8mm Film (15 fps - 80 frames per foot)
50 ft reel (3 inches) = 4:26 minutes
100 ft reel (4 inches) = 8:53 minutes
200 ft reel (5 inches) = 17:46 minutes
300 ft reel (6 inches) = 26:40 minutes
400 ft reel (7 inches) = 35:33 minutes
Super 8mm Film (18 fps - 72 frames per foot)
50 ft reel (3 inches) = 3:20 minutes
100 ft reel (4 inches) = 6:40 minutes
200 ft reel (5 inches) = 13:20 minutes
300 ft reel (6 inches) = 20:00 minutes
400 ft reel (7 inches) = 26:40 minutes
16 mm (24 fps - 40 frames per foot)
100 ft reel (3.5 inches) = 2:46 minutes
200 ft reel (5 inches) = 5:33 minutes
300 ft reel (6 inches) = 8:20 minutes
400 ft reel (7 inches) = 11:06 minutes
600 ft reel (9 inches) = 16:40 minutes
800 ft reel (10 inches) = 22:13 minutes
900 ft reel (7 inches) = 25:00 minutes
1200 ft reel (12 inches) = 33:20 minutes
1600 ft reel (16 inches) = 44:26 minutes
A DVD will hold about 1.5 hours of 8mm film (without music).
or 1200 ft.
Get an accurate estimate using this automatic film calculator from Kodak:
Film Calculator
Please call us with any questions you may have.
734-462-3592
8mm and 16mm Film History
The origin of the small gauge formats
16mm Film
The 16mm format was introduced as a system for amateur use in 1923 by Eastman Kodak in cooperation with Bell & Howell and Victor. These film and equipment manufacturers believe that this new system, less costly than the professionally employed 35mm, would be attractive to the general public. Previously, 17.5 mm film, and corresponding equipment, had been offered for amateur use, but Kodak wanted to discourage the use of this gauge which could be cut down, or slit, from combustible 35 mm film.
At that time, and as late as the fifties, 35mm theatrical films were shot and printed on cellulose nitrate base film. Cellulose nitrate is both highly combustible and susceptible to rapid deterioration in storage. Kodak's intention was to avoid the hazard of using, and the stringent requirements for projection of, nitrate base film by making the new format available only in safety base - cellulose acetate. Cellulose acetate base film is neither as combustible nor as subject to deterioration as the nitrate variety. If 17.5mm film had become the amateur standard, slit nitrate stock might have been offered for sale. Since 15mm film, however, cannot be cut economically from 35mm stock, this was avoided.
From the beginning, 16mm film was marketed as black and white reversal film, which can be projected and viewed as a normal image. This advantage would be attractive to the amateur since the actual camera film could be projected without the additional expense and delay of having a print made as the 35mm negative to positive system required.
16mm film did not have as much use as they hoped as home movie film as 35mm had with movie film.
It was not until the second world war that many people were exposed to 16mm filmmaking and technology. Then, the need for portable equipment to handle training and entertainment films led to the setting up of military standards for 16mm performance. Gradually, the virtues of 16mm became more generally known, and 16mm film stock and equipment were substantially improved.
Without commercials, TV news films, training films and documentaries, the creative home filmmaker would not have available this relatively high quality and technically sophisticated medium.
16mm's image is 4.5 times the area of the standard 8mm image, and about 3.5 times the area of the super 8 image. We can therefore expect crisper images and also better sound quality since its track has a greater width and travels at a higher speed.
There are two forms of the 16mm format: a double perforation, and a single perforation. 16mm was originally introduced in the double perforation form - sprocket holes along both edges of the film. One of the perforation row as was eliminated to make room for the sound track. For decades this space was used for optical sound track, but magnetic was used as well. There is a balance stripe on the other side of the film to keep the film spooled properly for the magnetic film.
Double 8mm film
By the early thirties it was believed in Rochester that 16mm film could be used in appropriately designed cameras to produce pictures half the height and width of the standard 16mm frame.
One half of the film could be used in appropriately designed cameras to produce pictures half the height and width of the standard 16mm frame. This is similar to the method used on dual track tape recorders.
After processing, the customer would send it to the lab and they would slit the film in half and spliced the halves together on a single reel.
