film for super 8

S

SteveWilliams

Today I received the film that I ordered off of amazon to test out my camera that hasn't been delivered yet.
I made a total newb mistake by just ordering whatever off of amazon. Since then I have learned a lot from this forum board and other sources.

I have one cartridge of Tri-X 7266 with EI 200 for daylight and 160 for Tungsten.

For test purposes. When and where should I test out my camera. It being such high speed I guess that it wont work well outside. Should I just test it out indoors with some normal lighting set up. Could I shoot outside with it?

Also, what kind of film would you recommend that looks the best for daylight/night after telecine to digital.

I hope all of this makes since. I'm new and learning :-(

Ill be shooting on a canon 514XL if that helps.
 
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Yes. You can shoot Tri-X outside. Use the built in light meter to set the iris.
You can also shoot indoors with some normal lighting. Use the built in light
meter to set the iris.

There isn't one stock that works best in both daylight and night.

Ektachrome 64 is a really nice color stock that will give you a wide range of
exposures - excellent for outdoor, daylight.

500T is a high-speed, tungsten-balanced color negative film that is very fast.
You can get an excellent image in low light situations, but you still want to do
more than just point and shoot. Always use a light meter and some lights.

The 200T stock is a slower speed color stock. This might be the closest you get
to an "all purpose" indoor/outdoor/daylight/night film stock.

You need to pay attention to how the stock is balanced and if you need to use
the built in filter or not.

Shooting film isn't as easy as shooting video. White balance is done electronically
in video cameras but it's done with filters on film cameras. Of course color balance
isn't going to matter as much using black and white stock.

You're going to burn through a lot of film (and money) learning how it works. I
know I did.

I shot THIS MUSIC VIDEO on Plus-X.
 
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Thanks for the help. I would like to start out using 64T film. But i have read that it wont work with my camera very well canon 514XL. I was pretty bummed out about it since Dwaynes photo sells it for a good price and I wanted to use them for telecine and process as well.
I know that it's going to be a lot of trial and error.
 
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(Same link Zen posted...)

Looks like it should be just fine to me.. ;)

Canon 310 / 312 / 514 (XL & XL-S, for this one, see Kodak chart below, scroll down):
Tungsten: ISO 40, 160 and 250
Daylight: ISO 25, 100 and 160
note: I spoke with someone who successfully shot a roll of 64T with her Canon 310 XL. I've seen the pictures and it came out nice. She filmed indoors and outdoors with it. Try a roll before shooting your feature!
Click to expand...
 
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Yah, but the Kodak chart says -

Canon 514XL, 514XL-S (cameras thinks 160 ASA T)

...so definitely worth testing before using, and learning how to adjust for it, if needed.
 
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The downside of these "automatic" cameras designed to be easier
to use. The notch in the super 8 cartridge will tell the camera that
it's using 160 ASA when the stock is actually 64 ASA. So the built
in light meter won't be correct.

Opening the iris a stop should cover this. Maybe even a stop and
a half. This is where a light meter becomes essential and some
exposure tests are needed.
 
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Thanks for all of the help guys... I dont think it will mater as I received my un-operational camera today in the mail.
I hate EBAY....
The only thing that seems to work is the battery test light in the view finder. The motor doesn't turn nor does the power zoom work. It doesn't seem to matter which position the switch is in R,RL, or 1...
It looked like it was going to be fun to use.. I'm so bummed.
 
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Man, that's a bummer. :mope:

Yah, it should be set to "R", and an appropriate fps.

You *did* add the two AA batteries, right? (Just askin', in case that camera has an extra power source that powers the light-meter separate from the motor)

Did you buy it "as is" from the Ebayer, or they say it was workin' alright?

Time to throw your film-cartridges in the freezer. You might need 'em later. :cool:
 
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It was sold "as is" but it was stated that the motor, meter, and zoom were in excellent condition. The seller agreed to refund me money, although I do believe that he feels I was the one to blame for this transaction. I have no problem not expecting any refund when something is sold "as is". But it was clear that nothing was in the condition that he said it was in.
The camera has a great physical appearance so I really wished it worked.
I contacted a camera store down south from a guy i trust. He sold me a Nikon R8 that has been fully tested (without film). The light meter doesn't work, but the iris can be set manually. Hopefully this camera is built for 64T which seems like the best film for me to start out on (money wise, quality).
 
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SteveWilliams said:
It was sold "as is" but it was stated that the motor, meter, and zoom were in excellent condition. The seller agreed to refund me money, although I do believe that he feels I was the one to blame for this transaction. I have no problem not expecting any refund when something is sold "as is". But it was clear that nothing was in the condition that he said it was in.
The camera has a great physical appearance so I really wished it worked.
I contacted a camera store down south from a guy i trust. He sold me a Nikon R8 that has been fully tested (without film). The light meter doesn't work, but the iris can be set manually. Hopefully this camera is built for 64T which seems like the best film for me to start out on (money wise, quality).
Click to expand...
Since you will be setting the aperture manually, any super8 film will work just fine..

Get yourself a nice light meter so you know what to set it at, and have fun. :)
 
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Question

Hi everyone,

I have a similar question. I've recently shot some footage on 200T, but set the iris manually for a couple of shots after using the auto-iris to give me an initial reading (I didn't want obvious mid-shot aperture changes). However, I adjusted (doubled) the frame rate without remembering to reset the iris, so some of the footage will be a stop under. I'm currently waiting for the film to be developed, but I would like to know in advance if the lighting latitude of the 200T stock allows for exposure errors of this size? Can the footage be saved?

Any help would be most welcome.

Thanks,

Mike
 
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that was an excellent video,directorik.....is that a scan & not a telecine transfer?.......i am still a little confused about super8 transfer.........from what i am understanding scan is cheaper?........& the black strips on the sides mean it's high def?
 
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