DS8 film stock

[aj]

I'd be down for at least 400ft! Still have some 100d! Also happy I can get Fomapan still, just wish it was 100ft rolls!

There are 100ft Fomapan rolls available. Try http://www.fomafoto.com/
They are used to exporting taxfree.

[aj]

Jean-louis,

How would you go about covering the $25,000 plus admin and storage costs especially if it was done over a couple of years? Could enough money be raised from a number of sources including individual orders and larger orders from the Wittners, Dwaynes of this world (assuming they thought they could sell such stock) upfront combined with a group of people buying 'shares' in some sort of entity where they get their money back after all the rolls are sold? Perhaps Crowdfunding? Perhaps those who buy shares get the opportunity to buy rolls 'at cost'?

Its hard to figure what would work.

Yes, crowdfunding is certainly an interesting way to go. Shareholders would in essence be making a "deposit" on later purchases. And yes, getting film at "cost" could be an added incentive.
I doubt very much that professional resellers like Wittner, etc. would participate in such a venture. However, in the 24 hours since I made my post, curiously there has been movement on Wittner's part towards DS8 in color reversal form: http://www.wittner-kinotechnik.de/neu/index.php
Coincidence??

Jean-Louis

The main risk is not being able to sell the batch completely before the expiry date. Should such a batch become available the resellers have to compete for the same limited group of buyers. Should you manage to get a batch and deliver it to participants. The market will be swamped and pro sellers will have no market left. I.e. they will not participate.

When doing the batch you better make sure you have all the money from buyers paid in advance. And calculate for risk and expenses to be made.

[JeremyC]

Wittner is not selling off anything. It is their strategic decision to have all equipment in house to confection any format from wide rolls. As long as there is emulsion on a ciné suitable bearer there will be Wittner cut film.

Wittner has been clearing out and selling old slitting machines and perforators that they don't need as they have newer more efficient equipment

[aj]

Where is this described?

They were happily reporting on acquiring machines to get going only two years ago and now they are shedding old ones which they never reported to have had and from which no products were coming.

And thus they are creating their own competion?

[JeremyC]

Wittner selling off slitters and perforating equipment was discussed on the filmlabs.org forum. One of the posters there reported discussing this with Wittner and apparently the company has a very fast and efficient Kodak slitter and doesn't need a lot of the other, older equipment. I seem to remember Wittner's website talking some time back about the high cost of acquiring perforator punches so it makes sense to rationalise equipment and targeting any money possibly made from selling off old equipment toward newer, more efficient bits and pieces.

On their website Wittner still has what looks like a slitter for magnetic tape still available.

[JeremyC]

When doing the batch you better make sure you have all the money from buyers paid in advance. And calculate for risk and expenses to be made.

It sounds like Jean-Louis has been thinking about this as part of 'putting-the-idea-out-there' as he suggested 50d rather than anything else with a higher rating. I think you will see from reading the back and forth replies between myself and Jean-Louis that accounting for expenses and ways of handling risks have also been looked at.

[aj]

Here is an interesting viewpoint from five years ago:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20196&start=30#p197766

And things have only gotten worse

[mondo777]

I'd be down for at least 400ft! Still have some 100d! Also happy I can get Fomapan still, just wish it was 100ft rolls!

There are 100ft Fomapan rolls available. Try http://www.fomafoto.com/
They are used to exporting taxfree.

Who develops Fomapan DS8 in Europe these days?

[Nicholas Kovats]

The hybrid UltraPan8 3.1 Bolex Double Super 8 cameras utilize the full 16mm width of the vital DS8 film format utilizing the classic Super 8 frame height to produce a native spherical aspect ratio of 3.1:1. A very wide film format absent any anamorphic compression lenses. I typically use tack sharp classic Standard 16mm optics such as the 5.9mm Angenieux (Cameflex - Bolex Bayonet Mount adapter) and the Apochromatic Zeiss 10mm Tevidon (Bolex Bayonet - C-Mount adapter) for this ultrawide format.

Camera re-manufacturing, gate modifications, lens adapter and lens collimation all implemented by Jean-Louis Seguin. Here is an example of the inaugural UltraPan8 3.1 footage I shot a few years ago on Kodak Ekatchrome 100D DS8 color reversal film. i.e. https://vimeo.com/45620380