when you enter straight 8 2012 you get to pick from any of kodak's four awesome & very different super 8 filmstocks

your choice will have a really big effect on the look and feel of your finished film. especially since you can't edit, grade or do any post production on it. so to help you decide, we've knocked together the straight 8 filmstock guide with a lowdown on each of the films

Kodak Vision3 200T color negative film 7213

vision3 200t is the latest addition to kodak's super 8 range. it's a high-speed colour negative film stock and has a large exposure latitude and impressive sharpness of image resulting in great highlights, shadows and skin tones. amazingly, it gives you the fine grain of a 100 iso film, but with 200 iso sensitivity. the exposure latitude of negative film means that even if you don't get your exposure dead-right, you'll probably still have a watchable film.


twice upon a time by will & george
this is a great example of the versatility of 200t. will and george shot interiors and extreriors with various combinations of daylight and tungsten. the crazy light trails are achieved using long exposures on a moving bicycle.




the stages by corlin stubbs
this was shot in a california avocado grove, corlin's film shows how the same stock can perform really well in bright sunlight too.




compatability
the latitude of this negative film means that even if your camera mis-exposes it slightly, you'll still have a watchable result, but if you want your film to look great, check your instruction manual to make sure that your camera exposes the cartridge correctly. 200t cartridges have a filter notch built in so you don't need to canibalise the cartridge at all - just set your camera for tungsten or daylight in the way it's designed to be set. before you shoot, check out our post on filters here.

Kodak Vision 3 500T color negative film 7219

vision3 500t is a colour negative film much like the 200t, but faster. it's amazing low-light performance means it can capture pretty much what you can see with your eyes at dusk or even at night. we've been really impressed by how fine the grain is for such a fast film.

the fuel & wood situation by mat laroche
this film was made for our screening at sheffield doc/fest last november. the speed of 500t allowed mat to keep his picture bright and crisp with depth of field that would be impossible on a slower stock.



available light by stuart mcomie
also made for sheffield doc/fest this film was shot at night in a dark industrial environment - it's a great illustration of the ability of this stock to capture pretty much what you can see with the with your eyes in very low light.



compatibility
not a lot of cameras will read 500t as standard so you may need to use a seperate exposure meter for this one. this film has the same great latitude as 200t so you you've got a reasonable margin for error. if you're shooting your whole film in low-light you'll probably want the aperture wide-open anyway, if that's the case, almost any camera will work fine
500t does not have a filter notch in the cartridge, so you need to make your own - more on this here.

Kodak Ektachrome 100D color reversal film 7285

ektachrome 100d is the replacement for ektachrome 64t, which, in turn replaced the stalwart kodachrome 40. it's a super saturated, fine grain film with very high image quality and excellent color reproduction. if you're looking for that classic super 8 film look and you've got enough daylight, this may be the best choice.

island oasis by andrew lewis & kiel gookin
this film from slamdance is the only straight 8 film so far to be shot on this brand new stock. you may notice that their camera was misbehaving slightly (the exposure flicks up and down at times), but it still shows that 100d is the perfect stock for california sunshine.




carrots and spaghetti by mooch & dave
this was shot in new zealand on ektachrome 64t, the film that 100d replaced. the consensus among hardcore super 8ers is that 100d has brighter colours and a finer grain - so imagine, if you can, how good this would've looked on 100d.




compatibility
most super 8 cameras will read ektachrome 100d, but you need to be aware that it's daylight balanced (d = daylight, whilst t = tungsten) so when using 100d in daylight no 85 orange filter is needed, and if you want to use 100d in tungsten light you need to fit your own 80 blue filter
for more info on what we mean by this filter check out our post on the subject here.

Kodak Tri-X reversal film 7266

tri-x is a black and white reversal film suitable for general interior photography with artificial light. It can be used in daylight too and is particularly useful for action pictures taken at regular speed or slow motion in weak light (overcast sky or late in the day). tri-x is characterized by excellent tonal gradation and sharpness. in daylight it has an iso of 200 and 160 under tungsten.

connections by steve oram and nick lear
this classic straight 8 demonstrates how good tri-x can look when shot in low-light and in bright daylight. check out the drunken night time shots compared with the park scenes.




compatibility
most super 8 cameras will automatically expose tri-x correctly, but check the instruction manual to be sure. black and white film doesn't need colour balancing so you can remove the built-in 85 filter. if you leave the filter in it won't cause you any problems but we'd guess that it might increase contrast slightly. for more info on what we mean by this filter check out our post on the subject here.

filters in super 8 cameras

built in filters
when super 8 film first came out, it was all tungsten balanced. so if you shot your film in daylight you'd need to use an orange 85 filter to counteract the comparative blueness of daylight. you don't need to buy a filter - (almost) all super 8 cameras have a little one built in behind the lens. 

when shooting either vision3 200t or vision3 500t (the t stands for tungsten) in daylight you need to make sure that the filter is engaged.

most cameras have a switch or a key to remove the filter. 

the switches commonly have 2 symbols like this:

when your switch is set to the sun, for shooting in daylight, the filter is inserted behind the lens. when the switch is set to the lightbulb symbol, for shooting in tungsten light, the filter is removed.

keys are usually inserted into a slot in the top of your camera and often look like this:

when the key is inserted the filter is removed.

unfortunately this is complicated by the fact that many camera automatically remove the filter if the cartridge doesn't have a special notch in the side. it's much easier to show this in a video than in text, so please have a look at this gr8 explanation from pro8mm: http://vimeo.com/10132030

n.b. a vision3 200t cartridge does have a filter notch, but 500t does not.

ektachrome 100d is daylight balanced (hence the d), so you need to make sure that the 85 filter is removed for shooting in daylight. if your camera has a little switch inside the film compartment to read filter notches, this will happen automatically, otherwise remove the filter using the switch or key.

to colour balance 100d under tungsten light you need to use an 80 blue filter. there are no circumstances in which you'd want to leave the 85 filter in when shooting 100d.

tri-x is black and white, so needs no colour balancing - hooray. technically you should always shoot with the filter removed but it's no big deal if the filter stays in. we think it might even increase the contrast a little.


external filters
it's also possible to use external filters - some more hardcore super 8 users like to do this as the internal filters, which are plastic, can compromise image quality a tiny bit. you can buy or order the correct filters from most photographic shops, then just remove the internal filter and screw the external one onto the end of your lens.