whats wrong with my camera?

[Mr. Lee]

i got my super 8mm camera threw the post this morning,
and well-i put my batteries in it and it jus wont start up :S

its a Yashica Electro 8 [LD - 6]

im gunna open it up now.
any help wud be much.. er.... helpful,
thankyou!

[daveshrews]

This may not be the answer -- but I had an older Super 8 camera that didn't work for a long time because the batteries weren't making good contact with the, uh,. . . contacts. It was due to both mild corrosion and the contacts becoming slightly misaligned. Do you have a battery test button so you can see if you're getting power?

Dave Shrewsbury
Boston, MA

[Mr. Lee]

whey hey! success, it was a matter of scraping rust out of the battery conpartment [img]smile.gif[/img]

im a complete newbie to 8mm, and im off to Mexico for mi holidays on friday,

so im tryin the camera out there,
iv put in a normal kodachrome 40 cartridge in it.. somebody told me it wont last me 2minutes..

is this true? :|

thankyou!

[Mr. Lee]

sex is free...... ant it?

thanks for your help!

[daveshrews]

For a 7 - 10 minute short, you'd need 2 to 4 cartridges at least. And that's assuming you don't have to shoot any scenes twice and don't make any mistakes. It's always good to have more film on hand than you think you need!

It can get expensive, but if you really want that film look, it's a LOT cheaper that 16mm film, and video just looks flat in my opinion. And it's very rewarding; seeing your images projected is incredibly cool, and is MUCH more satisfying than watching video on a TV screen.

As far as film editing goes, don't use scissors!! There are special editing blocks and special splicing tape that is intended for Super 8 film. I don't know a good source in the UK, but here, Action Camera ( http://www.vgaction.com/motionpicture.html ) seems to have a lot of options for splicing equipment. You might also check Ebay.

That is one method of editing... however, a lot of people like to transfer their film to video, and then edit it on computer using software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut Pro. I believe the majority of Super 8'ers do it that way.. it gives you greater flexibility, and it doesn't damage the film if you mess up an edit.

And don't ever be afraid to ask "stupid" questions. I'm a newbie myself... I've only shot about 5 rolls of Super 8 since I've rediscovered this wonderful medium.

Dave Shrewsbury
Boston, MA

[daveshrews]

If you're shooting at 18 frames per second (as most S8 cameras do), the roll should last you just under 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Dave Shrewsbury
Boston, MA

[Mr. Lee]

wow, i dint realise how expensive this stuff was [img]biggrin.gif[/img]

say i wanted to shoot a 7 - 10 minute short,
how many cartrages would i have to buy?

and a second question,

to edit your footage together, do you literally get a pair of sissors to your film and stick it back together with stickytape?

im sorry, but this forum has been the most helpful source on the net, i cant help but ask so many stupid questions [img]confused.gif[/img]

[calgodot]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">say i wanted to shoot a 7 - 10 minute short, how many cartrages would i have to buy?</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

Depends on your projected shooting ratio. If it's a dialogue-free film, you can probably keep that ratio pretty low by planning your shots. Storyboards are essential to conserving film.

Let's say your ratio is 3:1. That's 3 minutes of camera film for every one minute of the final running time. A roll of S8 at 18fps equals approximately 3.5 minutes. A 7-10 minute running time would require roughly 9 rolls of S8 film if you are shooting at 18fps. I'd go with 10 to play it safe.

Of course, if you are shooting at 24fps, the number of required rolls for shooting will increase slightly.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">to edit your footage together, do you literally get a pair of sissors to your film and stick it back together with stickytape? </font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

No, you buy a S8 splicer on eBay, preferably one that comes with its own tape splices (like a Ciro). You'll also need a good editor/viewer. The Minette is the best of these, but it can be costly.

And finally, since you'll go through the trouble of editing film, you'll need a projector to show it.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><table border="0" width="90%" bgcolor="#333333" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="100%"><table border="0" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" bgcolor="#FF9900"><tr><td width="100%" bgcolor="#DDDDDD"><font size=2 face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">wow, i dint realise how expensive this stuff was</font></td></tr></table></td></tr></table></BLOCKQUOTE>

It's not a cheap hobby, but it's cheaper than cigars or sex, and it lasts longer. And it's way more fun than cigars.