A 1960s Vs 2020s battle inside us

A Super 8mm film camera rivals our modern 4K workhorse

“There is no need to reinvent the wheel”. “The world moves on”. “Make your life easier”. “Don’t be a purist”. And all that.

But as we were rearranging the film equipment in the closet, the corner of our eye noticed the family Super 8mm film camera and the question immediately burst out: Why NOT?

The EOS C200 that has been our workhorse for quite some time provides 4K footage, four distinct audio channels with different gain each and all the bells and whistles we could ask for (besides the bulkiness, which is way improved on our newer C70).

The mid-1960s 814 Super 8mm in comparison, records no sound. The 50ft Kodak film cartridge that it takes lasts roughly 2.5 minutes in 24 frames per second. And to buy a cartridge, process it, scan it in 2K and correct it, you need around €100.

Any attempt of a direct comparison sounds condemned.

Yet, when the reel of the processed film was carefully fed into the Super 8mm projector, it neither required sound nor image resolving power from the emulsion to mesmerize the kids and watch in an apnea state over the next magical 2.5 minutes.

Everyone, we need room in the equipment case. A veteran is back on duty.-

Rolling back the film in the Silma Duo Super 8mm projector