Cameras and projectors had to be manufactured for the new format, and only slight modification of existing film specifications was necessary (it had to have twice as many perforations). One advantage, from the manufacturer's point of view, was the high degree of compatibility between the manufacture and processing 16mm and double 8 film. The amateur could be served by a medium of lesser quality, but with the advantage of greater economy.
Super 8mm Film
Despite growing quality in 8mm film and equipment, slumping sales helped encourage Eastman Kodak to seek out yet another new system for amateur use. One problem that had to be solved was the loading of film into the camera.
Kodak and Bell and Howell offered double 8mm film in cartridges, but they jammed so much that they had to be loaded by the factory, after time consuming and costly inspection, with fresh film.
After several years of research, Kodak offered super 8 format film in Instamatic cartridges in 1965. Super 8, and its Japanese equivalent, single 8, are the two latest (and last) additions to the filmmaker's choice in film format.
9.5 mm film
In England and France, a 9.5 mm format was produced. Introduced and popularized in Europe by Pathe, 9.5 mm was more or less killed off after 8mm's introduction, but some film by 3M and Kodak, and some equipment by Pathe, Heurtier and other European manufactures is offered.
The image area of 9.5mm is very nearly the same as 16mm. The perforations run down the center of the film between the frames.
Cameras and projectors for 9.5mm equipment can be produced in a smaller size for 16mm with an equivalent image quality. It did not become popular due to the equipment was only available in England and France.
Comparing 8mm and Super 8mm film
While both formats are 8mm wide, the super 8mm image is 50% larger than 8mm film.
Super 8mm perforations are narrower than the 8mm image so that the image size could be made wider and taller to retain the standard 1.33:1 aspect ratio. So the perforations had to be placed farther apart.
Also, the perforations have been changed so that they are along the side of each frame, not between the frame, as for 8mm.
Because of the greater height, the same running time, at the same number for frames per second, it uses about 10% more film than regular 8mm film.
Super 8mm sound Tracks and 8mm sound tracks
Standard 8mm sound track is adjacent to the perforations, while the super 8 track is opposite the perforations.
Figure 1: Super 8mm film has a sound track and a balance stripe on the perforation side.
Figure 2: 8mm sound film only has the magnetic track on the perforation side.
Coating or striping 8mm or super 8 with iron oxide magnetic material converts it into a form of magnetic tape. Magnetic oxide can be coated in the track positions before or after the film is processed. Similarly, the track can be recorded before or after the film is processed.
8mm magnetic sound projectors were made by Toei talkie, and Viewlex and Petri Kine Camera Co will play back optical 8mm film tracks. The image-sound separation for 8mm is 56 frames, which means that the magnetic sound recording precedes the picture by about eight inches.
At blue cloud video, we ONLY transfer the super 8mm magnetic sound film in a separate process from the film transfer.
Click here to download our process to see how we do this.
The image-sound separation for Super 8 is 18 frames which means that there is a lag of only 2/3 second magnetic track between image and sound at 24fps.
Since the sound stripe is raised above the film, a balance stripe of the same material is applied to the perforated side so that super 8 film will spool properly on the reel.
There is no room on 8mm for a balance stripe.
Both the 8mm and Super 8mm sound tracks are 0.03 inches wide (0.762 mm).
Super 8mm has superior sound from the 8mm for two reasons.
1. The stripe is located opposite the perforation side to prevent depressions, or valleys, in the surface of the film; oxide falling into these valleys would be held away from the recording or playback heads resulting reduced volume for that segment of the track. This cannot happen to the super 8 track which is separated from the perforations.
2. Since super 8mm film runs faster than 8mm film, increased speed in magnetic recording and reproduction devices can improve the high frequency or treble range and reduce wow and flutter, or variations in tape speed, which sound like changes in pitch.
8mm film and Super 8mm Film Compatibility
If quality was the only improvement from 8mm film to Super 8mm film, why not chose a larger film, say 9mm or 10mm wide? Well, keeping the width 8mm's wide allowed manufacturers to make multi-format cameras and projectors. This rocketed the Super 8mm format as the users with 8mm film cameras and equipment would buy new cameras and new multi-format projectors so that they could get the better quality.
View this video regarding data rot from CBS
