is up or down, you'll have to adjust your time to compensate. The Color Developer temperature if too high or too low will affect color bias; as will the PH and Specific Gravity. If the solution is too dilute you'll get a Magenta cast, if too concentrated it will shift to Green, and temperature will throw it off as well. So.....best to be as accurate as you can with the Color Developer. The other solutions, are not as critical and the Bleach and Fixer could even be done much lower if necessary for some reason. It is important to try to keep them all within a few degrees of each other, or drift downward in temp after the Color Developer....and stay that way. Otherwise you risk emulsion cracking and grain problems with too much inconsistancy.

Processing 'good' KODACHROME filmstock, that is of recent manufacture and/or has been cold stored since new if old, can still be done as Black & White Reversal or with rich brown tones done as B&W Reversal in Sepia. I offer processing here at Plattsburgh Photographic Services, NY in B&W Negative, B&W Reversal, or B&W Sepia tone Reversal. I know this thread is older, but with still so much interest and questioning regarding processing of KODACHROME movie films, especially in the Super 8mm and Double 8mm formats...I figured I'd add to this thread topic. And pricing is pretty reasonable compared to other places, so any one still having old film that they exposed or want to use up for a 'special' look, can still do so.

I have found it quite invaluable to keep all types of Super 8mm cartridges on hand for such testing of camera meters. One way to keep a cartridge is to just ask the lab to send it back to you, or one like it. Just a short note here as a reminder on KODACHROME, that anyone still having good unused KMA40 or KM25 filmstock on hand....that it still can be used to make movies processed as Black & White Reversal or in B&W Sepia tone Reversal, or even as a B&W Negative.

The YASHICA 600 was built around 1970 and as with many better Super 8mm cameras of that era, allowed reading of cartridge notch codes for filmstock speeds that weren't even offered yet. It will work fine with the Kodak VISION 200T since without the filter it will be exposed as TRI-X 200 would be. I would run a test on a variety of subject matter, as well as using a Gray Card and a Color Chart under correct Color Temperature range for fine tuning in video transfer later. Also, via the Exposure Override Knob, you can adjust the exposure in 2 increments above and under the meter's reading to either get more or less negative density.

My final reply to this topic....it's going on long enough. The CANON 514 XLS was designed and engineered to accommodate the 6 filmspeeds as outlined in the owner's manual. As with any Super 8mm camera, there can always be some inbetween variations via a combination of settings due to the Cartridge's Filmspeed Notch, the Filter Removal Button/Lever in the Film Chamber, and the Daylight/Tungsten external switch/knob. This thread has proven one thing for sure......to really know, TEST your own camera via what Richard mentioned. There will be some that allow usable variations so that EK100D can be used in Automatic Metering mode, others, that won't be the case. Every Super 8mm camera made doesn't have the same options for setting the filmspeed, nor do they all have the same method of adjusting the light meter setting via either the Film Chamber Filter Removal pin/lever OR via using the External Filter Selection Knob. Some cameras have the photo cell behind the Filter, so it will read thru that Filter, and only has an exposure change factored in that way. The only way to really know is to test any given camera. Many can be used regardless, by doing some other method of using them, or by modifying the meter's adjustment potentiometer on the circuit board, or even if needed.....by modifying the film's processing. I didn't get the same variation on my CANON 514 XLS here that Richard did. I can only report on my own results and experience, and what the manufacturer states in their literature. There can and will always be variations at times, outside of the mainstream information......so the key of course, is to RUN TESTS! Good luck and good filming results to all on here.

