Zac Fettig

Thanks, Matt! You're right, you can get a 20s silent-film look with S8. James, Guy Maddin is the guy to watch. He shoots a lot on Super 8 (Cowards Bend the Knee, Brand Upon the Brain, etc. were 100% Super 8). It's very hard to tell with his work. With him, it's usually a mix of S8 and 16 (example: The Saddest Music in the World). It all looks like early 20s silent film stuff. Finding details is a bit of a pain though. He likes spring wound cameras, when he shoots 16, so the shutter speed varies a little. He uses a Bolex. H

You might want to go up to 16mm. Look for a cheap Bell & Howell Filmo (I once found an early 20s 70A at a camera store for $29), and snag up a bunch of reels of 16mm double perf Tri-X. They're a spring wound camera, which is a good thing for you. I'd say shoot 16 FPS, and telecine at 16 FPS. It's C-mount, so lenses won't be a problem. Look for a camera with a period Cooke lens. It's not reflex, so distance scales and tape measures will be your best friends. Or look for a reflex lens. Regular 8 might work too. But lens choice is limited, and very few Regular 8 cameras are reflex. They did make reflex D-mount lenses though. Film is going to be an issue, in Regular 8. I think the only stock available at the moment is Ektachrome. And Kodak just killed that. Super 8 is awesome, but I always associate the look with the 60s & 70s home movies and 90s music videos. However, it is the easiest format there is to work with. They didn't have 8mm in the 20s, just 35 and 16! :) Also 9.5mm. Which is like Regular 8, only more of a pain to get working.

The 518s are good introductory cameras, if you get one cheap. They will auto expose for 25T/16D, 40T/25D, 64T/40D, 100T/64D, 160T/100D, 250T/160D and 400T/250D. Sadly many otherwise great cameras only meter for 40 or 160. They let you roll at 24 FPS (or 18 if you want). That's important for me. They can be problematic, like any super 8 camera. Almost every one ever made is getting up there in age (except for some Gakken kits and a handful of Beulieus that were made into the 90s).

I goofed. Spectra does sell+service cameras too.

No Problem! I had to suggest the easy solutions first! :) Off hand I don't know of anywhere that sells a reasonably priced camera. Maybe there is a market for a new super 8 camera. I think you're thinking of Pro8, not Spectra. And I've heard mixed things about Pro8's rebuilds, which are certainly not cheap. I picked up both my 814 AZEs off of ebay. The first one was busted (broken wire in the grip) but the second one worked like a charm. If you get one working, they're great cameras. If it's busted anyway, you might want to try fixing it yourself. Repair costs can be ridiculous. These are a bit of a pain to take apart though. What you buy is usually determined by your budget. I like the 814 AZE because it's a great bang for the buck. If money was no object, I'd say Leicina Special, followed by Zeiss GS8. If I was going to get something new for myself, it would probably be a Beaulieu. C-mount means I could use my Arri 16mm cine lenses or M-42 still lenses with adapters. If you're patient, you'll find a good 814 AZE off ebay for a decent price. Don't be afraid to ask questions before you buy. I think the holidays have driven prices up. I bought mine for under $30 each, in summer. I was seeing prices of ~$150 right now. Unless you need to finish a Super 8 shoot right now, I'd say hold off buying until the prices are more reasonable. The older Autozoom (not electronic) tends to sell for more than the Electronic even though it doesn't meter as well, because it's more rugged and serviceable.

First thing, check your settings. Turn the run dial to off, then to R. Turn the speed control to 18 or 24, not the red 1. Make sure the shutter dial isn't set to "Stop." It should be on "Open." Next, try fresh batteries. If, after all that, it's still busted, see if you can get you money back. The motor is either burnt out or has a short. And the AZE is a huge pain to get apart. My gut tells me a control is set to something it shouldn't be.

