Here are several articles I hope you will enjoy!

 

 

 

Home Movie Making

And

Camera & Film Collecting

By Paul Schilling, Photographer & Collector

 

 

I have had a camera for as long as I can remember.  My first camera was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye.  I guess I was about twelve years old or so when I got it; and soon after I got my first darkroom outfit.  I have been taking & processing pictures ever since.  I would have been twelve years old in 1954.

 

My Aunt and Uncle had the first home movie outfit I ever saw (around 1950).  My folks bought their first movie camera, a Revere Model 50, in 1953.  I still have the films they took.  In 1957, when I was 15 years old, I bought my first movie outfit.  It was a Kodak Brownie outfit.  It wasn’t very expensive, but took quite respectable pictures.  A farm boy back in the 1950’s couldn’t afford anything very fancy.

 

About 1960, my Grandfather bought a movie outfit.  It was a DeJur brand camera that had three lenses mounted on a turret (normal, wide angle & telephoto).  It was a top of the line, state of the art camera of its day.  He also had a quality DeJur projector.  I still have this camera & projector, along with my folk’s movie camera and my first movie camera.  They all still operate perfectly!

 

At that time, the 8 m/m film that was available was called Regular-8 or Double-8.  Equipment manufactured for Regular-8 film was manufactured from 1932 to 1963.  The double run principle means that the film is run through the camera twice.  Each run exposes a row of images down one side of the film and then the other.  After the film has been processed, it is slit lengthwise and the two ends are joined together.  In this way, a film that starts out as 16 m/m wide and 25 feet long becomes 8 m/m wide and 50 feet long.

 

Super 8-film and equipment was introduced in 1964.  Most Super-8 cameras are battery operated.  (Regular-8 had clockwork wind-up motors.)  Super-8 film starts out 8 m/m wide and 50 feet long.  It is loaded in a special cartridge and is run through the camera only once.  The Super-8 sprocket holes are different from Regular-8 and the picture area is considerably larger giving a brighter, sharper image.

 

In the late 1960’s, I bought a Super-8 camera.  It was an Anscomatic with a 6 to 1 zoom lens and automatic exposure control.  Around 1980 I bought a Minolta Super-8 with an intervolumeter for taking time lapse pictures.  I have some great time lapse films of flowers opening and clouds moving by at super fast speed.  They are quite dramatic.

 

About 1990 I bought a used sound Super-8 camera and projector & started collecting movie cameras, projectors & films.  Most manufacturers discontinued making home movie equipment around 1985.  About that time video was coming on the market in a big way and home movie equipment became unwanted and could be picked up cheap, & still can be.  Most of the cameras and projectors in my collection I paid between $2.00 & $15.00.  The sound equipment is worth more ($50.00 to $200.00 or more).

 

In the late 1960’s, I bought my first 35 m/m Single Lens Reflex (SLR) still camera.  It was an Astraflex 1000 LM, made by Edixa in West Germany.  In the 1970’s, I bought a Minolta SRT series SLR.  About 1990, I bought a Minolta 700X program SLR.  In the meantime I bought another Minolta SRT.  I purchased all of these new.  I do a lot of close up and copy work, so I needed a SLR.  I had three cameras so I could have a different kind of film in each one (black & white, color print & slide).

 

My Mother gave me my Grandfather’s old Conley Junior, 4 x 5 glass plate camera that he used around 1915.  I bought a couple of 4 x 5 cut film holders and was lucky that they fit the camera, so I could use 4 x 5 sheet film which is readily available.  I took a few pictures with this old camera and processed them myself.  They turned out great!

 

I am what I call a very serious amateur photographer.  Everywhere I go, I carry a camera.  Over the last few years, my wife, Helen, has been taking most of our stills and I carry my trusty movie camera.

 

I still take movie film because it will last and video tape won’t. Kodachrome color movie film and black & white film have a life expectancy of 100+ years.  Kodak Ektachrome color film has a life expectancy of 75+ years, and then only a 10% change in color & image.  Video tape, if stored properly, will last 10 years, 20 years tops.  So film should be used if you want it around for the next generation to see.