I had a feeling this would get confusing Richard. I try to stick to the facts, and in the Super 8mm camera equipment world, it can be quite confusing at times. One of the 'problems' is that filmspeeds have changed over the recent years, and the original filmstocks available at the time many cameras were made, have been discontinued. Before I get into this, let's just go over some basics which can be confusing. [1]. Originally, most Super 8mm Color Reversal Stocks were Tungsten films, requiring the use of the builtin Wratten #85 Daylight Conversion Filter. Today, those stocks are gone now. We have EKTACHROME 100 Daylight Color Reversal which doesn't need the builtin Filter.....so using this film means setting the camera's Filter Knob to the Bulb Lamp setting and/or having the cartridge just push the Filter out of the way since there's no Filter Notch. [2]. The only Super 8mm Color Films requiring the Daylight Conversion Filter (or a separate add on filter to do this) are: the discontinued EKTACHROME 64T, VISION 200 Tungsten, VISION 500 Tungsten, and a FUJI filmstock being privately packaged. [3]. Over 35 years ago, Kodak TRI-X 7278 B&W Reversal had an effective filmspeed rating of ASA 250 and it remained that way into the early 1980s, then was lowered to ASA/ISO 200 on all their packaging. PLUS-X 7276 was ASA 50 without the Filter and ASA 32 with the Filter, but the cameras rated it at ASA 40 without Filter and ASA 25 with Filter. TRI-X could only be used with the Filter IF you cut your own Filter Notch into the cartridge. Back to the dilema here regarding the CANON 514 XLS Sound/Silent camera. And for the record, I have my CANON 514 XLS on my lap and the instruction manual to refer to in addition to my own experience, to avoid more confusion. The CANON offers 6 filmspeeds to use....and really....and this goes for most Super 8mm cameras.....the Daylight speeds are default settings owing the light loss of when the builtin Daylight Conversion Filter is in position. The camera has two filmspeed setting prongs in the film chamber, and using these allows for a small variety of film cartridge settings via the cartridge notch. (1). both prongs pushed in, for ASA/ISO 40 Tunsgten without the Filter in position, or the default ASA 25 rating when the Filter is IN position. (2). one prong pushed in, for ASA/ISO 160 Tungsten without the Filter in position, or the default ASA 100 Daylight rating when the Filter is IN position. NOTE: This does NOT work with EK100D since the camera will rate the film at ISO 160...NOT ISO 100....and that is WITHOUT the Filter. [WITH the Filter IN position, which you can't do anyhow, unless you either screwed one on the lens or cut your own Filter Notch.....the meter would expose for ISO 100.....BUT.....since the Filter would be in use....the film would be all orange and again, underexposed since the Filter would lower the amount of light reaching the film....effectively really being now ISO 64.] (3). both prongs out, for ASA/ISO 250 Tungsten without the Filter in position, or the default ASA 160 Daylight rating. To get that with TRI-X film, you'd have to cut your own Filter Notch. The ONE exception here is an internal metering workaround done to accommodate the former EKTACHROME 160 Type G. Since the cartridge doesn't have the Filter Notch, the cartridge wall pushed the film chamber filter removal pin in, and removes the Filter from the lens light path. That cartridge has a slightly larger filmspeed notch than that of EKTACHROME 160 Type A. That longer notch allows BOTH filmspeed setting prongs to remain out, setting the meter to ISO 160....but without the Filter. The camera has an electric-mechanical interface from the Filter system to the meter, so that when both prongs are not pushed in by having this larger filmspeed notch AND the Filter Pin in the film chamber pushed in to remove the Filter....the meter defaults to ISO 160. There are quite a few cameras that do read the filmspeed notch correctly and will meter correctly when using EK100D, but this is not one of them. The closet films exposure wise that will work made by KODAK are TRI-X 7266 being rated at ISO 250 (close enough for most work) and VISION 200 Tungsten which depending on the length of the meter notch, will read at either ISO 160 or ISO 250. Here I must say, I do not know since I do not have a VISION 200T cartrige here to double check. If it's ISO 160, then it would be fine since the slight overexposure is okay.....but if it's ISO 250, then the slight underexposure in dim lit situations could be a problem. Older GAF ST-111 and similar Chinon made cameras had stepping meter notch readers that could read filmspeeds from ASA 16 to ASA 250, and will read the "Tungsten" Notch of ISO 100, which means WITHOUT Filter, and since EK100D is a Daylight balanced film, that is what is needed. There are many other cameras, and some of the higher end cameras can either read the notch or have some exposure biasing knob for Under & Over Exposure fine tuning in 1/3 Stop increments to a Stop over or under. AND even then, there's some disparity in the earlier cameras regarding use of the now discontinued EK 160 Type G film since it didn't exist prior to KODAK's XL series cameras. So much for easy dropin loading, point and shoot and have auto exposure, eh? My goal is just to get newbies and others to not end up wasting precious film & processing costs and then getting ticked off and just saying, "screw it, I'm shooting video!" Ugh! My two cents here to keep film alive. In the end, what does all this mean? The EK100D will be underexposed about 1/2 a Stop, and for some situations it might be okay......you'd have to test it out yourself. But I recommend only shooting a few feet of it in AUTO mode, and manual override all other shooting as I stated in my previous post (via using the EE Lock etc)....otherwise, you'll be mighty upset at getting back an entire roll of film that is too dark!

