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Nick Collingwood

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Everything posted by Nick Collingwood

  1. My thoughts as well. I once bought a cheap B&H 2146XL for like $10 off eBay but when I got it, the mirror had come loose. So I took it apart since I figured "eh what's $10" and superglued the mirror back in place and now it works like a $10 champ!
  2. Well back to more of a... user level in response to the original question... My solution is very simple and rudimentary. A spreadsheet. I've got a tab for each year and it tracks everything from folder, subject, resolution, lab, film and camera. And how many rolls. It's nothing fancy but it helps me keep track of where everything is. I attached a screenshot of what my 2018 looks like so far. If more than one event is on a roll (like when they combine multiple negative rolls from different things onto one roll for scanning, I note each event and settings separately. Even if it has like 20 seconds of something random, (if I didn't finish a roll at a wedding) and I shoot like... birds in the park, I note that so I can easily find that clip should I ever want to. It's not fancy but it gets the job done and the folders all match up.
  3. Kodak Vision3 color negative stocks like overexposure of about .5-1 stop. It helps tighten the grain a bit and gives better detail in the shadows. So you'll get a better overall image. As far as the second part, Super 8 cartridges have a notch cut in them that tells the camera what speed the film is. The way the notch is cut, most cameras will overexpose the stocks a little when using autoexposure (so 200T reads as 160 to the camera). BUT with your Beaulieu you don't have to worry about that as you set the ASA manually or just manually meter. As far as my experience, yes they are. I'm not an expert despite my long posts but that's always how I focus and I can get really sharp images. You can also trust the measurements on the lens as well and literally use a measuring tape. XL shutter stands for eXisting Light. Normally shutter angles on Super 8 cameras around around 150º or 160º which equates to 1/57 shutter speed at 24fps. Whereas cameras with XL lenses are around 220º so around 1/40 shutter speed. Also if you want the MOST production quality, shoot at 24fps instead of 18fps. Sharper image since the shutter speed is faster. Your Beaulieu has a shutter speed of 1/86 at 24fps which should produce very sharp images. That goes back to the bad scans. The footage was shot at 18fps as it was standard to shoot at that framerate back in the 70s/80s plus most projectors could project at 18fps. But NOW places generally only can transfer at 24fps. So when you playback footage shot at 18fps at 24fps, it looks sped up. So it's just a matter of slowing down the footage 25% to get realtime again. (Same with 8mm and 16mm and 16fps). This all can be avoided by shooting at 24fps but you use film faster that way. 2:30 runtime vs 3:20 runtime at 18fps. Thanks! I also enjoy squeezing the most quality I can out of the format. But sometimes I also like hand-processing and projecting as well.
  4. Well first, that second one is shot on 16mm. You can tell because of the two perfs on the left hand side. So that's obviously extremely sharp. With that said, the first video IS Super 8 and is very sharp as well. I'm bored at work so I'll give you a good rundown. Basically the crappy videos come down to a few things. Inexperience. Ignorance. And bad scans. Inexperience in focusing Super 8 cameras correctly. They can be tricky but luckily your Beaulieu is ground glass. Inexperience in lighting/metering. Therefore it looks underexposed or grainy. And also a tripod does wonders as many S8 cameras have XL shutters so lots of motion blur. Ignorance in color correction and film stocks. SO MANY people these days get halfway decent scans but then leave them flat because they think that's the final image whereas it's SUPPOSED to be color corrected. Or... they just suck at color correction to be honest. So that obviously affects the final image significantly. As far as stocks, for what you want, you'll only be shooting Kodak stock. Tri-X in B&W is 200ASA and somewhat grainy but sharp. For color there's: 50D is the least grainy and daylight balanced. Very sharp! 200T for medium light. Very versatile. Outdoors or in. 500T for low light. Grainy but can practically see in the dark. But a good scan can resolve the grain better. That brings me to bad scans. Probably the worst one in some ways. People have been getting crappy telecines from their local "camera guy" for years which used projectors and off the shelf cameras that gave crappy results. Now labs have incredibly high quality (and expensive) film scanners that go up to 5k that really make a difference. Personally I don't go over 2K but some people do. I think 2K is the sweet spot and most places will scan to log then let you do the color correction. I'd say Gamma Ray Digital near Boston does the best, most stable scans out there with their LaserGraphics scanner. Email Perry there. He's great. Also I get my processing done at CineLab also in Boston. They do great work. Posted this before but reposting below for your reference. For the sharpest images for Super 8 (but especially the Canon 814XL-S which I have): Shoot 50D. Overexpose 1/2+ stop. It should overexpose it a little with how it reads the cart already Nail your focus by zooming all the way in and focusing then zooming out to your focal length Use the smallest shutter angle of 150º to help with crisper images as well Use a tripod or have rock solid hands (and even those will fail you most of the time). Stop down to f5.6 or higher. Get a 2k scan from Gamma Ray (in my opinion the sharpest S8 scans ever). You will get crazy sharp images for Super 8. Here's a sample shot from a recent wedding I shot (Canon 814XL-S, Vision3 50D). Added some simple contrast and saturation to the 2k scan but no sharpening or grain reduction. Linked the small image here in the forum but click it for the full res. If you want to see more of my stuff scanned at 2K my vimeo is here.