 

The old Kodachromes that my folks took over 50 years ago are still as good as the day they came back from the processor.  Those old films have pictures of my folks, grandparents, and Aunts & Uncles most of which passed away many years ago.  It’s great to get those old films out and see all of those family members, as I remember them when I was a kid, in moving pictures!  Of course my sister and I were in those old movies too, as kids.

 

With the video craze going on now, fewer and fewer people are using their old home movie camera.  I am afraid that the demand for movie film will get so low that manufacturers will discontinue it.  Kodak has already discontinued Super-8 sound film.  I am doing my part to keep it going!  I take about 15 to 20 rolls (50 foot rolls of Black & White, Color, and Regular-8 & Super-8) of movie film every year and plan to continue.

 

When I was a kid, I would save my money and when we would go shopping in Beloit, which was about once a year, I would buy a Hollywood film or two.  Hoppalong Cassidy was my favorite cowboy.  Abbot & Costello were my favorite comedy team. (Who’s on 1st is a classic!)  I would buy 50 ft. Abbot & Costello and 200 ft. Hoppy movies.  Of course they were all silent back then.  I still have those old films, but they are in rough shape as I about ran them to death, and didn’t take care of them when I was a kid.  The 50 ft. films cost about $1.50 and the 200 ft. films cost $5.00 or $6.00.  This was a small fortune for a kid in the mid 1950’s.

 

Most of the films I have been buying over the past few years are used films.  I have a dozen or so full length sound features.  The feature films I have cost anywhere from $50.00 to $100.00.  Most of the films I have are cartoons and 200 ft. & 400 ft. digests.  I collect both silent & sound.  I have some old Charlie Chaplin & Harold Lloyd films that were released about 1915—1930.  Of course these films I have aren’t originals as they didn’t have 8 m/m back then.  Most were put on 8 m/m during the 1950’s, 1960’s & 1970’s.

 

There are two companies in England that are still releasing new Super-8 films on a regular basis, but new feature films are quite expensive, costing $300.00 to $500.00.  Cartoons and other 200 ft. “shorts” run about $40.00, which is not bad.  New features are too pricey for me, but I do purchase a new 200 ft. film now & then.

 

Trailers are also fun to collect.  A trailer is what you see when you go to the movies, which is the “Coming Attraction” of an upcoming film.  They only run about 3 or 4 minutes and cost about $10.00 for a used one and $20.00+ for new ones.

 

Used 200 ft. cartoons and 400 ft. digests run from $10.00 to $30.00.

 

Of course some of the used films have had hard use and aren’t perfect.  They may have scratch lines, or the color may be faded as Kodachrome film wasn’t used most of the time for these films.

 

Film collecting is a lot more popular in Europe than in the United States.  There aren’t many companies dealing in films in this country anymore.  I have been buying a lot of my used films from England.  I use my credit card to make the purchases.  The Pounds Sterling are converted to U.S. dollars automatically.  It works out great.  If I place an order by e-mail, the order will arrive in about a week.  Right now (2003) £60 (Pounds) equals about $100.00 U.S.  The exchange rate does go up and down some, but not much.

 

 I purchase new films that are now being released in England from the U.S. distributor, “The Reel Image” in Kettering, Ohio.  Steve Osborne, the owner, also has very reasonably priced used films and equipment.  He also publishes a very nice magazine three times a year called “The Reel Image.”  It has movie reviews of all the latest releases and very interesting articles on filming and collecting.  He is a nice, honest man to deal with.

 

This is a great hobby!  There is nothing like pulling down my 70-inch “silver screen” and watching Hoppy, Gene or Roy ride across my living room and into the sunset!  There is just something about threading up your projector and watching a movie just like in the theater.  It’s just not the same watching a video or DVD on the TV screen!!