The CANON 524 XL-S camera is a nice camera, but it has the same metering limitations as many others since it was built around using the former KMA 594 (Kodachrome Sound film ISO 40 Type A/Daylight 25 with Filter) and ELA 594 (Ektachrome Sound film ISO 160 Type A/Daylight ISO 100 with Filter). The film chamber pin which moves the Daylight Filter out of the way, was originally intended for the long discontinued EG 464 (Ektachrome ISO 160 Type G). This film was designed with a lower Daylight Color Temperature so it would produce more acceptable results in mixed lighting situations (thus is really looked lousy in tungsten light alone since it's 4400 Kelvin Color Temp rating still resulted in a very orange image). I have to add all this, since this backfill information isn't always known by many getting into Super 8mm film today. When KODAK was making the previous PLUS-X 7276 (previous to the now also discontinued PXR 7265), it DID have the Filter Notch. The intent was that those shooting with PLUS-X, which was ASA/ISO 50, would be exposed automatically by most Super 8mm cameras at ASA/ISO 25 WITH the Filter being used. The actual filmspeed with Filter was ASA/ISO 32, but the film latitude being what it is, KODAK stated the film fact sheet that it was quite useable that way (and it was for the most part). Towards the ending couple years of PXR 7276, KODAK for whatever reason didn't always have the Filter Notches cut into the cartridges...this varied from batch to batch...never a clear cut reason; so it must've been in error. Anyhow, TRI-X 7278 and the now TXR 7266 never had the Filter Notch in them. Even with the 'new' B&W Reversal Process using D-94a, TRI-X's filmspeed is still ISO 200. Back to the camera.....so, if NOT using the Filter, either via switching the knob to the Bulb Lamp symbol for Tungsten.....or using a cartridge that doesn't have the Filter Notch (which neither the last of the PXR 7265 or the still current TXR 7266 don't have), the camera's light meter on the CANON 514 XL-S will rate PLUS-X 7265 as ISO 160, the same as TRI-X 7266. So the film will be underexposed. The only work around for this on this camera is to either have the meter modified so it will read correctly for that film.....or to meter manually via using the Exposure Lock device. Meter the scene.....and knowing that the reading is Under by 2/3 of a Stop, make NOTE of the reading....say for example it's F/11....then aim the camera at something a bit darker until the exposure dial in the viewfinder shows it just a little past F/8, and then lock the lever for the Exposure Lock and film your scene. While bothersome initially, this works quite well and quickly once you get used to it. There is one other way, and that is to have the film processed in either the original B&W Reversal formula so it's at ISO 50 as it once was....or have it PULL processed by the lab so also the effective exposure density will be at ISO 50. And....lastly.....you can make your own Filter Notch in those PLUS-X or TRI-X cartridges, and take advantage of using the builtin Daylight Conversion filter (originally intended for color films since virtually ALL Super 8mm Color Reversal films were Tungsten). B&W photography or filmmaking should make use of Yellow, Medium Yellow or Orange Filters to render more normal sky and cloud detail, so that there is more correct tonal separation....otherwise sky, water, and some other non-specular hightlights with detail in them don't wash out to white. AND why not use that filter that's already in the camera...it will cut the incoming light down by 2/3rds of an F-Stop helping with filming in bright light situations ( but you'll need a good Neutral Density Filter at times also), and render decent tonal range in your B&W Reversal images. With PLUS-X 7265 though, if you still have more to use.....you'll still have to do the manual exposure method even if using the Filter. However, with TRI-X, the film will be rated at either ISO 160 without the Filter (close enough for most filmmaking to the original ISO 200 speed) or at ISO 100 WITH Filter ( close enough for most filmmaking to the original ISO 130 speed). For finer exposure tuning of course, you can use manual override via the above outlined method on this camera, to control your image density of various subject matter as you see fit. AND Lastly, using the EKTACHROME 100 D filmstock, without Filter (you don't want to use the filter....unless you want an overall orange color cast for some strange effect...and that would require you to cut a Filter Notch in the cartridge anyhow), the film will be exposed at ISO 160, the same as if shooting with the now discontinued EKTACHROME 160 Type A or G. So, as with the PLUS-X 7265 example above, the film will be UNDER exposed as the camera will close the lens aperture down more as it's exposing the film at ISO 160...NOT ISO 100!!! So, use the Manual Exposure method I outlined above and you'll be fine. Or just use another camera altogether. Hope this wasn't too confusing.

