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Kodak's retro Ektachrome film arrives after a long wait
It took a while but Kodak is finally releasing its Ektachrome color reversal film, beloved by analog photographers and filmmakers alike. First to ship will be Ektachrome Film E100 in 135/36x camera format (which will make its way to buyers immediately) followed by Ektachrome 7294 for Super 8 movie films from October 1st, with 16mm format coming later this year.
After Math: First!
It was a week of firsts for the tech industry. Facebook finally got around to adding its first African American board member (because it's not like it's already 2018 or anything), a lifeguard drone made its first Hasselhoffian beach rescue, Ferrari announced that it is indeed working on its first electric supercar, and Kodak took a break from slapping its brand on cryptocurrency mining rigs to release the first footage from its upcoming hybrid Super 8 camera. Numbers, because how else will you put entrants in order?
Watch the first footage from Kodak’s reborn Super 8 film camera
Even if you think film has had its day, there's no denying that it evokes a dreamy nostalgia that digital video can't match. Kodak got a lot of folks, including A-list Hollywood directors, excited about its hybrid Super 8 camera based on that idea, and it has now revealed the first footage that seems to deliver on that promise. Shot by cinematographers like Nick Green and GQ fashion photographers, the video reveals the soft grain, organic-looking flares, low resolution and high contrast you (might) love with Super 8 film.
Kodak brings back classic Ektachrome color reversal film
Kodak Ektachrome color-positive film, beloved by portrait photographers and indie filmmakers alike, is rising from the dead. Kodak Alaris will start selling the classic 135-36x 35mm and Super 8 movie films in the fourth quarter of this year, the company said in a statement. The stock (also called reversal or slide film) was discontinued in 2012 and is known for its extremely fine grain and saturated colors. It's also cherished by indie filmmakers for its ability to be "pushed," producing an artistically grainy effect (see the trailer for Buffalo 66, embedded below).
Kodak's big comeback is an old school throwback
As I squeeze my way through the small gaps between people on the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the excitement of the crowd is palpable. TVs are rolling up like sheets of paper; robots are swerving in and out of booths and speakers are shapeshifting. But there's something different about the buzz around Kodak's yellow-colored cubicle. The bright red "K" on the logo that looms overhead instantly evokes a sense of nostalgia that feels misplaced at a show cluttered with snippets of the future. I walk in, past the glass shelves with film rolls on display, to join a group of people huddled around the prototype of Super 8, the company's "new" film camera that made its debut 50 years ago.
Kodak's Super 8 camera is retro in all the right ways
One of the nicer surprises at this year's CES was Kodak's Super 8 camera announcement. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that the company isn't leaving the film development up to aspiring film makers. In the $50-$75 development cost, you can expect to get a film reel and a digital copy. Pretty neat. Being the curious folks that we are here at Engadget, I stopped by Kodak's booth for a closer look at the Super 8 prototypes.
Kodak resurrects Super 8 with a new video camera
Kodak hasn't made a Super 8 camera since 1982, however the company announced on Tuesday at CES 2016 that it will debut a prototype video camera designed by Yves Behar that utilizes the venerable analog medium. Citing the preference towards physical media of many Hollywood directors -- including the likes of Steven Spielberg, JJ Abrams and Quentin Tarantino -- Kodak says that it will launch multiple Super 8 cameras, film development services and post production tools as part of its Super 8 Revival plan.
Fully working Super8 film projector built totally out of Lego, well almost (video)
Projecting Super8 film is a largely unnecessary hassle these days, but those words are clearly meaningless to camera nut Friedemann Wachsmuth. His painstakingly constructed Lego projector runs at a rickety 24fps without mangling celluloid, and with only the most minor use of non-Lego components (lens, lamp, spindles, bah who's counting?). The contraption serves no purpose other than to hurl photons of pure geek passion at white-ish walls, and previous Lego viewfinders and shutter releases are mere pecks on the cheek by comparison. Turn up your volume before you hit the video because the rattliness of this thing is all part of the love.
TUAW's Daily iOS App: Super 8
We've seen a bevy of vintage photography apps. Hipstamatic might be the most popular, though Instagram has a solid group of users as well. But, Super 8 brings a new idea to the party: vintage videos [Of course this isn't really "new" as apps like 8mm and Silent Film Director perform a similar function - Ed.]. Just like Hipstamatic, Super 8 will capture media from your iPhone that looks like it was photographed with an old camera. But instead of still pictures, you'll get old film-style videos. Just like the other vintage apps, there's a cool UI and plenty of extras to play with, including adding film scratches, titles and editing film clips on your iPhone. When your films are done, you can email them or save them to a computer with iTunes. It's very well done -- the app is actually put together by Paramount as a promotion for the upcoming JJ Abrams movie, but it's still very well done by marketing firm QMX Interactive and offers a lot of functionality to play with. Plus, for now, the app is a free download, so you can check it out without paying a thing. Very cool idea.
