Exotic Super-8 film from Northkorea

[wahiba]

What's Dufaycolour?

It was a colour film produced in the UK until the 1940s, I think. It was actually an Ilford black and white base to which extra layers were added of the necessary colours. It was the same idea as Autochrome, take the picture through the colour grid onto black and white film and when projected back the image is in colour.

It was sold in all the still camera sizes, but was, for a while, also available as cine film. I only can find it as 9.5mm though.

Actually, it very similar to Technicolor, except that used three seperate films for the three colours only combining them for the projection print.

[tlatosmd]

What's Dufaycolour?

It was a colour film produced in the UK until the 1940s, I think. It was actually an Ilford black and white base to which extra layers were added of the necessary colours. It was the same idea as Autochrome, take the picture through the colour grid onto black and white film and when projected back the image is in colour.

Sounds indeed more like Gaumont's Chronochrome or Technicolor to me.

Autochrome was potato starch with red, green, and blue color mixed in until it was a neutral grey, put this on a glass plate, expose, and you had an instant positive without processing.

[Mogzy]

Could Tasma or TACMA ISO 50 Std8mm be the old SVEMA/Quartz 50 B&W reversal film?

Retro 8 sells their "Retro -X" ISO 200 B&W reversal film "made in Germany". Maybe Orwo (Kahl 24) film? :?[/quote]

Svema still exists although they only do 16mm and 35mm neg and reversal now. Svema is actually based in the Ukraine (not Russia), Tasma is based in the Tartarstan region of Russia so as far as I know they are completely seperate.

The Kahlfilm B&W stuff could be repackaged ORWO stuff... or so I've heard. It certainly ain't Kodak!

[jpolzfuss]

Hi,

this page lists Wonsan and "Kim Chaek" as written in several Asian languages. I can't copy them into Google, though

http://dprk-cn.com/language/translated_term.htm

There's a PDF-file that seems to contain "Kim Chaek" and "Wonsan" - but I can't download it without paying 40 US$!

http://www.extenza-eps.com/WOI/doi/abs/ ... _Korea.122

[Mick Peach]

Will2,
Orwo b&w and other stocks (neg and reversal) will be sold direct from my
E-Bay shop payment via Paypal.
100ft camera spools or upto 600ft on cores DS8 and single run.
Should be before or over Xmas.

Mick.

By the way my tag pic is of one of the Buko perforators.

[Carlos 8mm]

I sent a mail to Retro 8 asking for Tasma Double 8mm ISO 50 film:

Here´s the reply:

Hello
Hello, I saw that you sell a Russian ISO 50 B&W Double 8mm film. Is that a new (fresh) film. What is its name?

Yes. It is fresh.
It is called quartz chrome.

And how many meters contains a roll of Cine Dia 9.5mm B&W film?

It is 30m or 100ft.

Regards

Retro Enterprises
Tak Kohyama

Maybe Tak did not understand me or He confused Double 8mm instead Super 8 film.

Retro sells Quartz Chrome ISO 50 Super 8 carts too, but could Quartz Chrome be a "fresh" film? 8O

[Angus]

If it is the same Svema film that the Widescreen Centre calles "Quarzchrome" then there is no way it is fresh, according to our understanding of the term.

The Svema film is all dated 1991-1993 and it was my understanding that the Widescreen Centre bought all remaining stocks a few years ago...but of course perhpas Retro got a few hundred or thousand too...or perhaps the stock is something different?

[Carlos 8mm]

If it is the same Svema film that the Widescreen Centre calles "Quarzchrome" then there is no way it is fresh, according to our understanding of the term.

The Svema film is all dated 1991-1993 and it was my understanding that the Widescreen Centre bought all remaining stocks a few years ago...but of course perhpas Retro got a few hundred or thousand too...or perhaps the stock is something different?