That's terrific Nicholas to see someone using this format again. Yes, it's true, this format has been used many times in the past by various Widescreeners amongst the various Widescreen Associations [The Widescreen Association - England, Australian Widescreen Association, American Widescreen Association - AMWA, and AWS - American Widescreen Society, and various cine clubs worldwide]. Variations of this theme, modification of a BOLEX H-8 (Pan-8) or H-16 (Pan-16) to shoot a Widescreen non-anamorphic format is still done by a very few enthusiasts. An "ultra" format was also tried using the Double Super 8mm format via the full film width years ago, and again repioneered by Rudi Muester of Muester Film & Video Tech in Switzerland, who proposed the Wide DS8 format complete with magnetic sound tracks. He also was the inventer of the Super 8-B format (B standing for Breitwand or Widescreen in German), which in English could be called Super 8-W (instead of that idiotic name that is out there.....and excuse me I just can't write it down here), whereby the area nominally used for the main soundtrack (optical or magnetic) is used for imaging area resulting in a wider format (akin to the Super-16 format but in Super 8). Those wonderful BOLEX cameras just lend themselves to so many realms of filmmaking. They have been used for 3-D, time lapse (there are units out there that allow such functions with even the earliest ones made), anamorphic Widescreen (whether using the original Moeller lenses made for this purpose in the 1.5x compression format or any of the 'Scope' lenses in 1.75x or more popular 2x compression formats). Another underdog of formats was using the Split-16 or Split-8 format, whereby the camera films sideways, using normal 16mm film but half-frame (or Double 8mm film, but using a 16mm frame height pulldown for similar effect). The aspect ratio is wider-than-normal at 1.5:1, with an image field twice that of a Regular 8mm frame, still yielding very good image quality......and the lower running costs, since a 100ft Daylight spool of 16mm film has DOUBLE the running time. The film is used as in any Double Run camera. Holding the camera sideways with two hands results in very stable images, and projection is done with either using a Dover Prism in front of the lens to reorientate the image onto the screen, or via a modified projector that sits sideways. In either case, the 16mm projector has the film gate modified to show the half-frame, and the now 8mm width projection reels are keyed with the square 16mm one to fit the projection arms. Sorry for digressing here a bit, but the topic is Widescreen based. One more interesting tidbit, a man in England Stewart Warringer invented a tilted filming format on Super 8mm film that resulted in a Wider-than-norma aspect ratio. The gate was filed out, and the camera was fitted into a holder so that it was at a 30 degree tilt. You'd have to see it to believe it, but it worked fine. The projector also was modified with the gate filed out at that angle....and it had to sit in a cradle to hold it that way so the projected image would be correctly orientated on the screen. The goal of all these formats and others, was to yield a Widescreen format, without having to use Anamorphic Lenses. Of course, those of us that have shot and still use Anamorphic lenses for Widescreen or CinemaScope filmmaking (or still photography) appreciate the gain, for the small bother of having to use brackets and make some other technical concessions in filmmaking. I applaud your efforts and wish you great success in this. Being the person I am, I will shoot in Widescreen in either 8mm format using an Anamorphic lens though.