Download the manual. Bypass the internal filter, which is now ~35 years old and made of gelatine, and get yourself a thread-in daylight filter; preferably optical glass. See if you can dig up a S8 projector too. If you plan on editing on a computer, shoot negative. Kodak is replacing Ektachrome 100D with Vision3 50D. Telecine (to miniDV or hard drive) costs the same for negative as it does for reversal. I'd stick to 50D and 200T. If you want a high saturation reversal film, Spectra still has Velvia in S8 cartridges. Reversal films have very little latitude, so you've got to get them right the first time. And have fun! Super 8 is way more fun to shoot than digital! You'll enjoy looking at the results more too. Film always seems to have more character than digital. The real trade off is usually money.

If it was me, I'd start with the 1230 XL. Fairly simple. Decent lens. No special batteries. http://www.super8dat...stone_xl100.htm http://super8wiki.co...0_XL_Filmosonic Manual: http://www.mondofoto...-filmosonic-xl/ http://www.super8dat...bell_1225xl.htm You can get film at B&H. I'd recommend you start with Tri-X. It's cheap. If you dig up a projector, you can project it. Kodak just killed Ektachrome, so it's your only cheap reversal stock. Spectra does stock Velvia though. http://www.bhphotovi...ri_X_Super.html I prefer getting it developed at Cinelab http://www.cinelab.com/ It's very convenient for me. And it's a fantastic lab. If you shoot color, don't use the built in filters if you can. Get a screw in color correcting filter for the film. If you shoot black and white, B&W filter rules apply. Oh, forget about sound in camera. Kodak stopped making Super 8 sound film years ago. Your cameras have sound gear, but you can't use it. It will all be silent.

I would guess not. If the FFD is the same, it'll push the focal plane out 5.23 mm in front of the film plane.

The technician is right. A fully charged battery can put out a lot more than it's stated voltage. Bescor makes chargers. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/699682-REG/Bescor_ATMPRU_ATM_PRU_Automatic_Universal_Charger.html B&H stocks other chargers and batteries too. The drill battery should run the camera. Probably much better when the battery is new. According to Arri, an Arri 16S/B should draw about 4 amps running (6A max), so it should last for a mag or two, with a 3Ah battery. Three is probably pushing it. If you already have the battery, by all means, try it out. How many reels do you shoot in a day? I just ask because I use two sealed lead acid batteries (at 8V) and they can last through all five of my mags.

A 16S draws about 4 amps continuous. 6 Amps startup. So the 7Ah belt is closer to 70 minutes continuous, when new. That's 6X 400' loads! Keep in mind that the Dewalt 14.4V batteries are only rated for 2.4 Ah, or about 24 minutes of shooting (2X 400' mag). Again, when new. And Bescor does make a 14 Ah battery belt for about $120. And charging rates are largely determined by the charger you use. These are all assuming 6A continuous. Your mileage may vary. If charge time is the most important consideration, then look at sealed motorcycle batteries. They're cheap. You can charge them fast, if you're careful (a car charger can charge a battery at 30+ amps, but watch them carefully). If you're willing to pay, they make really light ones. I'm not a big fan of tool batteries. They tend to fade a lot as they get used. I don't even like them in my tools, I always buy corded. Anyways, that's my 2 cents.

14.4 will burn out the torque motor, every time; even in a modded mag. The 16S doesn't have an XLR connection, stock. Those that do, are usually modded for 12V. If you need an XLR battery, why not just buy an XLR battery? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/188207-REG/Bescor_HP3XLRNC_HP_3XLRNC_Starved_Electrolyte_Battery.html Here's an example. Already together, more robust, and it will last way longer. And it costs about the same. Drill batteries tend to start fading away rather quickly. If you have to build it from the Dewalt battery, than for XLR, pin 1 is negative and pin 4 is positive. It should be a straight wiring job.

Hook positive to the big pin on the left, looking at the back of the camera. Negative to the smaller pin on the right. Assuming the DeWalt is 7.2V, and you're using a standard Arri motor, you're all set. It'll run slightly slow. You can probably hook up to the battery using spade clips. The Arri plug is a pain. I'm having one custom fabricated at the moment. Right now, I hook up power to my Arri with alligator clips.

