Page 20 - 2015-03

KODAK ANNOUNCES NEW SUPER 8 CAMERA

A few thoughts … by Mike Trickett
The first question that springs to mind
is WHY?

Then again, there are a small number
of people out there that are what
many would call “Super 8 Fanatics”.
This new camera is certainly not
aimed at the Consumer Market, but
probably at the film school student or
the semi professional market. After
all, there is still a demand for high-end
Super 8 cameras – just take a look at
the prices obtained on eBay from time
to time.

For a new product, you have to do a lot of searching on the Internet to find even basic
information. Of course this reminds an old cynic like me of the way Kodak failed to
promote and support Super 8 in its latter years.

The on-line DPReview summed up the new camera as follows –
Built around the classic Super 8 film format, the camera does make some nods to
contemporary digital technology: instead of an optical viewfinder there's a flip out LCD
screen, and there's also a SD card slot for recording sound.
But the film is the real star of the show, and processing is included in the cost. If you're
into the retro thing looking to make some films (or even just someone on a quest for the
nostalgic look of Super 8) this might be just the camera you need to go along with your
vinyl albums.

The system
The three of the four films offered are color negative, they are returned to the user as
negatives. The price of the film includes processing by Kodak and the transfer of the
unedited camera film to a digital format (as a positive), the resolution of the transfer
seems to be a bit of a mystery. I cant find anything about when the digital audio to
re-synced to the image.

The widith of the film gate in the new camera is extended over where the sound stripe
used to be in the old days. This gives a ‘widescreen’ image, but not 16:9 unless the top
and bottom of the image is cropped.

The camera
The camera utilises modern electronics to control exposure and advance the film, the
speed is crystal locked. The viewfinder is a modern LCD panel, providing a live view
similar to a digital camera. Menu functions are operated from the panel. The sound is
recorded onto an SD card, (the same as those used in digital cameras).

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