If the batteries you purchased are new alkaline Double A batteries and they are depleting this rapidly, then your camera has an electrical short in it somewhere. Did you feel the batteries to see if they are getting warm or hot? This is indicative of an electrical short. The most common place to track this down is the battery chamber itself. Some light corrosion could be causing a short to ground, thus draining the power. Examine the battery compartment with a flashlight and use a cotton swap dampened with alcohol and clean up all areas around the electrical contacts. Look for mild corrosion. Use compressed air cans and blow out any debris from the battery compartment. If there is nothing visible, and you've cleaned it up, then the problem is more serious and could be internal in the camera. Sometimes mild corrosion from the battery compartment will work its way up the electrical wire(s) to the main circuit board and/or motor assembly. Usually any corrosion in the wiring nearing a point along the camera's metal body, will also cause a short to ground. To find this, would require camera disassembly and that can be so involved, that even many camera repair technicians wouldn't do it. The best option after doing what I've outlined is to just keep this camera as a keepsake, and look for another working Super 8mm camera. There are so many out there, and you can often find one in good order for a very reasonable or cheap price. Best regards.

That is sad news indeed if it's true. It always seemd though that given enough of a minimum order, Eastman KODAK would make up DS8 or DR8 in any filmstock they offer. The trouble is the minimum is very high. Anyhow, JavaPhoto.com has Fomapan R-100 in stock, in both DR8 and DS8 formats, so check with him. As for Color Reversal GK Film in Germany show Double Super 8mm available in their Cinevia stock, which is FujiChrome Velvia ISO 50 Daylight. This is the same stock he uses to make up various other "Cinevia" filmstocks he sells. http://www.gkfilm.de/en/index.html to get to the DS8 page, and at EURO 48 for in EU purchases with the 19% VAT or less for export. Also, as long as someone has the perforation equipment, DS8 can be made up from a variety of available filmstocks. The most affordable way is getting unperforated 16mm width rawstock, which is limited by some manufacturers....leaving often the costlier method of having to slit down wider filmstock such as 35mm to make up smallgauge film, and there's the waste of the sprockethole area of the wide gauge. If 9.5mm users can still get filmstock, and they number very small, then DS8 can continue as well. In the meantime, I suggest order as much as one can afford on this EK 100D batch. Freezing will keep the film usable for a couple decades easily.

Film that is to be used within 1 to 3 months can be stored at room temperature, but KODAK and other manufacturers recommend storage at 55 F or less for film being stored 1 to 6 months. Longer than 6 months, it should be refridgerated, and longer than a year, it should be stored frozen. Get good quality ziplock freezer bags, evacuate as much air out of the bags as you can before you zip them up. Also, if you can do this in an environment at less than 60% Relative Humidity, that will help. The official recommendation is for 'indate' film, as with expired filmstock you need to store it cold so it will keep. So, for any 'good useable' expired filmstock, if using it within a year, refridgerate it, otherwise freeze it. As for film keeping, YES, it will hold most of its original properties if cold stored when it is still good. Very long term cold storage will still have some aging attributes, such as some contrast loss and some color saturation loss.....however, very minor compared to NOT cold storing the film. Not cold storing the film, it will age rapidly, and will loose significant effective filmspeed, contrast, color saturation and color dye shifting, especially as it enters the 3 to 5 years past expiration date. This will just accelerate as time passes eventually leaving you with film that has most of the color shifted to blue-green or mostly green, very little detail, lack of tonality even though the image is now mostly monochromatic with green tint, and so forth. Although it can take 10 to 15 years to get it to such a really bad point, kept at room temperatures in the 64 F to 72 F range. Higher, and it will be worse of course. I still have a little film with expiration dates of 1982 in my freezer that I've been using, and quite a bit from the later 1980s and 1990s. Cold storage despite some aging of the film, will leave it still very useable with predicatable results. Black & White film will lose filmspeed and contrast at it ages, and the loss of filmspeed will result in a much lighter washed out image unless the processing is compensated for. Lastly, to use film that has been cold stored, the recommendation is to move frozen film to the refridgerator a day ahead of time, and from the fridge to move it to room temperature at least two hours prior to use. Although, in practice over the years, film that has been moved from the freezer to room temp, in those ziplock bags and left that way overnight, was fine to use the next day. The only time any trouble was ever noted was if the ziplock bag had lost the seal, or had too much air in it...then there was a moisture problem if moved to room temp immediately. Anyhow, so with care, you can keep film for a long time to use even years from now if so desired. If for some reason all film manufacturing ceased, it should be possible to still keep stock for years, and process it by making up chemistry to formulas. Good luck, and cold store your film ASAP! Addenum: IF for some reason you can't afford a freezer to freeze your film....at least keep it refridgerated. That will keep the film fine for several years with minimal change.