When you said "last" I thought you meant Sekonic was stopping production of light meters! I freaked out for a moment. :)

If anyone out there needs inspiration to make their own film: http://hackaday.com/2009/12/08/homebrew-kodachrome/ That's all it really takes to make film. Plus gear to slit and perf it. A dedicated person who wanted to can do it in their garage. You can buy the empty shells from Kodak in bulk, or Spectra in small quantities (they buy them from Kodak). If Kodak goes under, the carts can still be manufactured. If you want about a thousand, no problem. "What one man can do, another can do." Although, if Kodak pulls out too, I see more of a market for 35 and 16 than S8. Kind of like ORWO and the absence of Plus-X. They don't sell ORWO S8 in the US, although it is available in Europe. So there is almost guaranteed to be film available, if there's still a market. Look at Polaroid. And let's face it, Polaroid kind of sucks. But Super-8 is kind of awesome! And tenacious. There hasn't been a mass market* S8 camera made in 30 years, and it keeps on trucking along. Although the Polaroid Super-8 (Polavision) was kind of neat.

The packaging for their "Orca" film (the B&W) says made in china. No more details. I doubt they're importing Italian or German raw stock. My guess is that it's a domestic Chinese film stock. Probably from the same supplier who does their other films, since you can buy the same red-tinted film in 110 that they sell in 35mm. Heck, even North Korea produces their own film (in Super 8 too!).

You know... Urban Outfitters does a lot to make the arts a bit trendy. Like selling Holgas (at a huge markup though). Or those Super 35 cameras they sell. It's a toy, but I still want one. It's a good thing. If you want reversal film to come back, this is the only way it'll happen. If only pros are using super-8, it'll be treated as a pro format. For example you get Kodak dropping Ektachrome and replacing it with Vision3 50D. Personally, I have no great love for Ektachrome, and I'm glad they did that. I find Vision 50D to be way more useful, especially when my workflow always includes a telecine. But I know a lot of people want color reversal. Personally, I want color reversal, but in R8, not S8. And maybe they'll get it. If they sold a super 8 equivalent of the Lomography super-35 camera, with a viewer, there would be demand for super-8 reversal. Mainly because of the Urban Outfitter crowd. But I don't think selling $30 310 XLs for $400 will take the format very far. Even if you can get it with tiger print stickers. That said, I wish they sold brand new super-8 cameras for around $50.

I don't know about anyone else, but I know I prefer automatic metering in Super 8 because it makes it more likely to get the shot. I shoot on a Canon 814 AZE. I have several other S8 cameras (like a GAF Anscomatic), but that's the best one I own. If I manually meter it, it tends to drift. A lot. The aperture is controlled, when in manual, by a little rubber wheel inside the camera. A wheel that's over 30 years old now, and degraded to hell. If I set it at F2.0, I'll watch as it jumps around, sometimes several stops. On automatic, it's very smooth. When I shoot it, I mostly use Vision3 500T. Which it meters as 400T, so it overexposes it about 1/3 stop. It's not ideal, but certainly within what the film is capable of. If I had a Beaulieu or Leicina Special (I can dream), I'd set everything off the light meter, like I do if shooting R8 or 16mm. Plus, light fading is part of the charm of S8. They spent a fortune to duplicate it when the made the movie within a movie for "Super 8." It's meant to be shot run and gun style. There's no pressure plate. The film jitters, a LOT more than regular 8 or 16mm. Vision3 has something like 11 to 13 stops of latitude. I just throw an 85B filter on the front of the 814, with a step ring, disable the built in filter, and let it run on auto. No problems. When I want to get precise image control, I shoot on 16mm. Anyways, that's my 2 cents.

All the film stock available for Regular 8 is reversal. So it's exactly like developing slide film. Usually, it's the exact same stock. All you'll need are 16mm reels for the tanks. And you'll need some way to slice the film right down the middle after developing. It's easier than developing for photos, since you don't have to mount them after developing. Just roll it back up and you're ready to project. I think Ektachrome is going to be it for choices these days though. The film buisness is dying. It is possible to develop in a standard tank, but it might be easier to just send out.

