| In 1932 Kodak introduced "Cine Kodak
Eight." Before the introduction of 8mm, Kodak produced
16mm film for the amateur market in 1922 Since then the
cine film has been named double 8 and regular standard
8mm film. .8mm cine film was a hit from day 1.Charles
Pathé bought 9.5mm safety motion picture film to
the market place around 1921.The film format was aimed
directly at the amateur market. This 8mm film was 16mm
film but with sprocket holes on both sides. The operator
would run the film through half way then re insert the
8mm film to run in the other direction. At the process
lab the film was cut length wise and the 25ft lengths
where made into 50ft roll.
Super 8mm was introduced in 1965 by Kodak. Fuji of Japan
introduced there own version of Super 8 film around 1966.
By utilising smaller sprocket holes in Super 8 film,
this allowed the manufactures to increase the cine film
frame size by 25 percent.
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8mm Cine Cartridge
The original 8mm cine film cartridge was metal.This time,
however, the film cartridges would be made of injection-molded
plastic,
Cartridge loading eliminated the threading of the film.No
flipping of the film load was required; the entire 50-foot
cartridge could be shot without interruption. Rather than
manufacture both a "Daylight" and a "Type-A"
(Tungsten) form of the new film, each Super 8 Camera would
have a built-in filter, making it possible to make only
the "Type A"" product, which could be used
in either kind of light. The perforations (sprocket holes)
were reduced in size, allowing for a wider image area
that was about 50% larger than standard 8mm film. Maximizing
the film width was a concept that originated in France
by Pathe, with their 9.5mm camera system. The perforations
were also moved to a point adjacent to the center of the
film frame, making steady registration simpler. 16mm and
standard 8mm formats had placed the perforation at the
corners of the frame to reduce fogging of the image at
the head and tail of the roll caused during loading of
the film. Since Super 8 was a cartridge-loaded product,
this was no longer an issue. Virtually all Super 8 Cameras
would have built-in light meters, a feature dating back
to the early 1950's in 16mm and 1960 in 8mm cameras.
The cartridge itself provided information to the camera
about the speed (ASA) of the film inside and filter information
in the case of black-and-white products. Precision notches
were set at specific points on the edge of the cartridge,
activating mechanical or electronic switches in most Super
8 Cameras. Most Super 8 Cameras were built with battery-powered
motors, eliminating the need to wind a spring-driven transport.
In April of 1965, this revolutionary new format was introduced,
and while the marketplace has changed in the past thirty
years, new generations of filmmakers with film projects
and applications which were non-existent in the 1960's
have come to embrace the small film. Many of today's great
cinematographers and directors began their careers decades
ago, at the counter of their local photo shop, buying
a cartridge of Super 8 film. [source: kodak.com]
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