8mm? 16? or Both or even More.

[Mark Todd]

Recently I`ve been trying to sort my 16mm, as went to that 95% just with the odd 8mm faddle etc.

But when I started tackling my meagure 16mm collection by some standards, I just feel overwhelmed by it !!!

I don`t seem to be able to cope as a small house.

From here to there etc

What gauges do other people do ? do you even do them all ?

I don`t want to give up my nice 16mm`s and trailers particularly, but I am wondering if I took a step too far over to the dark side.

Gawd nows how anyone copes with 35mm !!!

Best Mark.

[Joseph Banfield]

The issue you mentioned with the small house was the reason I sold off my entire 16mm collection, not to mention that 8mm costs much less. The extreme weight was an issue for me too with 16mm. Besides a well done 8mm film can look as good as 16mm but of course that is udually not the case. 8mm for me just takes up less space and is more convienient for myself.

[Paul Barker]

have to disagree on pricing. there are many many titles on 16mm that would cost a fortune on 8mm. so to me it's the other way round re cost. yes size can be a problem. but keep to good titles and its fine. and no i don't live in a big house.

[Melvin England]

Mark - I am a super 8 collector but also delve into 16mm. I completely understand your problem with the storage situation. It is oh so easy to put a large quantity of nice "little" 7" 400' or 8" 600' super 8 reels of film in their boxes onto a shelf, but oh my goodness, a 13"/14" reel and box of 1600' of 16mm is a completely different matter..... stacked horizontal on the floor.....and that's only 44 minutes of ONE feature! The space is gobbled up in no time with very few titles, and if space is a premium as it is in my case, and, I assume yours Mark, one has to be selective in the 16mm titles purchased.
It may be a good idea to keep your 16mm trailers as one could argue they would be manageable, but , as I have had to be, be very selective in your choice of 16mm features. Alternatively, would a temperature/atmospherically controlled garage be a storage option ?

35mm ? - Totally out of the ball park for me, but have seen amateur 35mm set ups before now. A great idea if one has the space.....and technical know how.... and features astoundingly cheap to buy in a lot of cases.

Another aspect that was brought up by Joseph which is significant, is the issue of weight. 16mm prints are VERY heavy! Not good for the beams in any great quantity. I have to take issue, though, with Joseph's remark about super 8 costing less than 16mm. A good super 8 print of a full feature can command silly prices. Even if is not called Star Wars or Raiders..." the figure can run into 3 figures. 16mm features on Ebay can go for £50 or less. Then there is the question of choice.........!

[Steve Klare]

I'm a 16mm dabbler, just because a lot of the time when I see an 8mm print I like, I wind up saying "Great film!...I already have it!".

At least a new gauge opens up all sorts of new possibilities: the same thing happened when I went into sound 20 years ago.

Day to day, 8mm is easier to live with and the machinery is quieter in the room. This argument goes so far: if that's all that mattered, I wouldn't collect film at all!

[Joe Taffis]

Super 8 with a side of 16mil...

[Michael O’Regan]

I think regarding cost differences between 8 and 16, it depends on what titles you collect. My own experience is that silent and early sound shorts are generally cheaper on 8mm than a 16mm original of the same title. So, I see what Mark is saying there.

[Brian Fretwell]

I'm mainly 8mm but do have a couple of features on 16mm, many shorts and a couple of odd reels.

[Joe Caruso]

Specializing in shorts; Super 8, Std 8 and 9.5 plus residing in a condo. This equation makes for limited space also. Fortunately, I'm quite the organizer as many will attest to, every can and box is situated precisely with positive air-flow year round. 16mm is placed accordingly on shelves vertically (don't have alot and they are one-reelers) Trick is to go through everything, keep potential re-sale items, figure what you want to maintain and what to sell/trade. Never went with 35, though I had some 28mm back when. Same cataloging applies with my books and recordings. When I learn, will send a photo of some of the layout - Cheers and Stay Well to All - Shorty

[Brian Fretwell]

Oh, thanks for reminding me Shorty, I also have some 35mm trailers, mainly to illustrate various sound formats as I can't project them.

[Osi Osgood]

I specialize in the super 8 "faddle", as I really don't have the room or money beyond that, except for the odd 16mm commercials, and it's just a fond memory of yesteryear. It has always seemed like some collectors have a slight feeling that 16mm is superior and that super 8 is some kind of orphan child to the other guages. In my opinion, it's quite a feat to come forth with the incredible sharpness of a good super 8 print that can even rival 16mm!

[Steve Klare]

Osi,

Do you have 16mm projectors?

One of the reasons I count myself as a dabbler is I only have one. (I expect that to change someday.)

I'm new enough to it that I don't have a set of 16mm rewinds, which makes editing kind of interesting sometimes!

(I used to stand my kid a couple of feet away with a reel on a pencil. He's gone off to college now...now what?)

[Joe Caruso]

Use a bigger pencil

[Steve Klare]

-or recruit the Wife!

I have some 16mm trailers on the way: it could come to it!

[Panayotis A. Carayannis]

Only 8 mm, standard and super!