Nick Collingwood

Ha I think this topic got way sidetracked from the original request. If my reading comprehension is correct, Federico just was asking if there was a way to sync up all 5 of his scans and then select the best scan of each scene to make a final video at the best quality. Nothing necessarily to do with HDR and combining exposures (although this has been an interesting read albeit a bit over my head). Clearly if the initial poster is talking about using a Reflecta costing around $1k, it will obviously in no way compare to the zillion dollar scanners being discussed here. haha. but to toss my 2¢ in... I like my ScanStation scans better than any other scans I've received. But perhaps that's just me... What the initial request boils down to is basic editing. Watch through all 5 scans and mark down which brightness works for each scene and then go into your editing program (it seems like you've picked one) and simply order them in sequence. Good to go. I guess you COULD line them all up in separate layers in your editor and then cut out each good scene and put it on the topmost layer. But again, this is simple editing. But if you're not familiar with editing, you may just want to watch some youtube tutorials to get the hang of it. I'm not sure about the one you picked but editors like Resolve or Premiere have methods to color correct video.

That's odd that there's enough dust for you to be bothered if CineLab did both since it should be kept away from dust the entire time. But as Mark said, white specks are much more noticeable than black specks for reversal. Most dust is introduced once the film has been run through a projector or hands touched it. As far as scans, depends on what "worth it" is to you I guess. I find GRD scans the sharpest and most stable scans ever. The ScanStation they use is in good hands with Perry and the scan itself is only a couple dollars more than CineLab's 2K (of course you have to pay for shipping which I use bubble mailers at $7 flatrate and get as much scanned at once as I have). GRD scans are stabilized on the edge of the film which makes the final image very stable and closer to what projection looks like. Other scanners use the sprocket to stabilize and ends of making the image drift back and forth as S8 has no horizontal registry. And it's not any weird post-stabilization like Premiere or Resolve which can create weird distortions at times. Plus, I found GRD scans to be easier to grade but maybe that's just me. And sometimes CineLab's scanner's get backed up whereas GRD is crazy fast. And as far as grain, even on 500T, I've started to not even use Neat Video on GRD scans as the grain is still so fine. This video below I've linked to before was 500T scanned at GRD. The guy I shot this for kinda complained that the scans were TOO good. haha. And that it looked better than what he thought S8 was capable of. Also I like the small overscan that GRD can do. I use it as an aesthetic choice in my films so that clients are even more so reminded that it's shot on film. haha. So lots of small reasons. But I still recommend CineLab for people looking for the best bang for your buck for the least amount of work as it's a one-stop shop kinda deal.

As far as the dust, did you get CineLab to both process AND scan? Or did you have it sent back to you then sent to somewhere else for scanning? If CineLab does everything, it should be super clean. Or when I have CineLab send my film straight to Gamma Ray Digital, also super clean. They ship the reels in cans with the reel wrapped in plastic to keep dust out. I never open my film before it's been scanned these days.

I'm not surprised you got some well exposed images. That's what I was saying. 500T can see in the dark. It's crazy. Even when the lights were off at 0:35 you still got images. Also that part is a bit crazy. haha. Almost surrealist. The other option being shoot at 9fps but for fast motion like you were shooting, I can't really recommend that. As a personal opinion, not crazy about the stabilization. Or at least if you were going to do it, crop it to the usable area. The shift frame was really jarring visually. Plus I've just kind of learned to love and embrace the shakiness of handheld Super 8 instead of stabilizing everything. But some people like the clean, stable look. As far as the focusing, that's tricky although I think it's a matter of getting used to the camera focusing AND lighting. I've shot in super dark areas and gotten relatively sharp focus but: It wasn't tack sharp as wide open the 814XL-S isn't super sharp. I had adjusted my diopter to a point that I knew it was spot on. The adage "measure twice, cut once" definitely applies. I check focus a 2-3 times before I shoot to avoid out of focus footage. I'm sure you know but you have to zoom in on a far far building or pole with focus on infinity, then adjust the diopter to that. Then you'll be good. In the end, I think the footage came out pretty well given the circumstances. The XL lens definitely helped compared to those 16mm cams you mentioned.