 

I also have an anamorphic lens that is used to project wide screen “Cinemascope” films.  The model I have is a 35 m/m model made by Bausch & Lomb to be used with a 35 m/m movie projector, but can also be used with 8 m/m and 16 m/m projectors.  I made a wooden stand to mount my lens on.  The lens sets in front of the projector and the Cinemascope films are shown through it.  My next project is to make a Cinemascope screen.  The image projected is approximately 4 ½ ft. high and 10 ft. wide.  What a picture!  I am probably going to have to set it up in my basement, or out in my shed!  Of course the farther back you move the projector, the bigger the image.  I have wanted one of these lenses for a long time.  They are kind of hard to find, so when I saw this one advertised in “The Reel Image,” I jumped at the chance to buy it.  Some Hollywood films and trailers are only available in scope.  It is truly amazing what can be done with this little Super-8 film!

 

I have written this article in hopes it will stir interest in the hobby.  Get those old cameras out of the closet and buy some film.  Film is still available for both Regular-8 and Super-8.  Or if you are a youngster, or teenager, and the filming bug has bitten you like it did me, start looking for a camera or projector and get started.  Right now there is still a good supply of good, used cameras and projectors out there, and they are cheap to reasonable in price.  Look in antique stores, at rummage sales, in thrift stores, on E-Bay (lots listed there, but sometimes are a little high priced), or place a want ad in the newspaper.  There is a lot of old movie equipment out there in someone’s closet or attic.  You just have to find it!

 

 If we don’t create new interest in our hobby, especially the younger generation, I’m afraid as us older collectors die off, there won’t be anyone to keep it going and the hobby will die.

 

I have had many other hobbies in my lifetime (woodworking, violin making, beekeeping, model railroading, raising parakeets, fishing, hunting, target shooting, reloading ammunition, & more); but none have brought me more enjoyment and been as rewarding as photography in general and specifically taking moving pictures and film collecting.  If you are at all interested, start now.  Get those cameras and projectors rolling!  You will never be sorry you did.

 

I also have a list of manufactures, suppliers and processors that I can pass on to you, and if you would ever want any information or advice on the hobby, I will be glad to help if I can.

 

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Comparing Movie Film To Video Tape

By Paul Schilling

(3-2010)

 

Over the past 15 years or so I have read numerous articles in the film magazines telling about the differences in the “look” of videos and movie film and how most serious professional and serious amateur film makers prefer the film “look” over the video “look”.  I hadn’t thought about it too much as I take most of my home movies on film.  I do have a camcorder and use it some on several occasions throughout the year.  I usually take 10 to 15, 50 ft. rolls of movie film every year on mostly Super-8, but some on Regular-8.  As film is quite expensive compared to video tape, I use my camcorder along with film if I see my wallet isn’t fat enough to buy all the film I would need.

 

In 2002 I purchased a VHS-C camcorder and have accumulated about 30, one-half hour tapes in the last seven or eight years.  This last Fall I purchased a MINI-DV camcorder and have now been using it.

 

I thought it would be a good idea to transfer all of my tapes to DVD’s as the life of video tape isn’t very many years and the main reason we take home movies is for future generations to see them.

 

I bought a DVD/VHS recording deck to transfer my video tapes to DVD’s and decided to use archival DVD’s even though they cost considerably more than the cheaper run-of-the-mill blank DVD’s that are available.  I decided to go with “Archival Gold” by Delkin Devices as they are advertised to last 100 to 300 years!

 

I hadn’t really watched many of my tapes over the years.  I just taped them and put them on the shelf for future viewing.  As I made the DVD’s I monitored them on a 19” HDTV.  As I watched them all, I studied the picture quality and thought about the “look”.  I have been watching home movies on film for 60 years, so I have the film “look” imbedded in my brain.

 

For the most part, the VHS-C tapes were quite good, but right away I could see what this video “look” was and I do agree with most everyone else that I much prefer the film look.  I really don’t know how to describe it but the video tape is just missing something that film has.  The colors on the video tapes were pretty good and most seemed to be in good sharp focus.  I guess it just didn’t have the “snap” or contrast that film does.  The overall image is kind of drab and lifeless compared to film.

