Pressure Plate User Poll
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
Pressure Plate User Poll
want to know if the pressure plate is worth $145. i'm considering it due to some poor registration.. not much jitter just frames going out of focus sometimes.
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christoph
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Re: Pressure Plate User Poll
do you mean breathing (ie. frames going out of focus and back again but registration still normal)?T-Scan wrote:want to know if the pressure plate is worth $145. i'm considering it due to some poor registration.. not much jitter just frames going out of focus sometimes.
the PP definitely should help there.
my own tests will be delayed another week as i'm shooting a short till next tuesday.. sorry about that (the upshot is that i will have more cameras by that time.. now where to get a nizo pro.. hmm ;)
++ christoph ++
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perthskydiver
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Ludwig Draser
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perthskydiver
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vanderVelden
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Re: Pressure Plate User Poll
To everybody who reads this article I strongly advice NOT to buy a pressure plate as I have tried it in 3 different cameras (Nizo, Beaulieu and Canon) and I found absolutely no visible improvement of the quality of the developped films. So guys do not waste your money !T-Scan wrote:want to know if the pressure plate is worth $145. i'm considering it due to some poor registration.. not much jitter just frames going out of focus sometimes.
RSAfilmer
South Africa
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Big B Productions
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breathing problems, exactly. its happened on K-40 and some plus X. only a couple of times but would like to avoid it again.. i've had some occasional jitter too but if that little plate can eliminate both for good it may be worth it. just that the price seems pretty steep for a small piece of metal. to make one would require some percision, it must be geometricaly perfect or it could ruin the film and your camera. i could easily see it snapping the claw if done wrong.
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Santo
I don't own a pressure plate. I believe I will buy one. It makes logical sense, though I would like to see more people answering this poll and some more independent testing -- it's over-priced.
But I believe Bjorn Anderson is correct. He wrote on here you really have a choice: modify your camera's film gate, or buy a pressure plate. It's all about film play. With the cartridge system, that play varies greatly from camera to camera because of design and wear and tear on the specific camera.
The cartridge's "pressure plate" rests on planes/areas 1,2 (most critical),3,4. The film touches on its edges on plane 9. When there is a significant gap between these two levels (from wear, or poor design), the film has a chance to fluctuate and cause focus breathing and jitter.
The add-on pressure plate essentially takes away the possibility of this happening. If you look at a picture of the plate, you'll see that it's designed to fit between the film and the cartridge's plate. You'll also notice that it is designed to reset the level of the film, basically filling in any possible gap or play in the film.
http://www.englisch.film-super8.de/Pres ... plate.html
You'll notice that the critical areas of 1,2,3,4 are basically lowered.
Kodak could do this. Such a tiny change in their own plate's design could significantly reduce the chances of focus breathing and jitter. Why don't they? Why don't they do lots of things they should...
As far as the second option goes, modifying one's camera's gate should be pretty simple ( a lot simpler that widening the image area). Just use a micrometer, measure the film material you'll primarily be shooting. Then remove your plate and use a file and micrometer to drop areas 1,2,3,4 so that the gap between them and plane 9 is equal to the width of the film.
As Bjorn has related to me in messages and on this board, the amount of play or depth of field on the film plane for a fast lens like a 1.2 is right about zero. But for slower lenses like 1.8, it's about .02 mm give or take.
This, apparently, is the "secret" to the Liecina Special's film gate which Kodak advised them against but, of course, results in much steadier and sharper images for which one often reads about coming from that camera.
But I believe Bjorn Anderson is correct. He wrote on here you really have a choice: modify your camera's film gate, or buy a pressure plate. It's all about film play. With the cartridge system, that play varies greatly from camera to camera because of design and wear and tear on the specific camera.
The cartridge's "pressure plate" rests on planes/areas 1,2 (most critical),3,4. The film touches on its edges on plane 9. When there is a significant gap between these two levels (from wear, or poor design), the film has a chance to fluctuate and cause focus breathing and jitter.
The add-on pressure plate essentially takes away the possibility of this happening. If you look at a picture of the plate, you'll see that it's designed to fit between the film and the cartridge's plate. You'll also notice that it is designed to reset the level of the film, basically filling in any possible gap or play in the film.
http://www.englisch.film-super8.de/Pres ... plate.html
You'll notice that the critical areas of 1,2,3,4 are basically lowered.
Kodak could do this. Such a tiny change in their own plate's design could significantly reduce the chances of focus breathing and jitter. Why don't they? Why don't they do lots of things they should...
