New guy with some questions

[Pearse Lambert]

Hi, if these questions are too beginner-ish I understand, I'm trying to dip my toes in the film water and I hope I don't fall in the deep end and get discouraged. I am a compete beginner and don't understand much of anything beyond point and shoot on auto setting. To make things worse I have a young family and I like to record music at home so I have limited time to tinker...

That said, my sister gave me an old family super 8 recording, and I barely remembered watching family home movies via a projector when I was tiny. I started researching and I bought a projector off ebay so we can see what's on the tape, and I went a little crazy and bought a camera off ebay too.

My desire for the tape is to check it out and if it's indeed family stuff then I'd like to convert to digital to distribute to family.
With the camera I'd like to tape footage of my kids while they're young, digitize, then add music. Family memories etc. Maybe make some movies for fun with the kids.

The projector I got is a Bolex SP-8 and the camera is a 260S-XL.

So here's my questions:

1) Don't want to start a war but what's the best, easiest, DIY way to digitize super 8 film? I see 3 ways on the internet, recording off the projection screen, wolverine, and camera up to projector lens. I don't need awesome pro results, but I need it to be good enough that my wife doesn't keep asking me why I just don't just use a modern camera. For option 3, my wife has a Nikon D3100 and an Canon EOS1 Mark II.

2) What film do I use? I see there's reversal and negative (which should I get, I guess this might depend on the answer to question #1), is there also interior and exterior?

3) Am I forgetting anything?

Thanks in advance for any help.

[Pearse Lambert]

A couple of updates:

I got my camera and projector today. The camera is a 240 instead of the 260 advertised, on the bright side it's clean, has all attachments and seems to work properly once I cleaned the battery corrosion off the terminals.

I ordered some film from B&H, I just ordered the most commonly used, one for interior and one for exterior.

The projector didn't want to work at first but I got it going. I was able to watch the movie my sister had given to me. The cogs I'm sure could use some new grease though.

[David Roberts]

I would be worried about the camera having corrosion on the battery terminals,even after youve cleaned them,and knowing how old these cameras are now.Are you able to check the exposure system is working?I dont know your camera,but the exposure meter will be more likely to malfunction than the film transport.

[Pearse Lambert]

Well I cleaned the terminals with a baking soda solution to neutralize the battery acid. I have kids and I have to do this to their neglected toys from time to time. I didn't have to sand them to expose fresh metal or anything. Is there anything in particular to worry about with cameras regarding corrosion?

Thanks for the advice on the exposure system. I'll look into that and see if I can figure it out.

[Shane C. Collins]

My suggestion is to shoot color reversal film if you plan to project. Super 8 was designed for this reason, and no digital telecine will ever look as good as film on the big screen. After all why shoot film if your missing this important step. The new Kodak Ektachrome 100D color reversal film is beautiful projected. The colors are vivid and the images are sharp, when you remember to film at a close to medium distances from the camera. This new film also benefits from being overexposed by 1/2 to 1 full stop. That basically means you want a bit more light reaching the film to give a brighter and crisper image. So if your filming and see a F16 in the viewfinder you would either open up the aperture by 1/2 or go to the next smaller number which is F 11. That being said it helps to brush up a bit about using a Super 8 camera, and understand lighting, etc.
Super 8 is a lot of fun but with the high prices today it helps to know what your doing. I shoot about 4 rolls of the new Ektachrome per year. Cost is high, as I mentioned, but when shot correctly Super 8 projected on a good machine and sharp lens can look really really nice. It's an art form for sure! I also choose to shoot my home movies this way for archiving my families history. A few times a year I'll get the projector out and show the films to family. They are amazed how nice Super 8 can look projected! In the end have fun and learn as you go.
If you decide to use color reversal I can highly recommend Dwayne's Photo for developing. Cost is $12 per cart plus $5 for shipping. Ektachrome runs about $42 a cart online.
PS: May I asked is the camera you purchased a Bolex?

[Pearse Lambert]

I ordered the 50D and 200T because I didn't know any better. I'll get some 100D for next time. Thanks

I definitely don't understand the lighting/exposure etc. I get the general idea but I don't understand the details. I'll have to do some homework before I shoot with the film.

Thanks a lot for the info, I appreciate it. I am completely new to this so I know approximately nothing at this stage.

The camera I got is an Elmo 240S-XL. It was supposed to be a 260, but the seller misrepresented it and I didn't catch it in the photos.


I was able to record the film onto my wifes Nikon 3100, I projected it onto our dining room wall which is light blue, and set up the Nikon on a tripod. It wasn't great but it was quick and easy. I'm going to try it again projecting onto a sheet of white plastic, matt finish, and see how it looks. I was surprised at how much distance I needed for a large image, so my recorded image was only maybe 2 feet across.