 

The camera I used wasn’t an expensive camera.  I guess it cost about $250 to $300, eight years ago.  But I know I have read about professionals using expensive professional video cameras that cost thousands of dollars say the same thing even with cameras that have a setting that is supposed to give that film “look”.  It still doesn’t measure up to the film image.  I guess many amateur and professional movie makers have given up their expensive video cameras and gone back to film.  They usually use a negative film stock and then have it transferred to DVD’s for distribution.  When transferred to DVD it still retains the film “look”.

 

This last Fall I purchased a MINI-DV camcorder.  I believe the picture quality is better than the VHS-C, but it still definitely has that video “look”.  I will continue using my camcorder on occasion as the cost of the film will force me to and I am glad I took those video tapes over the past eight years as I wouldn’t have had it all on film.  But I am sure glad I have taken all those thousands of feet of 8mm movie film over the past 50 plus years.  I have all of my films, my parents films, my grandparents films and my uncles films that date back to 1949.  Most are all just as good as the day they came back from the processor.  There is a little fungus damage on a few that weren’t stored properly and a scratch now and then, but for the most part they are in great shape and the colors are bright and vivid.

 

Our son has a telecine machine and is in the process of transferring all of my films to DVD’s  These old projectors won’t last forever and I guess it’s a good idea to them put on a more modern format for future generations to watch.

 

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The High Cost ??? Of Film

By Paul Schilling

(3-2010)

 

In the above article, I said a little about the high cost of movie film, and it is expensive, however I can remember back in the 1950’s when I was a kid and my parents were taking movies, they thought it was high back then too and couldn’t afford to take but a few reels each year.  I believe the cost of a roll of Kodachrome back then was about $3.50 and maybe up to that much to have it processed.  I would guess with our inflated dollars the $25 to $35 it costs now for a film and processing, it isn’t much different than it was back then, maybe even cheaper.

 

Film was cheap not too many years ago, maybe 10 years back or so, when you could buy a roll of Kodachrome with processing for $13 or $14 and we got used to that low price, I guess.  Back then I would spend about $150 on movies and another $150 on 35 mm still pictures in a years’ time.  Now I have a digital still camera so I don’t have to buy film for my stills any longer, but I still spend about $300 on movie film so my total film expenses is about the same.  On occasion I will still use my SLR 35 mm cameras with black and white film as I really enjoy working with black and white film in my dark room.

 

Back in the 1950’s my parents would have spent about $60 for 10 films (films & processing).  That was a lot of money back then.  It would have bought 200 gallons of gasoline!  Gasoline was $.30 a gallon when I started driving in 1958.  Gas is about 9 times higher now (2010) than back then and film is only about 5 times higher.  I guess film is still a bargain when you look at it that way.

 

I have had people ask me, why would you pay $30 for a little more than three minutes of film when you can get several hours of video tape for just a few dollars?  I guess they have never seen the quality difference between film and video tape or just don’t care.  And their tapes won’t last over 10 years, 20 tops if properly stored.  Of course they can be made to last longer if transferred to DVD’s, but they still won’t have the picture quality of film.

 

Another thing I have noticed with people taking videos is that at an event like a birthday party or school program they will put their camera on a tripod, turn it on and just let it run.  I know I even have a problem now and then when taking videos of letting a scene run too long.  Where tape is cheap, it is easy to do.  Nothing will bore an audience faster than long drawn out scenes.  With film, because of the cost, you are forced to keep each scene short and to the point and this keeps each scene moving along at a good pace so you won’t get bored watching it.  If I take 10 rolls of film throughout the year at birthday parties, family get-togethers and vacations, I will have about 35 minutes of film for the year.  That is usually plenty of time to show what has gone on in your life on these occasions.  Sometimes I will take more rolls on our vacation depending on how long we are gone and where we went, but I will then keep my vacation film on a separate reel from the other film.