Film with an expiration date of 1972, especially KODACHROME (give the curing time prior to release) was probably manufactured around 1970 sometime. IF the film had been stored frozen all these years, it would still be usable albeit some aging artifacts such as loss of color saturation and contrast. However, all that is a moot point here since the K-12 process, along with all things color reversal for any KODACHROME officially is over. The room temp storage would have given the film tremendous age fog over the now nearly 40 years since it was made. But, even so, I've used old films from time to time in testing here, and despite significant loss of filmspeed, they still react enough to light exposure to make images. The film can only be processed as a B&W Negative to realistically expect anything out of it. If you intend to do this, expose it without the Daylight filter and rate it manually if possible at ISO 10. Either way, exposed 'normally' by the camera or manually with some overexposure, you're taking a chance on getting anything usable.....but you never know. I have been pleasantly surprised a couple years ago when I processed some EKTACHROME 160A with an expiration date of 1978 and it still had a fair range of color and density. Of course, storage history is everything, and the radiation that film is exposed to, in addition to heat and time, varies somewhat in all situations. You could just keep it as is as a memento to another era of film...or at the very least, save the box and cartridge after processing. Good luck if you shoot it!

If the NIKON R8 you purchased works well, then that was a good price. Although, they have sold for less on eBay, but then you have KEH Camera's reputation which is a good one. The R8 can be somewhat complex to use, so I suggest getting the owner's manual (which I recommend for most any camera user since even if only one task is helped by the manual, it's well worth buying....versus a drastic failure with the cost of film and processing). The NIZO S-481 is a great camera, and somewhat more compact and lighter than the NIKON R8. Also, it is only one of a few Super 8mm cameras that offers not only Time Lapse (2fps to 1 frame per minute), BUT also offers LONG Time Exposures automatically per frame from 1/10th second down to 1 minute! This can be amazing to use, as I have shot under a full bright moon using KODACHROME and gotten great results in the past. Actually, I think all Super 8 filmmakers/shooters/artists should consider having several cameras: [1]. main production camera (like your NIKON R8 or similar) [2]. one for unique tasks (such as what the NIZO can do) [3]. a small compact travel camera (could be as simple as the CHINON Pocket-8, Chinon 132P XL/133P XL, ELMO 310 XL, ELMO 103T, SANKYO EM-30XL/EM40XL or similar ones. Some are more limited these days due to ISO speeds, but concessions can be made on some cameras if needed. [4]. a beater camera...one that won't be a big loss if it gets damaged or totalled for those unique shots such as duct-taped to the side of a car for chase scenes or to a motorcycle or bicycle or skatboard, or for those falling off a building shots etc. [5]. a camera for complex tasks such as double exposures, titling, film duplication, lens interchangability for super long telephoto or ultra wide angle shots or for microscope or telescope filming. Depending on your needs or desires, it could easily take 2 different type cameras for these purposes. ADDENUM: ALSO...the compact zoom lens size on the NIZO S-481 allows for easy use of accessory addon lenses: fisheye adapter (or make your own via expoxing a door viewer to a lens cap drilled out to fit, telephoto addon lenses made for many video cameras....really extend the super telephoto effect here without using a lens-interchangable camera, ease of using Matt Boxes, Filter Adapters, and of course for WIDESCREEN filming...it's the perfect size for Anamorphic lens use (since many of the various 1.5x adn especially 2x lenses mate well to this camrea). I'll end this here, as I'm drifting off topic already, sorry.

