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Will Montgomery

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Everything posted by Will Montgomery

  1. Same for me. However, I've had a few that stoped working after a couple of cartridges. You've got to remember that the cheap Super 8 cameras used plastic gears and some are over 40 years old now. Once you start using them they can break just from age. But if you buy them for $10, it's not much of a risk. I have a box of about 20 Canon Autofocus 310xl cameras and I have to go through them every few months to figure out which one has failed that month. I think I have 5 that still work...but they all worked when I bought the over the last 6 years or so.
  2. Adapting is almost always possible; it's the focusing that will be an issue. Or I guess you could say adapting it properly for infinity focus to be accurate is not always possible.
  3. If the camera does it's job the way it's supposed to, then of course the lens is the most important thing...excluding the camera operator of course. Keep in mind that the Super 8 format is inherently flawed in the cartridge design. My Angenieux f1.2 6-80 on my Beaulieu 4008 zm II anniversary edition makes beautiful images. If I could put lens that on my Canon 310xl I'd bet the image would be pretty close. There may be some steadiness issues that could be noticeable if you know what to look for, but for the most part it would look great.
  4. It will be expensive. I would expect it to be at least $1600, probably more. But honestly, if they can make it sturdy and reliable it's not an unreasonable price for what they are doing and all the work that has gone into it, it's just wouldn't make financial sense to us die-hard users when top of the line Super 8 cameras can still be had for $500 or so...cheap ones for $10. They'll be going after a different crowd than us probably. However, throwing on my f1.2 6-90 Angenieux lens from my Beaulieu 4008 zm II anniversary edition might be fun. Although without an optical viewfinder I'm not sure how focus will work.
  5. Funny, as I just made the same request with a product manager in the motion picture division so they don't seem to talk to each other. I can't get over how much of an "ordeal" it would be to spool off say 10k feet before they slit the film. What kind of ordeal are we talking? Two hours worth of work? Then typing a new catalog number into a database? The bureaucracy with this company will kill it yet.
  6. Why 15fps? Wasn't it shot at 18fps or 24fps?
  7. I recently spoke with my rep and a gentleman in production about a double-8 run or pulling the double super 8 before they convert it to Super 8 cartridges. Basically it boils down to a lot of bureaucratic difficulty within the company. They have provided special order products like unperforated 16mm stock in the past and will consider it again as long as it doesn't interrupt factory processes too much...but even with the massive reorganization and downsizing, they haven't quite gotten to the responsiveness and nimbleness of a startup or other companies of the same size. They recommended I check back after the first of the year and Ektachrome 16mm release (that's not a confirmation of a timeline by the way). I would expect a minimum order of something like 10,000 feet of DS8 (which would be 20,000 once split) might be possible. That would require all DS8 enthusiasts to purchase quite a few rolls and a lot of work rolling them down to 25' and 100' reels. Not sure where you even get those supplies these days.
  8. I think you've covered the 16mm options. Bolex might be a good next one to try. I don't like the winding on the K3. I have a crystal synced Canon Scoopic MS which is my go-to camera for home movies and run-n-gun type shooting. Wouldn't shoot a feature with it but some inserts maybe. If you're looking for quality, steady shots and you'll be using a tripod I really like the Arri SR2. Super solid registration and built like a tank. Somewhat painful to handhold, but doable. In the U.S. they are still regularly serviced; not sure about Europe.
  9. S16 is an acquisition format ONLY, let alone S16 anamorphic. There have been a few people creating S16 projectors for their own use but not widespread. If you'd like anyone other than yourself to project it I'd consider going standard 16 anamorphic. Then you can make prints and share and show at festivals more easily. Talk to Tommy at Video & Film Solutions in Maryland if you want any technical advice. He can also do soundtrack prints for 16mm. http://www.videofilmsolutions.com
  10. I have a DS8 Scoopic that's been sitting unused for many years. It would be nice to get some new DS8 stock on 100' reels. Anyone have that available these days?
  11. Resolve has a fairly high learning curve but it is completely worth the time investment. Plenty of free online tutorials available. Once you've mastered Resolve, or at least understand it's basics you'll be able to do some amazing things with an industry standard software package. Not too long ago you'd be looking at $30k+ to get Resolve. Free is better. Color correction is really an art unto itself and while it would be nice to be able to press one button to make things better you really need to understand the whole process and reasons behind it to take your work to the next level.
  12. I had that LA7200 setup on my Scoopic for a while but it was just more trouble than it was worth. Focusing was incredibly difficult and not a very practical setup. Would like to try the Hawks on my SR2 however.
  13. There are, but the cheaper ones with plastic gears are really pushing their shelf life...I wouldn't buy one of those unless it was $20 or under; I've had 6 of them fail in the last couple of years. The plastic won't last long once it gets used again. However, the better built ones like the Canon 814, Beaulieu's & such will still be great with a little tender love & care.
  14. There's a camera that shoots 65mm and look like a Eyemo...just a little bigger...can't remember what it's called but probably about 15 seconds per 100 foot load! Since this camera only has 8-12 exposures, you'd get a half of a second of glorious IMAX quality.
  15. Just make a print using print stock...there are still a few labs out there that do it. May not have the vibrance that Ektachrome would have but you can tell the lab that's what you want and they may be able to saturate it more.
  16. Ektachrome will cost more than Vision negative stocks...it always has. I like to project it in 16mm and I like the look in general when scanned but I probably would stick with Vision stocks in Super 8 and 35mm...although it would be fun to test a 35mm motion picture Ektachrome 100' reel on my Eyemo.
  17. What mount does it have? Mine was re-configured by Steve @ Steve's cine and the PL mount is flawless. Great modern built-in motor too.
  18. I think I have a fairly new/good 2c video tap door lying around...I'm PM you if I can find it. 2c is a great camera to learn 35mm on. No registration pin like the 3, but get a PL mount and throw on some modern glass and you're good to go. Also with 200' mags it's not too bad hand held.
  19. This is why I wish eBay had a comments section. Would someone actually pay $325 for empty plastic A-Minima reels? I'm pretty sure some labs will have some laying around if you'd just ask... https://ebay.us/7GySVj
  20. Depends on your workflow and scanner...if you use a film chain scanner (Moviestuff) then reversal is probably easier but if you use something like a Lasergraphics then it doesn't really make much difference I would think since the software doesn't care that much. In that case it's simply a different look.
  21. Keep in mind that many of the later-made inexpensive Super 8 cameras had plastic gears that may work at the moment but will undoubtedly fail soon. Some of the older ones are built more like tanks and are worth considering.
  22. Sometimes making an impact with a Super 8 camera gives the bride & groom and extra "cool" factor that people remember. They love sending out Facebook posts showing the strange exotic camera used at their wedding. The other great thing to do with events like that is to handout cheap Super 8 cameras like the Canon AF310xl (that has a crappy lens but it is autofocus) to wedding party members so they can shoot for fun. Just give them one roll loaded and let them go to town and you'll get some great stuff to use that looks like Super 8 should...jerky and out-of-focus but when combined with the well shot stuff you do it is really cool. I have 15 of these camera I've purchased over the years for $5-$40 each so when a beer gets poured over them I really don't care.
  23. Scans are amazing today and a great value, but with these flat scans you need to know your way around Resolve or how to color well. In the "old days" 10 years ago, I'd always have a colorist make the footage beautiful before I'd be editing and it was a pleasure to work with. I know it makes more sense to color after you've edited but it was nice to work with perfectly colored footage.
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