[Shane C. Collins]

Hi Pearse,
It can be confusing being new to the Super 8 world but it's easier than you think. First off if you plan to dabble in Super 8 then definitely project your home movies you plan to shoot! You won't be able to do that until you buy some Ektachrome color reversal. The films you bought are fine but you'll only see them in a digital state since they are negative stocks. That's fine if this is what your after. But believe me Super 8 is far more fun when you can see the images on screen. Get yourself a vintage portable projection screen. One that you set up in a room. You don't need to project an image any larger than say a 50" flat screen TV to enjoy Super 8. The Bolex projector you got is more than capable of producing a good image. How did your vintage family Super 8 film look projected?
When your ready to shoot some color reversal send me a private message and I'll walk you through the steps needed to get nice images. The Elmo sound camera you bought doesn't have a lot of range with many stocks, but you can tweak the exposure a bit to get nice images. Ektachrome 100D is mainly good for outdoors in sunny and overcast days. Indoors it poses some issues. But once you see well shot color reversal on the screen you'll be hooked LOL. I shoot mainly important events as I mentioned above. It all depends on your end goal really. But as stated Super 8 when shot well is very nice! That's the key though you have to get knowledge and understand lighting to truly take advantage of this tiny format. A lot of the digital transfers I see on YouTube are not well shot. Many are shaky, quick scenes, and bad digital transfers. That's what gives Super 8 the bad rap sometimes. People just aren't learning how to take good movies.
Here's a photo showing what f stops and aperture settings look like. The aperture/blades move in relation to light hitting the auto-exposure and either close down or open up to permit more or less light to hit the film. This is important because if it's done incorrectly the film can be too overexposed or underexposed. I encourage you to join the Super 8 community over on Facebook. They are more active about shooting film and cameras than here. This is a great forum but more in tune with projecting and collecting commercial Super 8 films. https://www.facebook.com/groups/27648968851
Also here's where I purchase Ektachrome. The Film Photography Project https://filmphotographystore.com/col...-positive-film

[Dominique De Bast]

Pearse, I would advise you to shoot only one cartrige and have it process the first time to be sure your camera works fine, to limit costs. Two main problems may occur : 1) the speed (usually when a camera is faulty, the speed is a little bit slower than it should and the results is that the action on the screen is too fast) 2) the exposure (most of the time when the exposure meter, if that's the correct word in English, is faulty, the film is overexposed, the result is that the picture is too light). The exposure part may be somehow confusing for a beginner. First, be aware that fimstock react differently than a videotape or a digital chip. When you shoot on reversal colour film (I don't know for negative, I never used it), you must use an adapted stock : indoor or outdoor. By indoor, I mean that you will use a special movie light, not your domestic bulbs, so that's not something I would try at the beginning (be aware that your camera is a XL, extra light, model so if you shoot on a bright day beside a large indow, you should get an acceptable picture). Now is the confusing part : in super 8, the colour films were mainly indoors films stock. The super 8 cameras have a built in filter (most ofthe time, there is a button to switch with a design of a sun and another of a bulb). With this indoor filmstock, you must use the camera with the buit in filter "on" to shoot outdoor. But the modern filmstocks are now outdoors film (I don't want to make my comment too difficult to follow, but just good to know : you can use this film balanced for the natural light with a blue filter to hoot with artificial light). So, you mut switch that filter off and shoot outside with the button on the "bulb" position and not the "sun" one, even if it's a sunny day. To add some fun, another change from the time the cameras were built. To make things as easy as possible for the filmmakes without basic knowledges, Kodak choosed a notches system for the super 8 cartriges to set the film sensibility automatically. Many cameras can only handle 40 asa and 160 asa sensibilities so with a camera without manual setting, you have to check if the 100 asa is suitable. Hope someone on the forum has the same model of camera you have and can tell you if you can use the Ektachrome 100 asa on it.

[Shane C. Collins]

Dominique you make some good points here! Cameras that can meter the 100D 7294 properly will usually have a filter pin. That pin gets pushed in by the cartridge when it's loaded into the camera. If your camera has that feature then it will expose 100D correctly. By pushing in this pin the #85 orange filter is retracted. The new stock is daylight balanced so you don't want that orange filter in the light path. If your camera doesn't have this filter pin then it will more than likely expose 100D as 160 ASA. That you don't want as it will underexpose. Also this new stock is a bit dark when shot using the 100 ASA setting that it's rated for. The work around is to shoot one stop over as I mentioned earlier. So basically if your camera recognizes the 100D as 160 ASA then 1 stop more light will correct the issue. I looked at your model briefly online last night and it does in fact have a manual exposure as well as the auto exposure setting. It's a dial that you turn until you reach the desired f stop before rolling film. It's an easy work around really.
Not sure if I mentioned it earlier but you want to shoot with a neutral density filter in bright outdoor conditions. This will effectively lower the f stop reading. However if your camera, as mentioned above, is not 100D compliant then you would still need to add the extra 1 stop increase with the ND filter in place. A lower f stop will yield a better depth of field and sharpness on screen. A f 5.6 will look sharper than say f 16 for example.

[Brian Fretwell]

If the camera is running slow it will also, slightly, over-expose the film due to the shutter being open longer.