Yep, Retro 8 sells Quarzchrome (Svema) Super 8 film cartridges in the same box as Widescreen Centre does or did. And as you say, Svema Super 8 films were discontinued in the early ´90s.

Dunno, maybe it was a confusion.

[Mogzy]

The stuff I was talking about is on this page on Retro Enterprises.


http://film.club.ne.jp/item/double8mm.html

Scroll to the bottom and you'll see what I mean. This isn't the Ukrainian Svema, this is Russian Tasma film. I know Tasma still produce "still" film as I've used it (very high contrast fine grain b&w). Just wondered whether the stuff retro have on their website is current or old.

[Carlos 8mm]

Yeah, I saw it.
That´s why I sent a mail to Retro asking for that "strange" Russian Std 8mm. But maybe they thought that I was asking for Quartzchome S8 film... :?

[Mogzy]

Interesting all the obscure ex-Eastern bloc films out there. Foma of the Czech Republic are still manufacturing everything 8mm and 16mm except Super 8 cartridges! Often the hard part is contacting the company in question- I've still had no reply from Tasma- and I e-mailed them in Russian!

Begs the question whether we'll ever get anywhere with the North Korean stuff. Any German embassy replies yet Jurgen?

Incidentally it is official that the Retro-X black and white Single 8 stock is ORWO. It's now for sale from super8.nl

While we bemoan Kodak for discontinuing Kodachrome, which was really the last Western "consumer home movie" film, it is amazing

a.) That Kodak is still making Super 8 at all
b.) That there are obscure European manufacturers out there doing their own!

It's probably something of an irony that the modern digital technology of the internet and the possibility of digitisation and computer editing has to date not only saved Super 8 but provided it with a reneissance. If we didn't have all this modern technology we wouldn't have even found that Super 8 existed in North Korea!

[BK]

It's probably something of an irony that the modern digital technology of the internet and the possibility of digitisation and computer editing has to date not only saved Super 8 but provided it with a reneissance. If we didn't have all this modern technology we wouldn't have even found that Super 8 existed in North Korea!

That's right. I mean I only found out that super 8 still exists when I went on the net in 1998.

Many many people who are not online thinks super 8 film is not longer available because they can't get it in their local high street shop or super market.

Bill

[Mogzy]

Am posting this just to keep the issue at the forefront of the forum issues in case anyone has any more info on the North Korean filmstock.

Has the German embassy contacted you yet Juergen?

I have discovered a Korean Resturant where I live (great food I must say!) next time I go in I might see if I can enlist the services of a translator and attempt to send a letter direct to the factory. It's got to be worth a try as the trail seems to have gone cold otherwise.

[Juergen]

No answer of the German embassy yet. Will resend the fax.

[Angus]

Interesting all the obscure ex-Eastern bloc films out there. Foma of the Czech Republic are still manufacturing everything 8mm and 16mm except Super 8 cartridges! Often the hard part is contacting the company in question- I've still had no reply from Tasma- and I e-mailed them in Russian!

Just wanted to say a big "thumbs up" for Foma Bohemia in the Czech Republic.

When I heard about FomaPan R100 in std 8mm I found their website circa 2002 and emailed them. I got a reply the same day saying that they didn't have an official distrubutor for the UK but giving me the web addresses of two online stores which sometimes stocked the material.

Then ONE YEAR later they further contacted me to say that Retro Photographic had been appointed the official Foma distributor for the UK.

now THAT is customer service, remembering my request a year on from our correspondance.

As for super 8, I know Martin Baumgarten talked with Foma about that and they said manufacturing the carts was simply too expensive. He was looking at getting DS8 slit and loaded into carts...surely possible since people now do the same with Velvia 50 and various negative stocks...and Wittner will with 100D.

However with Kodak's plus-x being uprated to 100ASA there may be less of a market for Fomapan R100 in super 8, though since it's look is different I'd say a market exists.

I've used a variety of Foma products in std 8mm, 35mm still and 120 format...lovely stuff.