 

I just wonder how many people ever sit down and watch their long drawn out videos completely through?  I know I get out my old home movies every winter and watch several hours of them and never get bored with them no matter how many times I have watched them over the years.  I have so many films dating back 60 years that it takes several winters to get through them all.  But they are all fast moving and interesting to watch.  Of course they are only interesting to our family members because of the family content, but that is the way they were meant to be.

 

The only drawback with film that I now see is that sound film has been discontinued.  However your film can be sound striped and sound can be added with your projector as narration.  But we have lost an easy way to get “lip sync”.  Most home movies don’t need sound anyway.  A few titles placed at strategic points throughout the film works great.

 

It’s a shame that we let ourselves be drawn into the video craze the way we did and just forgetting about film altogether.  The video manufacturers made us believe this was the wave of the future and film was obsolete and we all bought into it letting amateur filming (on film) fall by the way.  However film is starting to make a come back, especially with professional film makers.  Of course Hollywood has always used film and realized that even the best HD cameras can’t hold a candle to the image quality of 35 mm movie film.

 

Kodak has recently come out with new Super 8 emulsions and I would hope many of you who have movie cameras setting in your closets, would get them out, dust them off and start taking home movies again the way they were meant to be, on film.  You won’t be sorry you did.  And if you don’t have a camera or projector, there are plenty of good used ones out there available on the internet, yard sales and goodwill stores at very reasonable prices.

 

Some people think it’s a hassle setting up the projector and screen etc., but I think this is half the fun.  It hardly takes five minutes to get set up.

 

If anyone is interested where to get film, processing and supplies, go back to our home page and click on “Big List 8mm” for info on a booklet I have available and if anyone has any questions on filming I will be happy to answer your questions, if I can.  Keep those reels turning and happy filming.

 

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FILM VS. VIDEO

&

VINYL RECORDS VS. CD’S

By Paul Schilling

(4/2013)

 

Most everyone knows that I collect movie cameras, projectors & other filming equipment and that I still take home movies on film and will continue to do so until they stop manufacturing film.  But maybe a lot of you don’t know that I am also interested in quality stereo equipment.  Filming and Hi Fi music have taken very similar roads over the years.

 

With movie film, and filming your family get togethers, up until the mid-1980’s film was king.  Everyone that took home movies used film, of course that’s all there was available.  In the 1980’s video tape came along and the manufacturers convinced almost everyone that video tape was the way to go, even though film will last 75 to 100 years and still have a great image with little fading and video tape will last 10 years, 20 years tops with proper storage.  Of course the video manufacturers didn’t tell anyone that.  They wanted to sell video cameras and tapes.

 

I have home movies that were taken as far back as 1949 and have seen home movies from as far back as 1937 and they are as good as the day they came back from the processor.  Kodachrome and black & white film will last the longest, 100 years plus, and Ektachrome is rated at 75 years plus.  Some other cheaper brands of color film has faded some over the years.

 

Now on to Hi Fi music.  Up until the CD was invented, everyone listened to their favorite music on vinyl records or audio tape ( reel to reel, 8 track or cassettes )  When the CD came along the manufacturers once again talked everyone into buying CD’s and most everyone did thinking digital music was superior.  This was far from the truth.  The music on a CD or any digital format has a shrillness and a hard sound to it.  But most everyone has continued to listen to the new digital music and discard the old vinyl LP.  Most audiophiles realized almost immediately that the sound from an LP was far superior and continued using records.  Also solid state amplifiers don’t have the same sweet, natural sound that tube type amplifiers have.  As a lot of you probably know there has been a huge increase in sales and new releases on vinyl as people are realizing that they were duped into believing digital was better.  Vinyl records do have some drawbacks like clicks and pops from dirt accumulating in the record grooves and of course scratches.  But then again CD’s aren’t perfect in this respect either.  They can be ruined with scratches or with exposure to high temperatures.  Vinyl just sounds different than digital sound.  It’s more alive and natural sounding.  I’m not saying digital is bad sound but that LP’s just sound better.

