From: Ken Paul Rosenthal (email suppressed)
Date: Thu Jun 22 2006 - 08:53:19 PDT
I stopped sending my Kodachrome to Kodak in Switzerland many many years ago
because the blue marks and random scratches were even worse than Kodak's
Dallas facility. I've sent dozens of rolls to Dwaynes and never had a
problem in any way. Even when I was living abroad for 2 years, there was
never a single snafu with the shipping and handling. I always found their
customer service quite exceptional. Don't know if Jenny is still working
there, but she was always very accomodating.
Of note: often when I ordered super 8 stock from Widescreen in London, the
cartridges would have registration problems. Something to do with the core,
which made audible grinding noises. It was the darndest thing. Never
happened before or since. Don't know if the stock we get in America is being
made in France or not. Maybe it was just a random bad batch.
Anyhow, as I've basically been off list for 3 years, I don't know if the
Super 8 Precision Pressure Plate has been mentioned before. It purports to
reduce registration issues as the primary reason for reduced sharpness is
the cartridge's lack of adequate pressure against the camera's film gate.
They cost a cool $150, but I've purchased one and am currently testing it.
You can purchase one from Steve Osbourne of The Reel Image:
email suppressed
Check it out: http://www.englisch.film-super8.de/
Ken
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For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.