Glad to see someone take an interest in Regular 8! Yes film is still available. You can get it from Spectra (http://www.spectrafilmandvideo.com/) Developing is similar to darkroom developing for reversal films. You'll need a 16mm developing reel for your tank. Or a lab can do it for you. You can buy the film from Spectra with developing included. Super 8 comes in a cartridge. Your camera is Regular 8 though, which comes on reels. Loading shouldn't be too hard. Most R8 cameras load like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKNaDU_R1hE The biggest drawback to R8 is that it isn't a reflex camera. If you're comfortable with a measuring tape, distance scale and light meter you'll do just fine.

I believe they were cropped top and bottom to 1.85:1. On his page he talks about taping the ground glass with scotch tape to frame it. People have modified them to Super 16 in the past, but it's really difficult, and hence, expensive. If I remember right, it cost in the $6000-$10000 range. I believe the shop that used to do it doesn't do it anymore, since a good camera capable of shooting sync sound costs way less than that.

A lot of people are spoiled. It's a fine lens. Go to www.arri16s.com . There are a lot of film clip samples to see up there, including that lens; as well as a lot of other resources. It's not as good as a Zeiss 10-100mm (which people are comparing it to), but it cost a lot less back in the day, and so is a lot more common now. It is not nearly as good as dedicated primes, but still a good way to get experience. I have the same setup, and it's great! Robert Rodriguez used the same setup to shoot El Mariachi (along with a Kinoptik 5.7mm). Watch that, with the commentary turned on and read his book. An Arri 16S is a great camera. It's a professional piece of gear. It's fantastic in every sense of the word. But it's loud. Sound will be separate. If you can wait, I would recommend you do, and keep an eye open. I think that would have been a great price 5 years ago. These days, it's too high. I got a similar setup for about $500, about a year ago. Film speed and aperture control is the same as on a still camera. If you can handle that, you'll do fine. This camera doesn't have a built in light meter. It cannot be converted (at least easily) to super-16. So keep that in mind. If this will be important to you later, buy a Super-16 camera now (like an Arri SRII, and save the aggravation later. If you're just looking at doing short films, you might also want to look for a Canon Scoopic. Those are great cameras, and as user friendly as 16mm gets. Batteries are easy to find and re-cell, but mags are fairly hard to get for them. Built in light meter. It isn't quite in the Arri's league, but it is a good way to get some experience.

I meant that in my experience, Vision3 500T tends to strobe a bit with my 814 AZE on Auto exposure. Any other film, like Ektachrome 100D, no problem.

The old standby is to bump the film speed 1/3 of a stop slower and meter for 1/48 sec. For example, put in ISO 200 film as 160. The difference between 160/360 (1/54 sec) and 150/360 (1/58 sec) will be less than your finger or eye will see. If you put the 1014 XL-S to 220 degrees, set your meter 1/3 of a stop faster than the film in your camera. Alternatively, just meter for 1/60 at the correct film speed.

I never use Ektachrome personally, since I never project S8 (although I do shoot Regular 8 to project), but I can appreciate those who do. Usually S8 film (Tri-X or Vision3) from B&H and processing at Cinelab (which doesn't handle Ektachrome). I can buy the film and have it shipped to my door next day, with standard shipping. I don't know of anyone local to Boston who carries S8 film. If I did, I'd shop there. I didn't know Kodak sold small quantities directly. I thought then only sold directly if you were buying a lot. I may have to try that. The turn around is much faster than Pro8, the lab is MUCH better (although some LA locals have had really good results, I think they sometimes stick it to out of town people), and the cost is either the same or lower. Pro8 and Spectra give you many more options on stock choice. Although, with Fuji getting out of the motion picture film business, I don't know how much longer that will matter. For stuff like Tri-X, it'll save me about $7/roll and a week or more of turn around, since I'm not shipping to the other coast. For Vision3, it'll cost the same, but the turn around time is still better.