  5. Ha you mean in terms of retro aesthetics? Definitely not cheaper or as available sadly. I've only shot R8 once in an old Keystone K35 I got from my grandfather-in-law. The lens was definitely not in great shape and had fungus or other aberrations in it. To your point, you can actually see a mixture of 2K scanned Kodak Tri-X shot on a Nizo 801 and FomaPan 100 shot on the Keystone in my film below. I'll leave it up to you to figure out which shots are which. ;) But no doubt, it seems like everything has bumped up. 16mm is the new 35. and Super 8 is the new 16mm. So it's only natural R8 is the new S8. I have a couple rolls of Cine-X 125 and CineChrome 100D in R8 that someone gave me. I need to shoot em but no camera good enough! Anyways! Spectra lists on their website that they do DS8 B&W and I believe CineLab does too but Robert would have to confirm that.
  6. I've gotten R8 Foma BW developed at CineLab with good results. Also I know Dwayne's and Spectra will do R8 E6. Spectra will do CN and BW as well I believe. They both even sell the film.
  7. Ya an unfortunately downside to this camera is that you CANNOT operate the aperture manually without the lightmeter batteries. It's silly. You SHOULD be able to manually expose without batteries but alas, that's not how they made it. So if your batteries are dead then it leaves the aperture wide open. Plus these batteries die pretty quickly if you leave them in the camera. Always remove them and re-tape the flat side to preserve them. With that said, I'd still develop your film normally. I shot the below film on the sunny beaches in Savannah, GA with 500T exposed at 160 in my Nizo 801 actually (and I'd imagine it should've been even more stopped down than I could go, and it came out fine! I initially planned to reversal process the film which requires overexposure but decided not to). Vision3 has crazy highlight latitude so get a nice 2K scan and work on the color correction in post. (enjoy my goofy VO) I'd disagree with your disagreement. I'm no expert but it has been shown that film holds highlight exceptionally well. Just take a look at this image. Granted it's Portra 400 but it's similar and it just shows you 6+ stops isn't insane.
  8. Yup! 50D is pretty remarkable in Super 8. It kinda blew me away when I got my first 2K scans of 50D. It's so sharp and grainless for Super 8. This is the full video with most of the outdoor shots being 50D and some 200T.
  9. Here's a frame from a wedding I shot last summer that I've shared before. Shot on Canon 814XL-S and scanned at 2K by Gamma Ray Digital on their ScanStation. It has been color corrected but no sharpening or denoise. Click for full res as this forum doesn't seem to auto-resize large images. It's quite sharp if I say so myself and has a lot of detail even for something shot handheld at a long focal length. Technological advancements in imaging sensors have actually had quite the positive benefit for Super 8, showing what the format is truly capable of vs the low quality telecines we've all been used to for decades (let alone the silly framerate issues a la Wonder Years intro).
  10. You've been missing out! Granted I don't scan my stuff to 4K but I do get everything scanned at 2K. To be honest, I found the difference between 4k and 2k negligible BUT the difference between 1080p telecine and 2K scans was incredible. So much sharper and better color. Super 8 shot well and scanned to 2K+ can blow older 16mm scans out of the water.
