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Well, this isn’t a name you hear too often in these days of digital, but Kodak is hedging their bets on the renaissance of film, at least with their new movie camera, the Kodak Super 8 Camera. While the camera doesn’t seem revolutionary by any means, the concept of bringing back a mass-market movie camera to consumers seems to be coming just at the perfect moment.
Over the last few years, many young photographers have been getting into shooting video with their DSLRs, and the attraction of being able to capture video on film will have film students and filmmakers alike taking a closer look at the Super 8 camera.
Many movie directors and cinematographers desire to shoot movies with film because of the look and the image quality (depth & dynamic range) that is only unique to film with its chemistry of photosensitive silver halide crystals and gelatin emulsion.
I am all for a renaissance of film, and Kodak, one of the best to ever make fantastic films like Kodachrome, Portra, etc., are certainly a great company to get this idea kickstarted again.
The Kodak Super 8 Camera’s is being produced according to Kodak because:
There are some moments that digital just can’t deliver because it doesn’t have the incomparable depth and beauty of film. These moments inspired Kodak to design a new generation of film cameras.
So What Does the Kodak Super 8 Camera Have?
The sleek look of the Kodak Super 8 Camera was designed by Yves Behar, an industrial designer from a company called the FuseProject in San Francisco. To me, the look is retro future, and by this I mean it looks like it was taken straight from the set of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Many that are new to shooting with film may find the process tedious and expensive to pay for film and then have to get it developed, but Kodak has an answer for the digital age. Kodak says that when you buy the film you are getting the film, the processing, and the digital transfer to a password protected cloud server where you can download all in one price. Kodak says that the Super 8 Camera film will cost between $50 and $75 for a cartridge.
Here are some quick specs for the Super 8:
- An integrated microphone
- A Digital viewfinder with a top-handle design; 3.5″ display that has a standard definition video input and supports swivel +/- 45 degrees
- Digital Connectivity
- Leather finishings on the top-handle pistol grip
- Machined-metal finished in midnight black and bone china
- Variable speeds (9, 12, 18, 24, 25 FPS) all with Crystal Synce
- Fixed/6mm, 1:1.2 – Ricoh Lens (Optional Zoom 6-48mm lens)
- Integrated battery and charger via standard USB wall adapter
Price and Release Date
The Super 8 is slated to arrive in a limited-edition version in Fall of 2016, and will cost between $400 to $750 according to Kodak.
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