Tag Archives: say it ain’t so

Kodak releases ‘new’ Super 8 camera — the price will surprise you!

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Brian Hallett writing on ProVideo Coalition, was one of the first to report on The Brand New KODAK Super 8mm Film Camera.

Yes, this camera films on those boxy Super 8 cartridges, but it does so much more:

  • It has a 4″ LCD viewfinder with aspect ratio overlays, interactive menus and camera settings.
  • It has an extended gate, now 13.5:9 full frame (versus the traditional 4:3 or 12:9 aspect ratio) that will make cropping down to 16:9 a breeze.
  • It comes equipped with a detachable wide-angle 6 mm 1:1.2 C-mount lens but you can screw on any C-mount lens.
  • It records sound with an on-board sound recorder and via 3.5 mm input to an integrated SD card reader.
  • It runs crystal sync at 24 and 25 fps, plus over and under cranks at 18 and 36 fps.
  • It has a distinctive top handle and a pistol grip.

Here’s the full datasheet. And here’s their sizzle reel:

Curiously, Kodak first announced this camera in January 2016 at CES for “between $400 and $750.”

Funny, both the released camera and the prototype look an awful lot like the Logmar Humboldt S8.

Logmar’s next Super 8 camera, the Chatham S8, had a superior Latham loop mechanism that resulted in rock-steady registration, never seen before on Super 8. Check out this sample that actually looks like 16 mm footage:

Logmar’s latest C-mount Super 8 camera is the Gentoo GS8 that “uses standard Kodak 50 ft cartridges in combination with a re-usable spacer providing true pin registration.”

Oh, and by the way, the MSRP of Kodak’s “new” Super 8 camera is only $5,495 USD. That does include one cartridge of Super 8 film. No word on if that includes processing though.

My take: [shakes head] Kodak, Kodak, Kodak. You’re just trying to get this project off your books, right?

Sacha Baron Cohen leaves Freddie Mercury biopic

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I have a soft spot for Sacha Baron Cohen.

I think he’s brilliant; especially in his mockumentary work, like ‘Ali G Indahouse’, ‘Borat’ and ‘Bruno’. ‘The Dictator’ was so-so. But his acting in ‘Talladega Nights’ and ‘Hugo’ hint at his dramatic range.

So I was quite happy to hear he was cast as Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

Now comes sad news that Cohen has dropped out. Apparently, the band wants a ‘family-friendly’ film, whereas he wanted ‘a gritty R-rated tell-all’.

I’m with Sacha Baron Cohen on this one.

Why not shoot two films at the same time? One could be the public-facing, successful singer story with lots of music. The other could be the private man, his sexuality and his decline with AIDS. One PG, the other R-rated. And Sacha Baron Cohen can star in both!

My take: I’m available to write and direct. I still remember when ‘Killer Queen’ came out on the radio and how electric and different it sounded; I think it might have been the first time I heard flanging.