  11. It looks like Mono No Aware has some in stock but not 100% sure. Shoot them a request. Good people there. http://mononoawarefilm.com/film-stock/
  12. Luckily Kodak made Super 8 super user-friendly. The film is completely contained within the cartridge except for a few frames where the lens exposes the film. You can take the cartridge out and swap it BUT you can't rewind it at all. So if you try to shoot a little and the camera isn't working right, just take out the cartridge and keep it for your next camera. But keep in mind you won't know the exact amount of film left. You'll have to mark it down based on the what the camera said when you stopped filming.
  13. Ehhhh it looks like that camera was probably a 40/160 camera. So 50D or 200T will probably work but... as you said, there's a high chance that camera will break as it's a very budget model Super 8 camera and an old one at that. I'd try and scoop up something... anything else if you're going to spend money on Super 8. At around $100/roll for film/dev/scan, it's not something to just toss around too much in my opinion. Plus it has fixed focus and a pretty low quality lens. Also I believe it needs a weincell button battery to operate the meter which is another hassle for such a low end camera. http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Kodak_M_24_Instamatic
  14. Wow those are some fantastic frames! Love it. Makes you really appreciate the aesthetic film has. It's just something above and beyond what digital can do. Also love your lighting break downs. Inspiring me to get more creative next time I shoot. Looking forward to the re-edited footage with the fresh new scans!
  15. Oh my god. I would probably want to murder someone at FedEx if that ever happened to my film. That's infuriating!! Opening the can!??!? WTF? Why would they even do that in the first place?? That's like opening someone's private package even if it was separated. They had no need to open that up. But anyways... hopefully it survived. I love CineLab for it's slightly more affordable prices compared to other labs but damn if they don't suuuuuck at communication. I've just grown to accept radio silence from them. But to be honest, that should be the case in this day and age. When I have them send my Super 8 to Gamma Ray Digital for scanning, Perry there is in constant contact with me about my film. Plus better scans in my opinion. CineLab definitely needs to improve on customer service and communication. Agreed. As far as your film, I have never pushed anything that far but for one wedding I shot in this crazy low lit venue, I pushed 500T 1 stop to 1000ASA and it came out.... ok. Granted it's Super 8 so the grain was out of control a bit and very soft image even using my 814XL-S. You can see it starting around 2:30 in the video below. I'm very curious to see how your film turns out.
  16. I'd say you'd probably be fine. Buuuuut if you're totally ok with converting color negative to B&W (and foregoing any option to project it) then just toss some 500T in there and shoot that. You'll be able to see in the dark with that film and the f1.0 lens of the 310XL. You'll actually have much MORE latitude if you use color negative converted to B&W than Tri-X 7266 since that's a reversal stock therefore less latitude. Then you can add contrast back in post like WIll said. One of the first times I shot Super 8 was at my friend's wedding and the reception was SUPER low light and I shot it on 500T with my 514XL and then converted to B&W in post because of the terrible scan I got. You can see here. But if you get a nice scan you should be better off than this video. But... as Will says, that lens is not the sharpest and you can ALSO see in my video that my focus is not always spot on. Granted I've gotten a lot better at focusing but the 310XL doesn't have the split-image focusing of the 514XL... just distance so judge carefully. 500T as B&W starts around 3:15 in the video.
  17. Oh man. My friend! That news is quite the opposite. And a bummer (getting used to the feeling with Super 8 prices). They used to be $15 for processing like a year or so ago... if not $18 per roll just a month ago. I think I just got charged $19/roll for the 3 rolls I sent them last week. And the scanning is actually more expensive. Used to be .30/ft for one light 1080p ($15/cart) and then .34c/ft for best light 1080p ($17.50/cart). Then .50c/ft for 2K scans ($25/cart). Shame. Prices keep creeping up on all fronts (stock, processing, scanning)... Making it more difficult. I just don't know where Super 8 is headed with these prices. Really wish something would actually go DOWN in price (a la Polaroid Originals dropping their price per pack last year) to encourage more shooting. BUTTTTTTT I'm just now seeing that CineLab will start processing color reversal!! That's awesome! Amazing! I was having to send my color reversal to Spectra which is pricier or to Dwayne's (which is a mere $12/roll or $14/roll with prep) but the extra cost and hassle of sending it to another lab is eliminated if sending it all to CineLab! Hooray! I'll be sending some Provia 100D and some Ektachrome 64T to them the moment I return from my trip to the west coast!
