Straight 8mm processing

[cdg]

Hi everybody. I have an old Univex sub miniature movie camera, and I believe i have found two film spools for them as well. I recently fired off an email to John Schwind and he tells me he's willing to slit and respool some Cine-X black and white stock for me to shoot.

The question I have is how I should have this film processed. I know there are other people here who shoot some straight 8mm film through other cameras. For those of you unfamiliar, Straight 8 is a standard that has the same perforation as 8mm film only of course it is slit in half (the raw film is only 8mm wide).

So I guess not understanding how most cine labs process their film, I would like to know if these spools of univex straight 8 can be processed anywhere, or if I need to send it to a lab that specifically hand processes their film.

Your responses are greatly appreciated. Please understand that this is UNIVEX STRAIGHT 8mm, NOT SUPER 8 OR REGULAR 8.

[James E]

Virtually anyone should process your striaght 8 the same as R8 or Super8. Does it shoot 25 or 50' at a run? How is it loaded? On a spool like R8? Cine processors dont care about film width or perfs since they just pull the film thought on a leader over a system of rollars/tires. I know if you ask Dwaynes will return your spools. You can probably even do this via Wal mart for $5. You might consider getting a film slitter from Olex in the Ukraine so you can buy any reg 8 film and slit and load it yoruself.
Happy filming!

[James E]

I was in one of my favorite junk stores today and came across a Univex straight 8 cam I'm sure just like yours. I see that it takes 30' of film. You can just get a DR8 spool from John Schwind and split it in half and load it up. Also in the middle of the night last night not sleeping my wacky ADD brain remembered that there is indeed someone who sells straight 8 film:
Kahl. http://www.kahlfilm.de In 10m lengths aka 30'. They're probably the only ones in the world at this time doing so. But it's good to know. they have both color and B&W. Here's a google translated excerpt:
Welcome to Kahl Film & TV
Filmmaterial Footage
Wir produzieren und vertreiben Filmmaterial der Formate 16 mm, Super 8, Einfach 8 (1 x 8 mm), Doppel 8 (2 x 8 mm), Doppel Super 8 (DS 8). We produce and distribute footage of the 16 mm formats, Super 8, single 8 (1 x 8 mm), Double 8 (2 x 8 mm), double Super 8 (DS 8).

They have Kahl UP24 ISO 200 B&W and UT18 Chrome ISO50. Which has received pretty good reviews.
It's very expensive however at E34.00 each including processing with a minimum order of two. But I think it comes with those super rare reels for the Univex. You should email them and ask. They will answer in english.
It may be worth the expense once just to have the extra reels.

Also if you're interested in the camera I took a picture of it. It only has one reel in it and the winding key is missing so I was unable to test it. Very cool little camera though. The dealer said he would sell it for $15 I think. Might be worth it just for the reel and spare parts.

Cheers,

[super8man]

You would have to call...the major factor that you have a film strip that is 8mm wide and perforated with regular 8mm holes...processors are used to seeing either super 8mm in a cart or regular 8mm which is 16mm wide, unsplit while going through the chemicals and such...

Me thinks straight 8 is one of those hand-process only formats...but like you ask, I would love to be proved wrong.

Best of luck,
Mike

[James E]

Mike, I'm pretty sure with a proper note w/ some quick instructions anyone w/ a continuous cine processer would do it. They would simply need to know that it needs to be attached at the beginning/end of a Super 8 run since it's the same width and then put on an R8 reel. Cine processors don't use the perfs in any way I know of to pull the film through. It's pulled thorugh on a leader tape. Toward the end of a run the leader tape is attached to the end and run through the machine in preperation for the next day's run.

The one machine I looked at closely (An Allen) was mainly designed to run 35mm Edupe E-6. But after talking w/ the company who services the machines and a couple of guys experienced w/ the machine, they said width is irrelevant to the machine. You only have to have the correct size feed and take up reels which are readily available. You could start out w/ super8 stick in a taper leader to 9.5mm, taper leader to 16mm taper leader to 35mm, and back down again. Changing to the appropriate sized feed/ take up reel during the process. Which they are designed to be changed while running.

But if hand process is the only way, 10m LOMO tanks are pretty easy to come by and a lot cheaper than the 15m tanks I have.
Cheers,

[cdg]

Thanks for the responses guys. I will call Film and Video Services sometime this week and ask them if they can process the film, and I will post up their response here for the future.

Hand processing is an option for me - I am no stranger to using tanks and reels with still cameras anyway, but I have never tried anything like reversal film. Some day I plan on buying my own tank for sure, but they're all pretty expensive these days, so I'm going to have to hold off.

James, I did know about Kahl film selling the film, but I don't think it comes on Univex reels.

I paid $8 for a very nice example of a Univex A8 including shipping. They are undesirable and not collectible. I've seen working cameras with leather cases and extra reels go for less than 20 bucks on ebay before. I really wish mine had its case and original manual. Typically that's the only way I purchase my old cameras, but this one was an impulse buy.

[James E]

I didn't really think it was worth the $10-15 he wanted in the conditon it's in. It would really only be worth it if you just absolutely had to have another reel and a spare parts camera.

As to Kahl a quick email to them should answer your question as to reels. What other kind of straight 8 reel would there be out there?
Cheers,