ALKALINE vs. LITHIUM BATTERIES (Part Two of Two). Test report using a ZC1000 camera

In the first part of this analysis (HERE), we explained the objective methodology of the test: using only one Single-8 cartridge loaded with 15.25 m (50 ft) of polyester film, and running it forward and backward a total of 220 times at 18 fps, in daily sets of ten runs (five forward, five reverse). 

The goal was to find how many cartridges the Fujica ZC1000 can film with one set of four AA cells.

According to the camera’s designer, Shigeo Mizukawa, the ZC1000 maintains constant speed down to around 4.7 V, from the nominal 6 V obtained with four 1.5 V cells. In the conditions of this test, the camera’s consumption was approximately 380 mA at 18 fps.

RESULTS: LITHIUM WINS HANDS DOWN.

Varta Lithium AA

The Varta lithium AAs performed exceptionally:

• Four lithium cells can function down to –40 °C without issue, thanks to lithium chemistry designed for extreme conditions.

• After 100 cartridges, the battery pack still showed approximately 6.02 V, well above the 6 V nominal level.

  

  After 110 cartridges, 5.69 V, super excellent!

• At 110 cartridges, voltage dropped below 6 V for the first time (to 5.69 V), which is easily within acceptable operating range.

• Despite still being usable beyond this point, I stopped the test out of “mechanical shame” rather than necessity:  a testament to their endurance.

Lithium batteries set of 4:  63 g. only

Lithium cells are lighter (four weigh around 63 g) and inherently generate less waste than multiple alkaline sets. They also tend to hold charge longer over years when unused. 

About weigh of alkaline batteries, Panasonic Evolta weigh is around 95 g for a set of 4, and standard Panasonic around 93 for a set of 4. 

ALKALINE BATTERIES RESULTS.

Panasonic Standard Alkaline.

After the first 30 cartridges, standard Panasonic alkaline AAs had already dropped to about 5.46 V,  and after 40, 5.24V., a significant decline that suggests they are approaching the end of their useful life for reliable continuous filming.

Standard alkaline, 5.24 V after 40 cartridges.

Panasonic Evolta High-Performance Alkaline.

Panasonic’s Evolta, regarded as one of the best alkaline brands available, performed better:

• Around 60 cartridges, voltage was still approximately 5.45 V. 

  

  Evolta: 5.45 V, after 60 cartridges

  
  

• After 70 cartridges, voltage dropped to roughly 5.35 V — still within operational tolerance, but clearly inferior to the lithium cells.

The superiority of lithium batteries in both endurance and cold-weather stability is unmistakable.

Evolta: 5.35 V, after 70 cartridges, no bad.

Cost Comparison (Approximate).

To complete the picture, it’s useful to look at the cost per cartridge filmed based on current retail prices for typical battery packs.

Varta Lithium AA (pack of 4).
A typical pack of 4 AA lithium cells — the type that lasted over 100 cartridges — can be found for around the equivalent of €15–€20 on Amazon.
If we conservatively assume lithium enabled 100 cartridges, the cost per cartridge is roughly:

€0.15–€0.20 per cartridge

Panasonic Evolta AA (pack of 4).
A pack of four Evolta alkaline AAs costs in the region of ~€22–€23 (for a standard blister pack).
If they yield 70 cartridges:

€0.31–€0.33 per cartridge.

Standard Alkaline AAs
Even standard alkaline packs costing less upfront tend to deliver far fewer cartridges (as seen in the test). If a low-cost set yields only ~30 cartridges and costs, say, €10:

€0.33 per cartridge or more

CONCLUSIONS.

Performance.

Lithium AAs remain the clear champion for the ZC1000:

• Far greater endurance per set

• Superior performance at very low temperatures

• Lower weight and less frequent battery changes

• Lower effective cost per cartridge filmed

Environmental and Practical Considerations.

Alkaline batteries, even high-end ones such as Panasonic Evolta, degrade faster and produce more discard waste over time. Lithium cells, while slightly more expensive initially, outlast multiple sets of alkalines and are less likely to fail unexpectedly in the field — especially in cold conditions.

When filming under extreme conditions, the battery is not a minor detail: it marks the difference between captured image and mechanical silence. For decades, the Fujica ZC1000 has proven to be a reliable workhorse when powered well; now we have quantitative evidence showing the best way to keep it running.

XAVIER “X” ATENCIO: The Legacy of an Artist, Imagineer and Disney Legend.