As far as the second option goes, modifying one's camera's gate should be pretty simple ( a lot simpler that widening the image area). Just use a micrometer, measure the film material you'll primarily be shooting. Then remove your plate and use a file and micrometer to drop areas 1,2,3,4 so that the gap between them and plane 9 is equal to the width of the film.
As Bjorn has related to me in messages and on this board, the amount of play or depth of field on the film plane for a fast lens like a 1.2 is right about zero. But for slower lenses like 1.8, it's about .02 mm give or take.
This, apparently, is the "secret" to the Liecina Special's film gate which Kodak advised them against but, of course, results in much steadier and sharper images for which one often reads about coming from that camera.
I own a pressure plate an I think it's a worthwhile investment if you're trying to get the best results from quality gear. I have conducted my own test with k40 and can see improved registration stability by observing the frame line on my Elmo ST1200 projector.
I'm under the impression that a lot of R&D went into the pressure plate and I read numerous testimonials and reports before I took the plunge. I have no major gripes over the price....yes, it could be cheaper but considering the market size I'm just happy to see it in production.
One tip I have is do not turn the film core by hand! Once you have inserted the plate, advance the film in the gate to ensure you don't lose any slack at the take-up.
Give the developers of the plate some credit for getting this thing out of the door.
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Yemi
I'm under the impression that a lot of R&D went into the pressure plate and I read numerous testimonials and reports before I took the plunge. I have no major gripes over the price....yes, it could be cheaper but considering the market size I'm just happy to see it in production.
One tip I have is do not turn the film core by hand! Once you have inserted the plate, advance the film in the gate to ensure you don't lose any slack at the take-up.
Give the developers of the plate some credit for getting this thing out of the door.
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Yemi
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MovieMaker
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Please keep in mind that even the tiniest piece of accessory has been sold for a small fortune in the heydays of this gauge. And - people bought it even if it was much more expensive (related to income) than nowadays. And I mean there have been things sold that are much less useful than the pressureplate!
Today we can get our equipment for next to nothing (compared to DV stuff). But due to the eBay-mentality lots of users cry out loud if they can´t get a "new" item at a bargain price. Super-8 (and the other FILMformats) have never been a cheap hobby....
Thank God that there are still a few companies that are dedicated to Super-8 and some of them even manufacture new devices or at least think about doing so. If they don´t get the deserved support they´ll soon be out of business (or switch to consumer DV).... and that won´t help Super-8 at all!
I still don´t understand that the production of the new Fumeo projector didn´t come together because of lack of interest. Price too high? See what a decent beamer costs, that people buy all the time! Even if Super-8 is not for the mass market and there are thousands of unused cameras and gear around - you can´t get everything for flea-market prices. A good serviced camera or projector may cost a bit (but compared only a third of a decent DV camera) and will last again for a decade if not longer. You don´t have to worry about system changes and can use it wherever you go - from places with high humidity or very low temperatures. Places where your 1-3 chipper is more likely to say "That´s all, folks!"....
BTW: I was one of the first users of the pressure plate and was sceptical first too. But after using it in all my high-end cameras I can say that I´m definitely satisfied with the results it delivers. That´s why I decided to sell it in our webshop too.
MovieMaker
Today we can get our equipment for next to nothing (compared to DV stuff). But due to the eBay-mentality lots of users cry out loud if they can´t get a "new" item at a bargain price. Super-8 (and the other FILMformats) have never been a cheap hobby....
Thank God that there are still a few companies that are dedicated to Super-8 and some of them even manufacture new devices or at least think about doing so. If they don´t get the deserved support they´ll soon be out of business (or switch to consumer DV).... and that won´t help Super-8 at all!
I still don´t understand that the production of the new Fumeo projector didn´t come together because of lack of interest. Price too high? See what a decent beamer costs, that people buy all the time! Even if Super-8 is not for the mass market and there are thousands of unused cameras and gear around - you can´t get everything for flea-market prices. A good serviced camera or projector may cost a bit (but compared only a third of a decent DV camera) and will last again for a decade if not longer. You don´t have to worry about system changes and can use it wherever you go - from places with high humidity or very low temperatures. Places where your 1-3 chipper is more likely to say "That´s all, folks!"....
BTW: I was one of the first users of the pressure plate and was sceptical first too. But after using it in all my high-end cameras I can say that I´m definitely satisfied with the results it delivers. That´s why I decided to sell it in our webshop too.
MovieMaker