 

It’s the same thing with film, it just looks better than images taken with a camcorder.  The film is more pleasant and natural to watch while movies taken with a camcorder lack contrast and are lifeless.  I’m again not saying the digital image is all bad but film is just plain better.  This is the reason so many Hollywood movies and amateur movie makers use film when they take a movie and then have it put on DVD’s for distribution.  When film is transferred to a digital format it retains that “film look” that movie makers are after.  Even the movies that are taken with high end professional digital cameras costing 10’s of thousands of dollars can’t equal the picture quality of film, even the camcorders that have a special “film look” setting can’t 100% equal the film look.  It does look better but still not exactly like film.

 

We are still using the basic same film cameras and record playing turntables that we used for the last 50 to 100 years.  With digital something new comes along and we think we need the latest thing.  How many different formats of camcorders have you owned in the last 25 years?  How many different music playing formats have you owned in the last 35 years.  Just think if we all would have stuck with vinyl records and film, how much money we would have saved and we could have had that money to use to purchase records and film, and the sound and pictures would all be better.

 

I just wish more people would get their old movie cameras out of the closet and start filming again like music lovers are doing with LP records.  I’m afraid if not enough film is being purchased, manufacturers will discontinue film altogether.  It may already be too late now as Kodak and Fuji have discontinued most of their films.  There are still a few small companies in Europe and Asia that still do make film.  I know I will continue using it until it is no longer available.  I want my home movies to last for future generations to see, after all isn’t that what we take home movies for anyway?  I know I really enjoy watching those old movies taken so many years ago of my family and friends, many of who aren’t with us any longer, in moving pictures.  Some of the more recent digital formats like DVD’s and storing the images on a hard drive do last much longer than video tape but still has that “video look”.

 

So new is not always better.  Don’t just jump on the next band wagon that comes along thinking it is the greatest thing to ever come along.  Some of the old analog systems are just hard to beat!!

 

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MORE FACTS ON VINYL LP’S

By Paul Schilling

(9-14-2015)

 

According to an article in the 10-2015 issue of “Stereophile” magazine, in 2014, more than 73,986,000 LP’s were purchased.  That’s almost 74 million LP’s!!!  When you take all other factors into consideration, like unsold records of which there are surely many in the pipeline, defective discs etc., you still have about 35 million that were sold, which is a 40% increase worldwide over 2014.

 

Pro-Ject alone claims to have sold some 110,000 turntables in 2014.  Pro-Ject turntable manufacturer is in the Czech Republic, runs three shifts 24/7 and employees some 400 people.  Rega Research, VIP Industries and other turntable makers also state that 2014 was their best year ever.  After discontinuing the manufacture of Technics turntables in 2010, Panasonic has announced it will begin making them again, soon.  Also LP sales in the UK reached 1.3 million.

 

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2015 FILMING UPDATE

By Paul Schilling

 

I haven’t done any darkroom work in the last 10 years, but have been thinking about getting back in the darkroom for the last year or so.  The problem is that back when I was doing a lot of black & white film processing I was using Kodak Polycontrast variable contrast paper and Edwal FG-7 film developer which both have been discontinued.  Edwal Quick fix and Kodak Dektol paper developer are only available in larger amounts than I need and would be outdated or go bad before I could use them up. 

 

I started my search for new paper and chemicals on B & H Photo’s website.  That is where I used to get my darkroom supplies and know they would have most everything that is currently available.  I would just have to decide what I wanted to buy and use.  I was so used to using my old chemicals and paper that it will be hard to change.  I knew exactly how the old Kodak paper and films would react to the chemicals I was using and I got exactly the results I was looking for.  It’s hard to part with an old friend.

 

There are still a lot of good choices available to use and after a lot of searching and comparing I finally decided to go with Ilford multigrade IV RC paper and developers and a couple of old Kodak standbys that are still available.

