where is widened super8 gates going?

[ECNtoo]

It's been a lot of time since it was started out there. are people still doing it?

Have processors acknowledged it and made sure that the film doesnt get damaged in the lab?

Can people zoom in during telecine or isit a matter of blowing things up so you lose resolution?

Anything else on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

[slashmaster]

It's been a lot of time since it was started out there. are people still doing it?

Have processors acknowledged it and made sure that the film doesnt get damaged in the lab?

Can people zoom in during telecine or isit a matter of blowing things up so you lose resolution?

Anything else on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

I found this guy, http://www.pro8mm.com/Merchant5/merchan ... ry_Code=S8 he talks about max 8 a lot so I'm sure he could process it for you. I myself have been pushing myself to it gradually, my first step was to file the round corners square in my projectors gate so it looks more like a modern monitor (I have no idea why so many projectors came with rounded corners like that). Next I gained more gate height but it's a trade off, now I have to adjust the framer more often for some films. Then I started going wider until I began to see scratches.

So before you do anything to your camera you can get a little more out of the films you already have, being that a projector gate is smaller than a camera gate.

Oh yeah, there are also people who do wide screen films by having it extend into the space between sprocket holes.

[ECNtoo]

I really dnt want to go into the perforation area. I would like to know how far people machine and if there are labs that dont cause damage during processing.

[slashmaster]

I really dnt want to go into the perforation area. I would like to know how far people machine and if there are labs that dont cause damage during processing.

I'm pretty sure that guy I gave you the link to does process it without scratching it, he sells widened cameras too and you can pay him to widen a camera for you so if he sells and processes film I'm sure he would do it. According to the wikipedia it's 20% wider http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_8_mm_film

[Will2]

Pro8mm has been pushing that format for a while now.

They also can recalibrate a Canon 814 Automatic's autoexposure to handle a full range of modern stocks which can come in handy. They do that and widen the gate for somewhere around $400 I think which isn't exactly cheap but finding anyone to work on those cameras is pretty rare these days.

[ECNtoo]

I really dont want to have to rely on pro8mm. The hope is other places can carry out so there are options with the processing and telecine. Spectra can't use the larger frame area in their transfer process. I wont be getting them to do the gate widening if I go that route. I can remove the gate myself and take it to any machine shop and give them the specs. This would be done to my Mekel. I wouldnt use an average consumer based camera for a couple of reasons. Firstly, telecine folk keep telling me the same thing that is confirmed buy everyone in the industry tell me; the glass let's it down. Using an old zoom does't offer the sharpest image. I can't afford new glass but I'm working on having the best older glass there was way back when. The other thing is I want to meter my own settings. I dont trust auto setting to do what I want, plus even if it's accurate , I dont want the iris to open and close at will. I like to ensure no accidents happen when I'm paying by the minute. Plus there's the whole pin registration benefit. And yes it makes a massive difference. Off topic as it is, I suggest people get a Beaulieu and get some quality primes.

[ECNtoo]

I forgot to mention, some say 13%, the wiki says 20% but no information on how to get those numbers or how safe they are when acheived.

[kuparikettu]

In Europe (Finland, to be specific) it should be soon possible to do max8 transfers at Reel One http://www.reelone.fi/. They have acquired a Millenium2 -- the same machine Pro8mm has -- and should have the super-8 transfers available as soon as they get things tested out.

I myself am planning having my Beaulieu 4008 ZM converted by Bjorn and then test Reel One's telecine. According to them they should be able to transfer max8 too.

[aj]

This is where Super-Duper-8 was popularized again. After the first descriptions in a German magazine of 30 years ago.
http://www.friendlyfirefilms.ca/superduper8.html


Better contact Rick or Mitch there to check which cameras work best. I don't suppose these guys still read this forum

It is more suitable to the top Japanese cameras of the past as these seem to have better optics and better shaped filmgate with ramps etc.

Max-8 is a marketing label for the same thing and you should not expect anything fancy like re-centered lenses or viewfinder. I.e. it is overpaid for the actual involved work.

Some take out the left side of the gate fully and don't seem to be bothered by filmflatness at the gate

In the popular discussions at the time it was claimed that Beaulieux, either 4008 or 6008 family, could not be widened. As the construction before the gate would cast shadow and the lenses would dim too much towards the corner.
A bit odd that it would now be commercially available.

I never tried it then as I would not want to be without a proper gate. I found a 4008 body in poor state so maybe I should try it now.

[D_Odell]

What happens with Beaulieu 4008 is that you no longer have the full wide option after the modification is done. That said if you plan to scan your material at the same distance: scanner ccd and celuloid if its zoomed in material or more of the wideangle sort.

Here is a test with a Bealulieu with an Angeieux 6-80 and Pro8mm stock Kodak 50D (repack). Al material from the sand field is shot with SD8 modified gate.

http://vimeo.com/18293522

Al the best!

[slashmaster]

So once you've figured out how to widen the gate without problems, or pay someone to do it for you, what do you do about a projector? You have to machine yourself a new gate and pressure plate that won't touch the new area?

[aj]

Very few people project this kind of film. Or project film at all

So it goes into teleciné and most of machines used there have wide openings in their gates. After that users take the max 16:9 from that.

[cinelicious]

We have a widened S8mm gate on our Spirit and can transfer widened stocks to 1080p. However most "Max8" that we see is scratched in the area that is supposedly widened leaving us to wonder if it's the camera or the processor.

Also... it's actually a native aspect of 1.51:1 which means it's closer to 1.33 than 1.78 so calling it "widescreen" is a stretch... literally. We have a chart you might enjoy with precise measurements of all small and formats here:

http://cinelicious.tv/we-love-film/small-formats

It basically analyzes the amount of native resolution loss when cropping in to 16:9 for an HD transfer from 4:3 native material.

Best,

Paul

[aj]

We have a widened S8mm gate on our Spirit and can transfer widened stocks to 1080p. However most "Max8" that we see is scratched in the area that is supposedly widened leaving us to wonder if it's the camera or the processor.

If there are no scratches at the perf side then it most likely is the camera/gate. Continuous processors don't grip the film, it is merely guided over v-shaped rollers. Does film from unmodified cameras have the same scratches in the sound-track area? Likely not

Too many without particular talents hack through the camera and modifiy the gate using too coarse tools and sloppy methods.

And then blame others. A bit like blaming x-ray machines for out of focus images or jitter. Where others travel happily with loads of films and never get these complaints.

[slashmaster]

Thanks AJ for the answer.

Speaking of scratches I've been meaning to ask, if it was scratched by the camera, people who processed it or even the cartridge itself, wouldn't it be a blue scratch? One day I got a 50 foot roll of kodachrome back and the first time I played it there was a blue scratch in the middle of the picture which slowly waved back and forth. How did this happen? If anyone cares to see it I'll try to take a pic or 2 of a frame and post it on here.