A surprise with a superior film type!

[thebrowniecameraguy]

I just received a reel of processed Ektachrome 125 Double 8mm movie film. BOY, I would like you to know, this has the most amazing color to me. I have always avoided shooting indoors, but now I realized I have missed many great opportunities with my shyness. I was surprized to find that the color reproduction is indeed more greater than I thought it would be.

I also shot some of the film outdoors with the 85 filter for my Brownie Movie Camera. Again, I was suprised to see that the color under the filters help was in very close relation to the Kodachrome 25 that I shoot when outdoors. I know that the suggested filter is not the 85 filter, but I was curious to see what would happen. It only seemed that the color might have been 200-400 degrees Kelvin more in Blue than regular outdoor film, but I was shooting on a dark cloudy day so this might be the problem.

Again, I must say I am thoroughly impressed!

Cheers,
Jordan

[downix]

I've been debating doing Double 8mm vs Super8 and could use a few scanned-in frames to see how the Double 8mm performed. Any chance of seeing some?

[thebrowniecameraguy]

Certainly, I was planning on doing a transfer to computer at home, right now I am at work and did not have the time this morning to scan it in, but I might be able to either this weekend or next week.

I would like to post a segment of the film on this websites online films section.

Cheers,
Jordan

[marc]

vnf 125 is great stuff; highly underated!

[Actor]

I'd like to try Ektachrome 125 in 16mm but Kodak tells me the minimum order is 1800 feet. That's $540, within the realm of possibility but beyond my budget just now. 16mm K-40 is $35/reel with the same minimum order of 1800 feet, $630.

Meanwhile, in super8, I've compared Ektachrome 125 with K-40 and for all but the lowest light situations I'll stick with K-40.

[woods01]

I've only shot one reel of Ekta and was impressed with it. It was for a
one minute long short all set indoors. All I had was some daylight
streaming in and practical lights, primarily from three 100 watt bulbs.
Its certainly a viable option for shooting indoors. Unfortunatly
processing cost more than the film did but at least I can get it processed
locally. The grain is more apparent but is acceptable and makes up for
it with colour that is different from the K40.

[mr.jordan]

what exactly is the difference between double 8mm and super 8? :?

[downix]

what exactly is the difference between double 8mm and super 8? :?

Super8 is the same "width" as Double8mm, but the procket holes are smaller, allowing about 50% more viewable area.

[Actor]

what exactly is the difference between double 8mm and super 8? :?

• Super8 comes in cartridges which you load into the camera. No threading. Just snap the cartirdge into place, close the film compartment door and you're ready to shoot. Double 8 comes on reels which you have to thread through the gate and onto the take up reel.
• The film in a super8 cartridge is 8mm wide and 50 feet long. Double 8 reels are 16mm wide and are usually 25 feet long although some cameras take 100 foot reels.
• Super8 passes through the camera once. Double 8 passes throught the camera twice. On the first pass the images are recorded on one edge of the film. The positions of the feed and take-up reels are then exchanged and the film passes through the camera a second time, this time recording images on the other edge of the film. After processing the lab slits the film down the center and splices the two halves together producing a single 8mm wide film 50 feet long.
• The sprocket holes of super8 are centered on each frame. On double 8 they are centered on the border between adjacent frames.
• Super8 is 72 frames per foot. Double 8 is 80 frames per foot.
• For silent super8 the so called standard frame rate is 18 fps. For silent double 8 it is 16 fps.
• Super8 came out in 1967. Double 8 has been around since about 1930.
• For super8 Kodak offers five emulsions: K-40 and Ektachrome 125 (both tunsten balanced), Plus-X (ASA 100), Tri-X (ASA 160 I think) and Vision 200T negative film. For double 8 re-spoolers can provide K-25 (daylight balanced), Ektachrome 25 (tunsten balanced I think) and Plus-X (ASA = ?)
• For super8 Pro8mm provides a variety of negative films from ASA 50 to ASA 800. These are Kodak emulsions cut down from larger guages, perfed as super8 and loaded into cartridges. There is also Quarz super8, a B&W film made in Russia but I'm not sure you can get it any more. For double 8 Fomapan 100 is available.
• A super8 cameras is most likely battery powered. A double 8 camera is most likely spring wound.

[robbie]

Jordon, where did you have yor ektachrome processed?
this can make a difference and would liek to know the lab you used so to keep in mind as future ref. currently, i send my 16mm rev. to pac-lab and 8 and super8 to yale.

[S8 Booster]

My experience with the E125 for S8 is very good. I like it a lot, the colours are great and although a little more grainy than K40 the grain structure is really something special and very homogenous unlike negative films I have tested (the 250D is closest in suffucient light) and the old E160. On those films it seems like the grains are flying all over while with the E125 it looks as if the grains has fixed positions being turned on and off only like fixed size & fixed position pixels. Based on this observation I guess 24 fps is ideal for this film but is works well on 18fps projected as well.
The grain stays well in control even when the light conditions are very bad.


My observations are based on projection only.

Unfortunately it is much more expensive as a total package than K40 at this side.

R

[thebrowniecameraguy]

I had my film processed by Film and Video Services in Minnesota.

2620 Central Ave. N.E.

Minneapolis, Minnesota 55418

Contact us at: (612) 789-8622 or (612) 782-8554

Email: GaryFVS@aol.com

Their Double 8mm processing fee is: $12.00 per roll

visit them at:

www.filmvideoservices.net

[FILM-THURSO]

The Quarz super 8 is still available from the Widescreen Centre in London.

Ektachrome is excellent stock for both daylight and indoors. I've used it for filming gigs and it looks really good. The stage lighting colors are superb. I used it for filming in forrest conditions last summer and this was the first time I'd commited the stock to a story production. The results were very satisfying giving a color look the same as the forrest scenes in "Return Of The Jedi".
But I wonder if you can all remember that film stock should not be used simply in terms of using only the one you like best or so that you get the same image constant in the picture. Film is produced with specific conditions in mind and to not use them in that way will limit your production flexability.
It doesn't matter if there is a difference in the resolution or color. If you plan your film carefully with stock attributes in mind you can create a picture where these variations don't detract from the image quality.
A bottom line you should consider is that the viewing public essentially don't care as much as you might. I don't mean slacking on standards, just don't be so pernickity.
Film sees like our eyes- low light = low resolution, bright light = high resolution. So if you shoot a sequence of a person going from an open field to a thick forrest the shot transition from high res K40 to the slightly grainier VNF is a natural process and wholey acceptable to the viewers mind. Moreover the emphasis a lot of people place on having the highest resolution picture is missing essential considerations in the job of bringing a project to the screen.
If I were to film a steam train in action from a young boys' point of view it would be appropriate to film in bright sunny conditions with K40 at 25asa but if I were to take it from the point of view of the driver and coalman it would be better to film on Fuji RT200N without filter to give a gritty steally blue look emphasizing the hard work they do especially on cold wet days. Resolution should not be dominating your projects but should be a consideration of the production design.
Of the stocks available whatever you use should be based on the needs of your project and not an effort to keep up with digital. Story dictates the means- the means don't dictate the story. The stock choice is part of the look to give the right feel to the picture.