A few days ago, a beautifully produced volume arrived from the United States: Xavier “X” Atencio, The Legacy of an Artist, Imagineer and Disney Legend (Tori Atencio McCullough, Kelsey McCullough and Bobbie Lucas, 2025).

It is one of those books that immediately reveals its intentions through its physical presence: large format, elegantly bound in hardcover, printed on high-quality paper, and richly illustrated with images drawn from the Atencio family archive. Before even turning a page, one senses that this is not a superficial tribute, but a serious act of preservation.

From Inbetweener to Disney Legend

Xavier “X” Atencio’s professional life reads like a condensed history of mid-century American animation and themed entertainment. He began humbly, working as an inbetweener on Pinocchio and Fantasia, two pillars of classical animation. From there, his trajectory expanded in unexpected and fascinating directions.

Atencio went on to become a writer, lyricist and creative force behind some of the most iconic attractions ever built for the Disney parks. The unforgettable “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me)” from Pirates of the Caribbean remains, decades later, one of the most recognizable theme park songs in the world—proof that melody and storytelling can transcend generations.

He also shared in an Academy Award for Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (1953), the first Walt Disney cartoon produced in CinemaScope—an experimental leap into widescreen animation that marked a technical and aesthetic milestone for the studio.

Stop-Motion at Disney: A Quiet Revolution

I first learned of this book thanks to Professor Adrián Ancinas, and my interest was immediate. Atencio, together with Bill Justice and T. Hee, played a decisive role in persuading Walt Disney in the late 1950s to explore stop-motion animation within the studio.

That decision would lead to some of the most inventive title sequences and hybrid effects in Disney’s live-action productions. The original opening credits of The Parent Trap (1961) remain essential viewing—an elegant and playful demonstration of stop-motion craftsmanship.

Their influence is also visible in scenes that many of us remember vividly: the animated toys in Mary Poppins, for instance, or the charming and visually inventive shorts Noah’s Ark (1959) and A Symposium on Popular Songs (1962). These works represent a fascinating intersection between classical animation, experimental technique and popular culture.

A Spanish Heritage in Colorado

There is another detail that makes Atencio’s story especially compelling: his family, Spaniards, had been established in Colorado since the sixteenth century, many years before the initial English settlement at Jamestown—maintaining Spanish as their family language across centuries. That continuity of cultural identity, stretching from early Spanish presence in North America to twentieth-century Hollywood, adds an unexpected and deeply human dimension to his biography.

A Book Worth Owning

This volume is more than a biography; it is a visual and historical document. The quality of reproduction of the archival illustrations is outstanding, and the narrative places Atencio not merely as a contributor, but as a connective thread linking classic animation, widescreen experimentation, stop-motion innovation and theme park storytelling.

For those of us who care about the craft—about the intersection of artistry, technology and imagination—Xavier Atencio’s life reminds us that behind every “magic” moment stands a disciplined artist, often working quietly across decades.

Books like this matter. They rescue names from footnotes and restore them to their rightful scale.

And in doing so, they remind us that cinema—and its extended worlds—are built not only by visionaries like Walt Disney, but by the remarkable craftsmen and storytellers who stood beside him.

FRENTE AL ÚLTIMO KODAK, ¡SANTIAGO!

La última semana de enero filmé un breve ensayo cinematográfico sobre la primera tienda de Zara del mundo, que estuvo situada frente al último luminoso de Kodak en La Coruña. 

Un cortometraje fílmico que, a través de un paseo cotidiano y con narración extradiegética, reflexiona sobre memoria urbana, infancia y permanencia, sobre aquello que creemos inmutable hasta que deja de estar.

Esta tarde, a primera hora, cuando registraba la locución, me hice un auto retrato frente al micrófono. 

Fuji P2 con un anamórfico rotado 90 grados

Una rareza técnica e histórica.

La película está rodada en Plus 8, un formato vertical de Súper-8 creado para la ocasión mediante un anamórfico de los años 50 rotado 90 grados: un formato vertical del siglo XXI con tecnología del siglo XIX.

La cámara utilizada fue una diminuta Fuji P2, cargada con emulsión Kodak Vision 500, traspasada manualmente a cartuchos de Single-8.

El material procede, además, de metraje sobrante de una prueba que realicé para Phil Vigeant, de Pro8mm, en Los Ángeles, en colaboración con la división cinematográfica de Kodak. El revelado y telecinado se realizaron de forma altruista en Retrolab Cinema, de Malaga. 

Un método de trabajo poco ortodoxo.

Como es habitual en mis rodajes, el guion no existe antes de filmar. Llevo apenas unas ideas hilvanadas en la cabeza, que transmito al intérprete, en este caso Javier Suárez,  y después, con ese material revelado, monto junto a mi factótum Álex López.