  18. I've heard varying results but generally it's not suggested since the voltage is different so it affects the meter reading. Fine in a pinch if you need them to even run the camera (like Nizo's) but not recommended. Also I keep the little sticky cover piece that comes on them as well as the zip-lock bag and when I'm not filming, I replace the sticker and put back in the air tight bag. Seems to work well enough for me. But it IS annoying and if a mod was more accessible to make my Nizo 801M like a Pro that doesn't use the batteries, I'd be all over that.
  19. Ha that's great! that's almost the exact same price I got my 814XL-S for! $35+15 shipping. Dead. BUT I cleaned out the corroded battery jammed in the handle and bought a new battery compartment cap since it was missing and she's been great ever since! $80 all in. Such a steal and SUCH a sharp camera. I probably would've snagged that one you bought if I had seen it haha.
  20. Never used them but seen incredible results from Ocho y Pico in Spain. http://ochoypico.com/en/ José Luis Villar gets all his stuff scanned there and the quality of his Super 8 films is pretty much the creme of the crop as far as Super 8 goes. Of course some of that is to deal with his Beaulieu camera but 16mm should really look amazing.
  21. Thanks! Settings were pretty standard. The shutter was at 150º. Autoexposure which exposes 1/3 stop over (as with all Super 8 cameras). 18fps. Color corrected myself using the Lumetri tools in Premiere.
  22. Lovely sequence. Reminds me of the intro to Twin Peaks. You managed to mask many of the processing issues in the edit. I'd definitely say bump up to a 2k scan to really see that 16mm shine. I've heard good things about Gauge Film but as I'm in the US, I send all my stuff to Gamma Ray.
  23. I'd say the 814XL. I have one myself. I also have a 514XL (not XL-S) and love it but the 514XL-S doesn't allow for manual metering. Only exposure lock. Also the 814XL has a manual exposure, a wider and longer lens, slow motion which is nice and two different shutter angles (150º and 220º) which is EXTREMELY useful for varied lighting conditions. Also just a bit more robust in my opinion. Both are solid in the end though. And both will meter all those films correctly although if you DO use 500T, only the 814XL will meter it completely correctly although not a huge issue with Vision3 film. I shot the second half of the below video (the sledding day) with my 814XL and 4k scans by Pro8mm with Vision3 200T.
  24. Hm... as a proud owner of two lovely 514XL cameras... you have your work cut out for you. They are fantastic, sharp and light cameras but quiet they are not. And also they are not sound sync so that will be a bit of a chore but not impossible. Blimping, I'd say you should wrap it with a blanket as much as you can without affecting the lens or your ability to focus. Also if possible, put the camera on a tripod as far away as you can and zoom in. That way the mic near your actors will be farther away from the camera noise. But honestly, if you can, borrow a different camera, preferably a "sound" camera as those were more quiet, it'd be best. As far as sound sync, I've posted a clip of my own below. It's a folk artist filmed on expired Vision2 500T with a Canon 814XL-S in single take in close proximity. So 1) camera noise is faintly present but somewhat encouraged for the project I was on. 2) the sound sync was all over the place. This resulted in me jumping into premiere with the video and audio then keeping the audio untouched as that's "real time" then cutting up the video when it becomes unsynced and squashing/stretching it in small segments in order to match it up. Currently working on a music video with this method. It's called wild sync in case you were unfamiliar. This is common with Super 8 as the cameras mostly don't run perfectly at 18fps or 24 and more like +/- 2%.
  25. Ha! You're very welcome. Always happy to help newcomers to the format. Spread the Super 8 love. First roll looks good! Tri-X is a tricky stock in that there's not much latitude since it's reversal but this looks good. Obviously those last shots are a bit low but mostly fine. Needs a bit of levels/contrast added and you'll have some great stuff. The 801 with Tri-X should always be shot on bulb. Otherwise it'll read as 100 which will overexpose it. The 310XL is a solid little camera. Not as sharp but great for low light. Get some 500T and really see what Super 8 can do in low light. Sam can vouch.
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