Logmar S8 footage revealed!

[aj]

if you can "lay your hands" on some 35mm polyester raw-stock, you can load a 60m magazine with a lot more film than 60 meters. And also Wittner at least used to sell S8mm film on core/reel for the Beaulieu 60 meter magazines.

Polyester is very difficult to cut and perforate. It will wear out the cutters really quick.

It is not listed but Wittner wil gladly produce 60 meter rolls on demand.

Should Logmar attempt on a special edition camera they better go with the standard 60 meter reels.
Possibly adopt a coaxial design like the really rare Beaulieu S8 news camera. Rather than the adapted 16mm Ritter/Beaulieu Mickey Mouse ears magazine. Don't bother with reverse filming or rewinding.

[Nicholas Kovats]

I found this Agfa patent from 1969 detailing a Super 8 reloadable co-axial magazine. Capacity is not mentioned. I would note that single strand Super 8 is more difficult to manually thread due to it's memory effect (curl) but I would welcome the challenge if such a design was implemented.

http://www.google.ca/patents/US3475089

[carllooper]

Re. Single Frame Shooting.

Is this already possible? Apparently, but they are waiting on verification in the production model. I suppose the issue might be that the motor transport system requires the film to be running at a fixed rate and that this might require a frame or two (or more) to reach such a rate - with corresponding implications on exposure during that time.

I recollect from my days working in Television, in the early 1980s, the problem of how to do single frame animation with videotape. For videotape to work it has to be running at a fixed sync rate. We solved for single frame work (recording hand drawn animation) by rewinding the video-tape by 5 or 10 seconds earlier than the frame to be recorded. We then rolled the video tape forward at speed and at the designated frame, switched in the new signal. We'd repeat this for each frame to be recorded.

So I'm thinking the same thing could be built into the Logmar. A program rewinds the film by a certain amount and then runs the film forward at speed, and at the programmed moment (frame), opens the shutter for a single frame, and then stops the film. One then repeats the process.

Based on what was shot by Friedmann, there doesn't seem to be any issue getting the film up to speed quite quickly - I didn't notice any flash frames at the beginning of any shot (although such might have been edited out). So I imagine it may not even be necessary to rewind the film by much. The only thing would be whether:

a. the film can be backwound (to provide enough buffer to get up to speed for correct exposure)
b. the shutter can be independantly controlled from the film transport, and in such a way that it opens for just one frame at the pre-programmed frame.

It would be really great for experimental work if the camera were completely controllable through some sort of Software Dev Kit that exposed the raw machine level code running each and every function. That way one could get it to do funky things not usually required by the average consumer, and to re-calibrate the camera for whatever funky thing was trying.

The idea here is not to get too caught up in selling a standalone finished work - but selling a component - something that can fit into a variety of systems (both existing and not yet existing). That's not to say one doesn't provide ready-made functions for the average consumer, but one also sells into the not so-average consumer - those who can "value add" to the component at their own expense. The camera already uses this model to some extent - where, for example, consumers buy their own lenses. There's lots of business opportunities provided by such a model, ie. it doesn't require giving up one's intellectual rights. One does deals - so long as the software is designed in a flexible/scalable way that allows such deals at a later time.

C

[S8 Booster]

ActuAlly the 70s old Elmo 1012 (812) S-XL has an inertia build up release system = instant start or single frame shoot and
the 70s Canon 1014 814 XL-S has digitally controlled film speed controllers and stabilised DC/DC converters / electronically controlled power supplies for motor speed/frame control.

only minor preparations of the film gate vs film material / cartridge / gate is needed to get very stable framing. any condition

the rest can be fixed in post.

not overly impressed by the imagery though, pretty stable but soft. looks de-de-de grained - it is negative film yeah? and as Roger Evans stated more than 10 years ago - dust will always appear golf ball size in 8mm. that is one catch 22 factor only to be digitally de-clicked manually?

for reference you may check out this very sharp but over boosted grain (not so on the original DV 720i file - fuck the compilators of web storage) clip: http://vimeo.com/35142252
actuakkt better quality from approx 2:20 http://vimeo.com/35006469 here starts the Fuji 500T taker. Prior to that V200T.
grainage overboost in selected areas credited to Vimeo.

yee-haw