My combo is pretty much always CineLab for processing and GRD for 2k scanning. They are both near Boston so shipping is fast and easy between the two. I only use Spectra if I happen to have some color reversal but they are good too, just more expensive. Otherwise CineLab is solid and cheap. Sometimes a tad slow but ultimately I like them. They do 2k+ scans as well but I've really come to love GRD scans. and I feel ya on Pro8mm. Overpriced as well!

Oh ya Dwayne's! I did forget. I've never used them since even IF I luckily have some reversal for processing, I generally have other types like CN and BW as well and sadly they only do CR. But I do want to use them in the future. I generally wait for around 4-6. So sometimes it can be a couple months. This reel is from October and I just got it processed and scanned at the beginning of this month if that gives you any idea. When I'm shooting more weddings it's easier because I send those out ASAP and just toss in any personal rolls I have at the time. It is a shame that it's all so expensive from minimums and processing and scanning but I've come to accept it. I still try and go as low cost as I can while still getting good quality. But otherwise it means using Pro8mm for single carts and that's even MORE, by far, plus I think GRD scans are more stable.

As far as I know stateside, it's just Yale, Pro8mm, Spectra and CineLab that do Super 8. Anywhere else that claims to ships it to one of these places. There is Niagara Lab just across the border though. Mono No Aware is slowly progressing on setting up a lab in NYC. As far as 16mm, there are tons of labs still. But I always use CineLab as it's the cheapest I believe and fasted for me on the east coast. Plus I have Gamma Ray Digital scan all my stuff which is in the same region. Spectra is good but also they don't include leader/prep which adds some cost. When I asked Spectra about the Plus-X they said: And you've seen the results! So pretty great! Not sure if the rest of the Tri-X will be that rough. I shot another cart this weekend. For your tests, do what I did and shoot it all on one cartridge. I "slated" each shot with a notepad with the camera and any settings of note like filter and fps and then shot the exact same 15 second scenes more or less with about 5 different cameras. Worked great and could easily compare the different cameras on one reel. I think CineLab minimums are like 2-3 carts now so nothing insane but Robert would have to confirm that. Apparently a new updated site is in the works but it has been for a while haha.

You should be fine. And honestly Super 8 pushed looks like crap. I shot this little clip at a friend's concert in Super 8 low light and it was fine. Granted it was an XL lens (which are in fact around 220º) but still, 500T has a lot of latitude even for underexposure. (sidenote: this clip is 500T but the colors in that room were so crazy and my CC skills were not up to snuff so I just went B&W haha). Also feel free to take a look at this film I shot at another venue in even lower light I'd say your best bet is to get a good 2k scan from a place like Gamma Ray or CineLab which will give you the most to work with.

Ha! I was wondering where all this traffic from these forums was coming from. Thanks for sharing! And ya the Polaroids came out great. I was really pleasantly surprised with the Plus-X film. I got some expired 7278 Tri-X from a friend last year and shot it and while cool, was in pretty rough shape. So I was kind of expecting the same since I got this roll of Plus-X off eBay for like $20. Needless to say after viewing, it looked as fresh as can be! Really sharp and nice contrast. And of course a nod to Gamma Ray Digital for their amazing 2k scans and Spectra for the processing. I shot this roll on autoexposure in my Nizo 801 Macro and just hoped for the best. I believe this was the old Plus-X 50 ASA? But can't remember. So I guess it was keep frozen and stored well enough that there was honestly no degradation in quality compared to fresh Tri-X. Smoother grain in fact. Anyways, jealous of your stash of Plus-X! I only have about 7 more rolls of that rough Tri-X and about 8 rolls of rough Vision2 500T as far as old expired stocks go. Looking forward to seeing your results!

As linked in the other thread, I shoot a decent amount of weddings on Super 8 film so I use the full spread of negative and black and white stocks often. I do use color reversal for personal stuff when I can (just shot 4 rolls of Ektachrome in Patagonia! Also have 5 Provia rolls from Tak in the freezer) but it's a bit expensive and hard to find that stock. Plus I get all my rolls scanned anyways for sharing online. I do have a projector as well that I love. So given that I've shot around 40-50 rolls/year for the last few years, stocking up on negative has potential to save me a few hundred dollars.

Also you have to keep in mind that the Canon 814 is reading the 500T cart as 400ASA as that's the highest it can read. So you'll get a little more exposure than the meter is reading. Looking forward to seeing the results.

