Re: HELP

From: Myron Ort (email suppressed)
Date: Mon Feb 23 2009 - 10:20:50 PST


Miriam,

Judging from what you are saying and what others here are saying,
this is a standard regular 8mm camera. Most of these cameras took a
small spool with 25 feet of "double 8mm film" which has twice the
number of sprocket holes on each side of the film, as opposed to the
usual 16mm camera which takes a 100' spool of film. There were also
50 foot 16mm camera spools. Normally the 25' roll of double 8mm is
shot down one side and then put through the camera again and shot
down the other side, after processing the lab would split the film
down the middle, then splice the two pieces together to give you 50
feet of reg. 8 mm film. Labs still do this, but it is possible to
purchase a small and simple device to split the film yourself if you
happen to do your own processing. As was mentioned here, if you do
not split the film it would be possible to project it as 16mm, the
projector would simply ignore the extra set of sprocket holes in
between the ones it uses, you would then see four quadrants on the
screen along with the frame lines which, depending on how well you
cleaned the gate of your camera before shooting, was usually messy
looking. An 8mm projector would normally hide most of the frame
line. So you most likely have a normal reg. 8 camera. If you are a
16mm filmmaker, and wanted to use this double 8mm film projected as
16mm because you wanted this four quadrant effect, then you would
need to hold the camera upside down when shooting the second side of
your 25 foot roll of double 8mm film, then all images in the four
quadrants would be right side up. You can also shoot double 8mm film
in a 16mm camera, and when this is projected you either see a normal
16mm image or, if threaded with one frame advanced, you will see a
horizontal frame line through the center of the image, in other
words, the imaged is halved and you see the top of one frame and the
bottom of another. If double 8mm film is shot in a 16mm camera and
then split and projected as 8mm, then you see alternating quadrants
which produces a flicker effect, a technique I used extensively in my
film "Eye Lands" in 1970. When double 8mm film is to be shot in a
normal 16mm camera, it must first be re-spooled onto a spool which
actually fits in the 16mm camera, something you can do in a dark room
or a changing bag. The little 25 foot reels of double 8mm do not fit
into most 16mm cameras, this has only to do with the notching on the
center hole of the spool.

If indeed this is a regular 8mm camera which uses double 8mm film,
and it was described as a 16mm camera, then you were perhaps mislead
by the seller who may or may not have known the difference. Almost
all regular 8mm cameras used this double sprocketed "16mm" film which
was called "double 8mm film", but the camera is called a Regular 8 mm
camera. In the "old days" when it was a relatively affordable
optical process you could get your 8mm film "blown up" to a 16mm
print at the lab.

Reg.8mm is a fun format, cameras and projectors can be had for cheap.
There are many ways you could use this camera. It can produce
footage which recreates the look of "home movie footage". Many
narrative films have "quotes" of reg.8mm footage, usually for this
vintage home movie look. You can also re-shoot the footage in
16mm ,or whatever, from a wall, a screen, or a rear screen,
depending on what look you want.

So thank the goddess for your fortuitous "mistake" which may expand
your cinematic vocabulary. We have all been there and done that, join
the club.

(I apologize for possibly presenting "too much information" here)

Myron Ort

http://zeno-okeanos.com/

On Feb 23, 2009, at 8:59 AM, miriam jayne martins sampaio wrote:

>
> Hello everyone,
>
> I kinda of screwed up when i bought this camera, Quarz 2x8S-1M FILM
> MOVIE CAMERA.
>
> Quarz 2x8S-1M FILM MOVIE CAMERA.
> The camera and it's zoom lens was manufactured at KRASNOGORSK
> factory in Moscow, USSR.
>
> Technical data
> Camera Type: movie film, film type: standard 16mm film, frame size:
> 4x5.5mm, 12, 18, 24, 36 frames/sec preset, internal light meter,
> single frame shooting, spring drive motor, intershangeable lenses.
>
> Lens: Jupiter-24M 1.9/12.5
>
> Let me say first that i know nothing about 16mm camera's and was
> super excited to find this one which seemed quite compact and a
> good reasonable price. i purchased it from from ebay. before
> purchasing it did show it to a friend who knows about camera's and
> he too assumed it was 16mm but its NOT!! it takes 16mm but its
> actually an 8mm?!?! goddess help me!
> does anyone know if it takes any kind of 16mm film??
>
> i feel like an idiot but....
> i have not received it and i did speak with the seller about this
> but....
> the ad was a bit misleading but ultimately it was my fault. so know
> i have a camera that i did not want??
>
>
> Miriam
>
>
>
>
> How fun is this? IMing with Windows Live Messenger just got better.
> __________________________________________________________________
> For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.

__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.