Good idea. Sorry for having to go to an outside URL, I thought it was easily possible to just upload a photo on this forum. Here are some image samples. While not the highest quality scans, they will give you an idea of what 'good' KODACHROME processed as either B&W Reversal or in Sepia tone Reversal look like. Saves having to email them I suppose. Link: http://s1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb361/MartinBaumgarten/

I've seen some very impressive enthusiast films shot in both Super 8mm and Regular 8mm that looked every bit as professional as anything else out there, format quality limitations notwithstanding of course. I've seen some of my own WIDESCREEN Anamorphic full Scope films projected on a 24ft wide screen and they looked just awesome. Anything handheld has to be done carefully, and those shots that are setup for a film project that can be on a tripod, should be. Use of a fluid head tripod (these days quite affordable as so many lower cost ones made for the video market have a fluid dampened head) will greatly improve panning shots. So, despite a given format's limitations due to being smaller, you can really do most anything anyone can do with 16mm or 35mm....when it comes to filmmaking technique and trying to convey a film story, and use of professional technique. The rest of course, is in the post......editing, effects, titles and sound.....all which are as involved as can be. And nothing really done in post, will fix poor quality filmaking work on location. Lastly, using some care, even home movies and documentaries shot on the cuff, can look tidier. This mentality that because a given film was done on a small gauge format, it will look jumpy and amateurish is nonsense. But then, perhaps that's another reason we all love Super 8mm, in that it allows simplicity and handholdability in situations where anything large just may not be practical (or as much fun to use!).