Jeez I can't tell if Kodak is trying to revive Super 8 or kill it off! Raising prices again after they just bumped up Tri-X in the fall. Infuriating. They should be doing their best to lower prices. Might have to put in some orders before the shops catch on but that is a hefty pricetag.

Martin I had the same thought about the intro when I first saw it! ha. It's cool. Guess one could always download this video and cut it. It's also used here on their Facebook page. I did just get a fun Super 8 countdown leader from Spectra scanned so I might just be using at at the beginning of films. Also my main issue with this film, while shot well, is the scanning. Lots of vertical weave and the filmmaker claims it was scanned by Kodak. Doesn't bode well for their scanning service. Places like Gamma Ray get much more stable scans. And I also didn't mind the grain.

Honestly I wouldn't go for the push. After having similar issues with low light and pushing Super 8, I have found that pushing Super 8 results in incredibly incredibly grainy film and doesn't do much in the end vs what a good 2k scan from a place like Gamma Ray Digital can do instead. Phil of Pro8mm even suggested against pushing film because of the improvements in scanning within the past few years. You can see how grainy this ceremony at 2:30 was where I pushed the film 1 stop in a CRAZY low lit terrace although part of it was shot at 9fps to help. Hope you had your shutter angle at 220º! Ultimately you'd be surprised at how sensitive 500T is. As far as the 814XL-S issues, that's odd about the footage counter. Sometimes if the batteries are low on the 814XL-S it will continue to shoot for mere 1 second intervals before stopping and showing the "End Cart" light. So perhaps try and replace the batteries with fresh ones. I know Du-All in NYC will refurb the 814 or Pro8mm.

Agh. It didn't attach my image I don't think so I link it here. And Sam, I think I go against the grain in some ways in that I like autoexposure. Generally speaking, I've had great results with autoexposure (except for using a 64T cart in a Leicina Super and it coming out way underexposed... much worse than the youtube link above. As in... a grey film. (The clip I linked to looks fairly good to me. I guess slightly underexposed. Although my camera is reading more open f-stop than my other cameras, not stopped down. So if it's incorrect then it would overexpose) Here's another clip with a Nizo 148 But otherwise, Really good autoexposure results and given the nature of Super 8, I like it to be more carefree when shooting vs metering every shot. Also the hard thing I've found with external metering S8 is that the light prism for the viewfinder in each camera is slightly different and causes 1/3-1/2 or more stops light loss. So you have to guess to account for that.

Alright I'm having a conundrum this morning as I pack for a weekend in the woods. I really would love to shoot one of my carts of Ektachrome (64T or 100D) I have left. Also... I want to use my newly acquired Nizo 156 Macro as it's a lovely little travel camera and I have the UWL wide angle lens for it as well. Also it has a 220º XL lens (1/28th). I have shot 200T in this camera and it came back great so the camera definitely works. Thing is... it has dumb metering. I've attached an image of what the manual says about how it reads carts. In THEORY... I feel like it should read a 100D cart correctly as 100D as it SAYS it can meter 100D. But when I tested the aperture looking at a building outside my door, it was reading around 2.8ish-4 on the Nizo 156 Macro THEN when I tested that same cart on my Canon 514XL (I've shot Ekta and Provia 100D in the 514XL with great results) and my trusty Canon 814XL-S (only shot 64T in there but it meters everything really), they both read around F8. I even tried Tungsten notching the 100D and got roughly the same results in both (when on tungsten as I don't want any filter engaged). And to make things even more interesting, I realized the 156 Macro's filter switch is just connected to a little rod that tests whether the cart has a notch or not. As in... if you move the switch back and forth, the little rod goes back and forth. So it's not really detecting anything on its own. Thoughts? It must be reading the 100D as 25 or 40ASA (either as Tungsten or B&W... what's the difference in cart??) since it was Why does it say it'll read 100D when clearly it doesn't. How does it detect daylight film? I have seen only a couple examples online with this combo that seem good but no idea how they metered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WrGfBdKfZs Super 8 metering is crazy.... Wish Kodak would've just made all cameras able to set ASA...

Well to quote David Mullen from earlier in this thread "Trouble is that not everything can be shot in those conditions..." All those bullet points will individually help you get a sharper image but getting ALL of them will generally be impossible. So you have to pick as many as you can. It may be that you'd need to shoot 200T instead of 50D in order to stop down enough but of course that results in more grain. Or perhaps add more lighting for indoor scene for a higher f-stop. It's a give and take. Your ZC-1000 should give sharper/steadier images than any Super 8 since it has the advantage of a proper pressure plate as well.

