Super 8 to Polaroid

Post by **espo** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 12:40 pm

I've found an Agfa Family P editor/viewer in a flea market. It's got an add-on which takes some kind of pack film, for making stills, and I'm quite excited by the prospect of printing some of my reversal film - I previously had to fudge an 8mm mask and print onto Ilfochrome paper which is getting hard to come by.

However, I can't find much information on the unit... :?

Has anybody experience with one of these machines?
Do you know what type of film it takes?

Thanks,

Ed

Post by **reedsturtevant** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 4:06 pm

I have an Agfa Family camera and viewer but not the still-picture attachment. I recall that the still picture attachment used Kodak Instant film packs, can anyone confirm that? If so, that film was taken off the market when Polaroid won a patent infringement lawsuit against Kodak in 1986.

The camera has a cool snapshot feature: when you take a single frame the camera marks the film and an electric eye in the viewer will make it pause on that frame during playback.

I can scan the manual for the projector/viewer if you need that; just let me know. Here is info about the Agfa Family on the Super 8 Wiki

Post by **timdrage** » Sat Apr 16, 2005 6:10 pm

The camera has a cool snapshot feature: when you take a single frame the camera marks the film and an electric eye in the viewer will make it pause on that frame during playback.

Wow, that's crazy. Kind of prefigures the pointless snapshot feature on camcorders later on...

I love the idea of transferring super-8 to polaroid.

Post by **espo** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:22 pm

cool, thanks very much. I'll try and find a polaroid film that fits. There must be something that'll do - after all the mechanism is very simple. However, I can't get the pickup spool to stop winding on the viewer. You're supposed to be able to pause the thing, but it seems to have gone a bit mental. I'll try taking the thing apart and having a fiddle with it.

Post by **Sparky** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 1:30 pm

Hi Ed,
IIRC the take up spool is meant to run continuously when the thing is on. I think I tried to take mine apart when I got it for the same reason :roll:, but didnt have a long/thin enough torx driver to get all the screws out. Try it with some film, it probably works fine! Its a great little viewer even without the fun polaroid attachment (which is supposed to be quite rare)
So you're the one whos been buying all the S8 cameras before I get there!? :evil: Did you get the Canon in its case the other week?
Mark

Post by **monobath** » Sun Apr 17, 2005 8:10 pm

Polaroids would be cool for emulsion transfers.

Otherwise, though, enlarging a single frame onto Cibachrome (now called Ilfochrome Classic) will produce a better image. And digitally scanning and printing to Cibachrome (Digital Cibachrome), or digital to your desktop inkjet printer, or digital to LightJet (laser printed onto Fuji Crystal Archive paper, for example) will probably yield an even better image if you use a high end scanner.