DIY scanner cuts out the hassle, keeps the fun of Super 8 film scanning
Looking to speed up your Super 8 film scanning but not ready to step up to a pricey, professional rig? Then might want to take after Flickr user Photobsen, who rigged up this system that relies on an old floppy drive, a flatbed scanner, some parts from a vintage Super 8 viewer, and a good bit of know-how. Unfortunately, there's no detailed plans for building your own, but the rig is apparently able to scan Super 8 film at a rate of 80 seconds of film per hour completely unattended -- although we wouldn't blame you if you sat and admired your handiwork for a while after piecing one of these together.
RED ONE camera gets wrangled into Super 8 telecine system
As if the much-hyped RED ONE camera didn't have enough going for it already, it looks like it could soon be put to use for a slightly unexpected but most welcome task: capturing Super 8 film. That's apparently possible thanks to what's described as a "pre-prototype" rig that employs a RED ONE camera and a Moviestuff Workprinter XP system which, thanks to a direct interface to the RED's GPI input, should allow you to do up 30 single frame captures per second in the RED's 4K mode. As the On Super 8 blog points out, however, there's still some "optical wizardry" needed to sit between the RED and the workprinter, but we're guessing those Super 8 die-hards should be able to take care of that little detail before too long.
Gakken Super 8 projector kit brings hand-cranking back into style
As we've seen, there's at least a small, devoted following out there keeping the venerable Super 8 format alive, and it now looks like they'll soon have another tool at their disposal, with the retro-minded folks at Gakken set to release their new Super 8 projector kit. While it's practicality may be in question for serious Super 8 enthusiasts, they will at least get a bit of an understanding of how things work by piecing it together themselves, not to mention a mild workout by hand-cranking the film through the projector. It's not all old school, however, with Gakken turning to white LEDs to light up your masterworks. If that's got your interest piqued, you'll apparently be able to get your hands on one of these in Japan next month for ¥8,000, or about $80.[Via Gadget Lab]
Your average inkjet can now print Super 8 / 16mm film
No doubt about it, vanilla inkjets seem to be garnering a whole lot of attention these days, and while the latest trick won't yield circuits or OLED displays, it could make filmmakers who long for days past quite excited. Jesse England has apparently discovered a fairly easy to automate process to print video frames onto transparency film. After discovering the dimensions for both Super 8 and 16-millimeter film, he simply made a template, arranged the filmstrip using Adobe's Premier and Photoshop, and printed it out on an everyday Epson inkjet. The noticeably manual task of punching out sprocket holes was still left to a hand-powered box cutter, but we're sure there are less tedious solutions just waiting to be implemented. As expected, the actual video quality was deemed "terrible," but the emotional impact was bittersweet indeed. Be sure to hit the read link for the whole low-down and to see a couple of video demonstrations to show you what the fuss is all about.[Via BoingBoing]
Ikonoskop readies new Super 8 "movie camera"
Hot on the heels of Hasselblad's latest 31-megapixel monster, rumors of Canon introducing a 1DS Mark III, and the RED camcorder getting more real everyday comes news that Ikonoskop is looking to bust out the "first new Super 8 movie camera design in over 20 years." The Swedish firm is hoping to offer up a Double Super 8 version of its "compact and affordable A-Cam SP-16 Super 16-millimeter model," and will feature a good bit of similar attire such as the same interchangeable C-Mount lenses, parallel viewfinder, 100-foot film capacity, and "microprocessor-synchronized frame rates between 6- and 37.5-frames per second." The device would utilize a "hybrid" design to use "16-millimeter wide film to capture Super 8 sized frames," and although the company boasts about its numerous advantages, the "main downside is that relatively few film stocks are available in the format." Still, things aren't off and running just yet, as Leif Bystrom has announced that the outfit needs 25 eager customers to lay down a €1,000 ($1,301) deposit ensuring that at least that many will be sold for the €5,200 ($6,764) retail price. So if you need no more introduction to convince yourself that this bad boy is worth your while (and coin), send your down payment on in so we can see this thing materialize.[Via CNET]