The Provia stock is lovely. I have 5 carts from Tak in my freezer and shot one of the tester rolls from Pro8mm last year in Vietnam and it was fantastic. I shoot everything at 18fps. Personally, I have no need for 24fps as I'm not shooting any sound and getting another ~50 seconds of footage from a cart is worth the trade off economically. Plus most people can't tell the difference and 18fps was how most Super 8 was originally shot.

You're exactly right. I have a Canon 814XL-S as well and can get stunningly sharp images sometimes. Arguably rivaling 16mm but in this thread about making 16mm look like 35 or better, I won't get into that discussion haha. For the sharpest images for Super 8 (but especially the Canon 814XL-S: 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 smaller 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.

Uh. Not sure about that. Don't think so. I just paid the $38/cart plus $30 for shipping and then the ~$30 Paypal fees on my order. Ended up around $45/cart which is a hell of a deal compared to what Ektachrome 100D fetches on eBay these days and it's a gorgeous film too! Unlike Agfa 200D. Blech. Ignacio on the Facebook Super 8 group buys a lot of Single 8 Provia from Tak.

A friend and I just bought 15 rolls of Super 8 Provia 100D carts from Tak and he shipped it to NYC. So he replies. Just keep emailing. And I'm super pumped to shoot this stuff!! I don't think he sells bulk rolls for self-loading through. Just his own rolled carts of Single and Super 8.

With my Nizo 801, I don't think I've shot 50D but I've shot 200T autoexposure and even 500T autoexposure and it's been fine. The Nizo 801 is a great constrasty and SHARP camera. Tri-X in that baby is like 16mm quality. The cart will disengage the filter anyways. But I'd say keep it on Daylight since sometimes that will affect how the camera exposes things like with Tri-X carts. You'll probably have to do some color correction no matter what in the end. Any color outdoor shots on this film were shot on Vision3 200T and Nizo 801 on autoexposure. 50D should be much finer grained. This was Nizo 801 with 500T on autoexposure (which means it was metering at 160T) Basically... you should be fine. Just shoot!

So I snagged a Leicina Super (not RT-1, not Special... I wish!) off craigslist a few months ago from an acquaintance who assured me he's shot lots of Tri-X and it's been great. It does sound a bit rough compared to other S8 cameras I have but whatever. Problem is, I perhaps gambled too much and took a roll of Ektachrome 64T and the LS to the beach for a cloudy day and shot it. Just got the roll and 2k scan back and exposure is all over the place. Mostly underexposed but occasionally comes up to normal exposure then back to underexposed. It's very odd. The film stock is fine because I shot a roll in my Canon 814XL-S that came out looking brilliant. Also I did notice that the f-stop was closed down in most shots which surprised me but I had read that the LS should read E64T so I let it do it's thing. Big mistake. Sad to have mostly wasted a precious E64T roll. Any thoughts for why it did that? This is the only roll I've shot with it so maybe it's a bum camera. I believe I had the filter setting on color film-sun (filter engaged) which should be correct.

I haven't shot but 1 roll of R8 but I've shot a good amount of Super 8 and I'd definitely say both have the resolution for a crop. Obviously not idea but cheapest compared to buying an expensive anamorphic lens. This is a mixture of S8 shot on a Nizo 801 Macro (super sharp lens) and R8 shot on my grandfather-in-law's old Keystone K35 with some fungus-infested lenses. Still sharp though. You can tell the different cameras by the grittiness of the R8 due to the Fomapan film vs the Kodak Tri-X of the S8. But like I said, a crop wouldn't be terrible. The Super 8 looked incredibly sharp here! Definitely close to 16mm in my opinion. This video I filmed on S8 with the sharp Canon 814XL-S was cropped to 16:9 but could probably handle a crop to 2.35 ratio as well. These were all 2k scans which REALLY make a difference compared to 1080p telecines.

I'd try to run the camera without the cartridge in there. The cart could be jammed. But like Dom said, that looks like a pretty cheap camera and am surprised you even found someone to service it. I'd try and look for a more common Super 8 camera like a Canon, Nizo or even Sankyo.