 

I always used and loved Kodak Plus-X black & white film which has also been discontinued.  Kodak Tri-X is still available and would maybe have been a good choice but is a little fast for my needs. I decided to try several different films that I have never used before, Ilford FP-4, Ilford Delta 100 and one I had never heard of, Kentmere 100.  It had good feedback and was considerably cheaper, so I thought I would give it a try. 

 

I think the choices I have made should give me the great results that I got with the old chemicals, film and paper that I used.  It will take some experimenting with exposure times and contrast settings on my enlarger to get the results I am looking for.  It will be fun and interesting.  This is something I plan on doing this winter (Jan. 2016). 

 

If you are thinking about getting into a darkroom, B & H Photo has everything you will need and at competitive prices.  However I am sure there are other suppliers out there just as good. 

 

While searching on the internet for my B & W 35mm still picture processing supplies, I came across a website called “RetroCine”.  They are offering black & white reversal chemicals for processing B & W movie film. 

 

Many years ago I did process some of my B & W 8mm films.  Back then you could get processing kits from companies like Superior Bulk Film Co and ESO-S Films.  Superior is no longer in business and ESO-S no longer offers the chemicals.  I have tried buying the individual chemicals and mixing them myself but didn’t get very good results. 

 

Back in the 70’s I made a processing reel and tray to process movie film.  I still have it but it needs a little work to get it back in working condition (cleaning, paint etc.).  I just may order one of their processing kits and give it a try once again.  The reversal process is kind of a long process (about an hour) but if you like working in the darkroom, it is fun to see the results when finished. 

 

There are no new processing tanks for movie film being made but you can find used LOMO processing tanks on Ebay.  They are kind of pricey and come from where they were made, in and around Russia, so the shipping costs are high.  I would like one but don’t want to pay the price for the few films I would process.  These LOMO’s would be handy as after the film is loaded into the tank the processing is carried out with the lights on.  With my open reel outfit you have to wind the film onto the reel and carry out the first two or three processing steps in TOTAL darkness before turning on the lights to complete the remaining steps. 

 

I also have a supply of Kodachrome 40 Super 8 film in my freezer.  Kodachrome processing is no longer available anywhere but I know the film can be cross-processed as either B & W negative or B & W positive (reversal).  There is one processor, Martin Baumgarten, who will cross process Kodachrome as a positive B & W but the cost is high as he hand processes it.  There are several other places that will process it as B & W negative and then transfer it to positive on a DVD.  This is also quite expensive. 

 

As near as I can tell the process is the same as if you were developing regular B & W movie film.  The Kodachrome 40 movie film must be exposed at an ASA of 10 instead of the normal ASA of 40.  This is a must.  The only other thing that may cause a problem is that Kodachrome has what is called a Rem-jet backing on the film which, I guess, is difficult to remove.  I am not sure what the best method to remove it is, but am doing research on it. 

 

I would like to give it a try.  It’s a shame to not be able to use the Kodachrome that I have.  I think it is odd that there is no commercial film processing company that will do this.  There has to be a lot of this old Kodachrome film out there besides what I have.  It would be better to use it as a B & W film than not use it at all.  I know Film & Video Services in Minneapolis did do this a few years ago but discontinued processing all B & W movie film.  I used them for all of my B & W movie film processing back then and miss their quality service. 

 

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MORE NEWS ON VINYL LP’S

(5-2016)

 

 

This small paragraph was in issue 37 of “The Reel Image”, a film collector magazine.

 

FIRST NEW VINYL RECORD PRESSES HIT THE MARKET AFTER 30-YEAR BREAK

By Catherine Kavanaugh

 

Some of the new presses will be installed at “Third Man Records”, founded by Jack White of “The White Stripes”.

 

The Recording Industry Association announced last year that vinyl record sales increased 52% to 222 million in the first half of 2015. 

 

There are currently 21 vinyl record manufacturers in the U.S.

 

Steve Osborne, publisher of “The Reel Image”, also states “Subscriptions to The Reel Image and sales of collector films (8mm & 16mm) were way up in 2015 and the first three months of 2016—plus there are many new young collectors!!”

 

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