The NIZO 481 Macro is a great camera. One of the drawbacks to it and many other Super 8mm cameras (especially many made after about 1974) is that they were only made to read the standard filmspeeds for mainly KODACHROME 40A and EKTACHROME 160A/G. However, they could still use films such as the discontinued PLUS-X 7276 (ISO 50) & PLUS-X 7265 (ISO 100), and TRI-X 7278 & 7266 (both ISO 200). The relative film exposure latitude will allow use of these films in your NIZO 481m. DAYLIGHT and TUNGSTEN differences are/were intended for shooting under either situation with and without the builtin Daylight Conversion Orange filter which was made primarily for using Color Tungsten filmstocks. Virtually all Super 8mm Color Reversal films made during the heyday of Super 8mm, were Tungsten films. That way, the filmer could shoot in both daylight and tungsten lighting, with only ONE filmstock. It often meant having to use photoflood lamps for dark indoor filming. The Wratten #85 Daylight Conversion Filter lowered the effective filmspeed since the filter absorbs light of course....thus the reason for different Daylight and Tungsten ratings for each given filmstock. This can also be applied to using B&W films.......but these days KODAK doesn't notch the cartridges for Filter use....BUT you can do so yourself IF you want to take advantage of that builtin orange filter which works GREAT for B&W films shot in daytime. Saves having to put a filter on the camera lens, and it lowers the filmspeed by a third, thus allowing easier use of TRI-X in brighter light since it will be effectively ISO 130 instead of 200, and if you use the Variable Shutter you can drop that to HALF, thus ISO (E.I) 65. As long as your builtin exposure meter is accurate, you can still take advantage of it for films outside of the camera's exposure indexing range. Note I didn't say exposure range...since the meter, IF it had been calibrated to read the other cartridge notches, would've been fine and easy to use of course. Anyhow, so what you'd do here for example if you were using say, ISO 400 or 500, is take an exposure reading, knowing that the maximum filmspeed notch the camera can read is ISO/ASA 160.....then adjust the exposure setting in the viewfinder display via setting the camera to Manual Exposure Control with the necessary exposure bias that you need. Thus, if the meter display shows/reads F/5.6 (at the max ISO of 160) and you're using say the new VISION-3 ISO 500 film, you know that ISO 500 divided by ISO 160 is about 3 (close enough here) so you would factor that in as 1.5 Stops, so your NEW exposure setting would be set at the mark between F/8 and F/11. You would use this similar methodology for any other films. For a more accurate exposure rendering for TRI-X 7266 if you don't want to live with the film latitude range at ISO 160, then using the above example, take a reading and if it's F/5.6 for ISO 160 then for ISO 200 it would be a little bit higher, or a smaller F-Stop opening.....thus about 1/3 Stop setting past F/5.6 in the direction of F/8. It's not much of a difference, but that's how you would do this. I recommend metering via a gray card or other similar value to find your exposure range, and then factor in any considerations you need for what your subject matter is; light, dark, contrasty etc. The NIZO 481m has a variable notch lever that reads the notches up to that ISO 160. Why they didn't go higher is beyond me, but BRAUN did so on the sound cameras. Frustrating when the CHINON made cameras such as the GAF ST-xxx series and higher all read from ASA 16 to ASA 640 (Daylight & Tungsten films considered in this range). That all notwithstanding, it's possible to have the camera's exposure meter modified so it would read higher or have an external potentiometer adjustment made for Under/Over Exposure value changes, but that might or might not be worth the hassle; only you can assess that. A guy in Europe was making such modifications to various cameras back when we all had the exposure situation with the EK64T filmstock.....going under the name of Adams64. Not sure if he's still doing this. If you wish to meter using an INCIDENT Exposure Meter setting, first calibrate your hand held meter to the camera's meter (if the camera meter works fine of course). For example; using a gray card, white card or similar solid toned material for metering and regularity.......meter with the camera at it's Maximum ISO 160 reading, or whatever other useable cartridge the camera will read okay. Then read with your handheld meter but set at the REFLECTIVE setting (not incident) and read off the card, and adjust the ISO setting until the meter is correct, thus matching the camera. Take note of the ISO change compared to the NIZO S-481m, and you'll see the deviation. The camera of course, is metering thru the lens and has the shutter angle and beamsplitter light loss all calculated into its exposure reading. You need to have your handheld light meter setup in agreement. Now, you can use the light meter set to INCIDENT setting, since you know the deviation you will have to set the ISO at so it agrees with the camera. IF for some reason, you do not have a Reflective setting on your meter, and it's truly ONLY and INCIDENT Meter.....then do this: place a thin walled white stryofoam coffee cup or drink cup over the camera lens and face it into the light falling on it and take a meter reading. Then take your Incident meter reading as well, and compare the two readings. Then, take a reading with the camera off of an 18% Gray Card and compare that to the plastic cup "incident" meter reading you did with the camera. Compare BOTH readings to the one from your hand held INCIDENT Meter reading. IF using Negative films in the camera, bias the exposure to the slight over-exposure side based on those TWO camera readings, NOW factoring in the difference to your hand held INCIDENT Light Meter. For example: IF the NIZO S-481m gave you a reading of F/8 off the gray card, and a reading of F/11 using the cup method.......use the middle range setting for most shots until you've done a test roll for reference for future filming. Otherwise, use the F/8 setting to calibrate your INCIDENT Meter by changing the ISO so that it does read F/8...and use that for Negative films or all films until you've done tests to see if you need to make other exposure changes for lighter or darker subject matter. FOR REVERSAL films, use the middle or higher setting of F/8 & 1/2 or F/11, until you've made your test film. The TEST FILM is important, since it will visually let you know exactly how much to compensate for, for either NEGATIVE or REVERSAL films, and under what lighting.....so you can make NOTES and then always be able to factor that bias into your hand held INCIDENT Light Meter from then on. It's all easier than it sounds here in text writing of course, but you do have to specific in how you conduct your tests. At the very least, if unable to do an actual film test, you'll be in the ballpark exposure wise for most situations. Hope this helps.