New Kodak super 8mm camera

[Phillip Campey]

Just received an email from Kodak announcing the long awaited super 8mm camera is available from the 4th December in limited numbers, it’s going to be released outside the USA at a later date.

[Douglas Meltzer]

Phillip,

Thank you for the update. Kodak had announced a $5,495 price tag. Was there any change mentioned in the email?

The camera has a number of interesting features. Here's a link to the user manual.

[Paul Adsett]

I’ll believe it when I see it. We’ve been down this path before about 6 years ago!

[Frank Commins]

Interesting news. However, it begs the question, does this mean that new Super-8 projectors will follow to complement the camera?

[Ed Gordon]

I am underwhelmed. $5000+ for a camera which records sound on an SD card, no Super 8 film with magnetic audio and balance strip, no projector to view your movie.

No serious filmmaker would pay this amount of money for a Super 8 camera. Working and refurbished vintage Super 8 cameras sell for 1/10th this price. You can also get Super 16mm cameras or you could get a modern mid-level camera and give your footage the Super 8 "look" in post. This is an absurd move for Kodak.

Also, as someone who's shot on Super 8mm and loved the experience, the format still has tons of limitations, which include the price. To buy, shoot, develop and get a digital scan of 2.5 min roll of film... That's a lot to pay for what is essentially a 720p image. Sure, it's on film and that gives it a great built-in aesthetic... but you can absolutely replicate it with digital cameras.

A better investment for anyone shooting film would be 16mm. Not only is the cost similar to Super 8, but you get a much better picture and there's a bigger ecosystem of cameras and lenses to shoot on.

So I can authoritatively say two things: 1) Kodak have designed the exact camera that I and many others wished we could have been shooting with for the past 20 years, and 2) they are out of their damned minds with this pricing.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/cinematogra..._a_5495_price/

[Steve Klare]

I don't think Kodak will be bringing out a new projector because of this camera. I doubt they imagined it will be used for shooting film for projection but rather for transfer. If you look at their range of cartridge films these days it's two reversal stocks and three negative stocks when negatives are pretty close to useless for people that shoot to project. (Still, I'm grateful they're available at all!)

I wish them every success with this, but it's priced way out of my price range. For what I need in a Super-8 camera, I have several good ones right now.

[Shane C. Collins]

I'm glad to see Kodak follow thru with this new Super 8 camera. However, it is also out of my price range. I'm happy to keep shooting Ektachrome color reversal, and viewing that on a projector. But I will say this helps the hobby in the long run. It simply means Kodak is continuing to invest in the Super 8 market. If there was no color reversal I wouldn't be shooting on film period. I see no reason to shoot negative, to then watch it on a computer screen or TV. I mean I get sharing Super 8 footage with others, but I'm content with just seeing it on a projector. Anyways, I'm rambling as usual! Kudos to Kodak for investing in this wonderful format we call Super 8!

[Douglas Meltzer]

I think it's a decent design and could see renting the camera for a project combining the desire to shoot in Super 8 while having the convenience of an external display.

[Graham Ritchie]

Very interesting specs I must admit I do like it, but would never buy it. However I am sure some will even at that price. The camera film is not for projecting, using the area where the stripe was, is a good idea but it can never run through a film projector, remember there are guides and sound head where that extended image area will be, so it aint going to work. This camera, in my thoughts is to only record a image onto Kodak film stock, the sound in sync onto a card for use in digital transfers only.

Anything that promotes the use of film can't be a bad thing, it will be interesting to see how thing go, a previous good point about its cost, and better of shooting 16mm is the better option cost wise.

[Charles Titone]

Here's the link! I wonder if they will release any projectors/digitizers?

[Steve Klare]

Digitizers? -very possible. Projectors? -not so much!

The problem for us here is even if there was a projector made to match this camera it would probably not have either magnetic or optical sound on film capabilities.

The widened gate could be kind of fun, although we would get to see whatever our sound stripes look like magnified a couple of hundred times if we tried to project one of our regular-old mag sound prints (for some reason...).

I like Doug's idea of renting the camera, given a really good excuse I might just try that! (-and hope I don't like the camera too much!)

[Paul Adsett]

What is the marketing target for this camera? Kodak's traditional family movie shooter? Certainly not at that price point. Film schools? Do they even teach film shooting at film schools anymore or is it all digital now? Professionals, to get that occasionally needed super 8 look? Maybe, but surely not enough to justify production runs of this camera.
I want Kodak to succeed here, but I just don't see it.

[Steve Klare]

I could see it in a professional context where the risks of having a 40-ish year old camera being responsible for critical work happening on an expensive budget and a tight schedule outweigh a couple of thousand for a new one, but then again the need for it would be so sporadic it would be better as a rented piece of equipment than owned outright. It's also possible that many people who might use this would think of "The Super-8 Look" as an effect they can produce with software in post.

I'm sure some into cameras with a lot of bucks will buy it as an expensive bauble, and maybe even use it a few times. It's just if I had those kinds of disposable bucks, I could waste them a lot more efficiently than buying this camera.

[Ed Gordon]

The new Kodak Super 8 camera is designed for those who like the look of film, but have no intention of editing and projecting it with analog technology. It is meant to capture a 16:9 image that no existing analog projector can project without cutting off the right side of the image. The film will be processed and then digitized for editing for a presentation with digital projectors. If the price point of the camera was around $1500 it might have a chance of finding a market, but at $5k+, I doubt it will succeed.

[Mike Newell]

Another nail in the coffin for Kodak.