[Pearse Lambert]

Thank you guys for all the advice. I honestly don't understand all of it, lol, but I'm going to try to learn so that I can make this work without it becoming an expensive mistake.

The film I purchased should arrive today. I guess I ordered the wrong stuff, but I'll get the 100D color reversal next time. Thanks Shane.

So indoors or outdoors at all times I need to use the bulb setting on the camera body rather than the daylight setting, right? And then use manual exposure. Assuming the camera runs at the correct speed and is functional, then my exposure setting is based on the amount and type of light available and the type of film. So how do I come up with the correct exposure setting?

"When your ready to shoot some color reversal send me a private message and I'll walk you through the steps needed to get nice images." Thanks Shane, I will.

[Shane C. Collins]

Pearse, it really depends on how your camera is set up, and if the automatic exposure is working. Using the auto-exposure is more desirable, in most situations, when it's working 100%. If the auto-exposure is not working then you would need an external light meter. This light meter allows you to take measurements and then set the proper f stop manually on your Super 8 camera. I have found the auto-exposure systems on all my Super 8 cameras have been almost 100% accurate in most situations while filming. I do however set my f stops somewhat manually when using the new Ektachrome color reversal, however I am relying on the auto-meter to give me the f stop reading first. The only reason I do so is because of this stocks less sensitivity to light. It's more like 80 ASA versus 100 ASA. The negative films you bought should work just fine in your camera if the auto-exposure is working properly. The 50 ASA will expose closer to 40 ASA this camera was set up for. But that's OK since negative can handle overexposure. Same with the 200 ASA. Your camera will meter the film as 160 ASA. Again this is fine because this stock needs overexposed slightly. So really just check the meter after you install batteries. If all seems to be working then your good to go with these two stocks. After you've turned the camera on set it to auto and then point the camera at a light source. Look through the viewfinder, and you should see movement from the auto-exposure meter. There will be a set of numbers, example: 1.8, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 etc. If the meter arrow swings to say f 11 or f 16, pointing the camera at a bright light, the meter is responding the way it should. When you get to Ektachrome give me a shout out!
PS: For setting up the lens for filming use my easy method I call the 10/10. This sets the lens focusing and focal length. On your lens there's a scale in feet and MM. Set the focal length to 10 ft and the focusing ring to 10 as well. There's a red or white line on all lenses and this is where you set the values. When you film at these measurements there usually is no need to focus the lens. Everything filmed from 4 ft to infinity will be in focus. If you plan to zoom then you'll have to set up the diopter on the eyepiece and set the lens up.

[Pearse Lambert]

Thanks Shane,

Ok, I loaded the film into the camera and turned it on. I'm following the directions in the instruction manual to set it up. It has a FOCUSFREE setting that I was planning to use, unless that's a bad idea? I figure it's one less thing for me to screw up.

I can see the exposure numbers changing through the viewfinder. Evening time, with lights on, the kitchen is on the low side, between 1.6 and 4. Then maxes out at 22 if I aim directly into the light. So I'm optimistic that is working properly.

I'll order the film you mentioned so that I have it after I shoot with the two cartridges that I have. So what's the deal with the film that I already have? It's not for projection? When I send it away to get processed and it comes back what can I do with it?

And again, thanks to everyone for the help. This is a new world for me.

[Dominique De Bast]

Pearse, negative films cannot be projected (or to be more precise, they could but that would be like using a 35 mm still negative stock in a slide projector). Those negative films are intended for digitalization (or, but at high cost be turned into a projectable stock but I know only one lab that does that and it's in Germany). To answer your question about the bulb/sun button : yes, with the Ektachrome it must always be on "bulb", if you shoot outdoors or indoors (but if you film indoors, unless you are close to a large window on a bright sunny day, use a specific light and put a blue filter on your lens ; I would not try that at the beginning). Shane's advise about the focus is great : unlike modern cameras, most of super 8 cameras have no automatic focus and it's easy at the beginning to get out of focus scenes, so a permanent focus free is a good solution to remain concentrated on other aspects. Keep in mind that the higher the exposure number is (16 or 22 for example), the less you have to worry about focus field (it has to be more acurate at 1.1 or 1.8, however). If you need to zoom, always focus when the zoom is on the higher figures (for example, if yous zoom is 10-35, put it on 35, focus and then put it on a lower postion, like 12, 15 or whatever, so when you will zoom, you will have the correct setting). Try not to shake the camera too much when you film : there is no automatic correction. Be aware that shaking movments are more visible when the zoom is on the higher position. For your future films : if you cannot avoid shakings (if you're filming from a vehicle for example, which I don't recommend, you should use the smaller zoom position and if it's only scenery, without poeple or action, you can put an higher speed, 24 fps if your film is shot at 18, for example).

[Pearse Lambert]

Thanks Dominique. You guys know your stuff!

I guess I'll shoot this first roll as a test and then I won't shoot the indoor roll, since you recommend I get better first. I'll order the 100D reversal and get that from now on.