Solo entonces escribo el guion definitivo, casi siempre concebido como narración extradiegética. El problema es que no soy locutor. Y aquí entra Santiago, no la capital de Galicia, sino el gran Santiago Fernández, maestro de locutores y actores de doblaje.

Álex y mi buen amigo Marcos (ahora en el gremio sanitario), recibieron de él los secretos del oficio, que me transmiten, e intento absorber, aunque sea de oídas (¡aunque me niego a leer de pie!, por mi dolorosa lesión de espalda)

Mientras grababa hoy la voz en off, pensaba en la sabiduría de Santiago, cuando una vez me comentó cómo una frase mal dicha puede arruinar una imagen, en tanto que una frase bien sostenida puede elevarla. Uno, hace lo que puede.

Por otra parte, espectacular la voz y dicción de Álex, locutando el agradecimiento final de INDITEX.

Un permiso pendiente.

Quienes han visto el resultado (Álex, Javier, Nena,  la profesora Sara Valiño y el director de Retrolab, Juan Carlos Olivo),  quedaron entusiasmados. Todos coinciden en que desde Inditex valorarán el tratamiento respetuoso y la singularidad técnica. Confiemos, pues,  en que autoricen su difusión pública. Si no fuera así, la película solo podrá proyectarse en círculos cerrados y restringidos. Pero, de una forma u otra, ya es historia, porque esa tienda cerró. Sin embargo, alguien estuvo allí, con una cámara diminuta y un anamórfico girado noventa grados, registrando el instante en que la memoria se despedía.

ALKALINE vs. LITHIUM BATTERIES (Part One of Two). Test Report for the ZC1000

Since I was a secondary school student, my reference camera has been the Fujica ZC1000. What always fascinated me most was its remarkably low power consumption. According to the instruction manual, four AA alkaline batteries are sufficient to film approximately seven cartridges. In my own experience, however, I consistently reached fifteen cartridges — and even then, the batteries still had usable charge left. I would replace them almost out of mechanical "shame" rather than necessity.

It is worth remembering that the ZC1000 also features an external leather battery pack for four D-type batteries, designed specifically for sub-zero filming. With that accessory, autonomy increases dramatically, allowing the camera to operate for hours in extreme conditions.

Panasonic Alkaline Power, Panasonic Evolta and Varta Lithium

TEST REPORT WITH 4 AA BATTERIES.

The purpose of this test is to determine, as objectively as possible, how many actual cartridges the ZC1000 can film with a single set of four AA batteries.

Given that many of my projects take place at temperatures of –20 °C or lower, and that I aim to minimize waste wherever possible, the analysis will not be limited to a single brand.

The Three Contenders:

• Standard Panasonic Alkaline Power (made in Europe);

• Panasonic Evolta (high-performance alkaline, made in Europe);

• Varta Lithium AA (made in China!).

Panasonic Evolta batteries are widely regarded as among the best alkaline cells on the market. Varta lithium batteries, on the other hand, promise longer endurance, better performance in extreme cold, and reduced voltage drop under load.

Planned Methodology

• Continuous running of 3.355 meters (11.000 ft) of film; 

• After every ten cartridges, cheking voltage drop;

• Partial repetition of the test in a very cold environment;

• Observation of the weight and volume of waste generated by each battery type.

This test is not only about endurance. It is also about reliability in extreme cold, waste reduction, and cost-to-performance ratio. When filming under severe conditions, the battery is not a minor detail: it marks the boundary between captured images and mechanical silence.

If the ZC1000 has proven anything over decades, it is that when properly powered, it is an almost indestructible machine.

As a curious technical note: for the test I used only one and only one single Single-8 cartridge loaded with 15.25 meters (50 feet) of polyester film. I ran it forward and backward a total of 220 times!!! continuously at 18 fps, in daily sets of ten runs (five forward, five reverse).

In the next chapter, I will share the results.

Stay tuned.

I ran this cartridge 220 times!, in the ZC1000 

LET FILM BREATHE: triacetate film needs to “breathe.” Notes from a Film Archivist

If I´m not projecting valuable triacetate titles of my film archive for a while, them, I make a point of rewinding the prints from head to tail and back again at least once a year. This practice is, of course, unnecessary with polyester film, whose chemical stability and base characteristics make it far less vulnerable to the same risks.

Many years ago, during a preservation course I attended in Rochester, Kodak recommended that for proper storage of triacetate film, the emulsion should generally be kept wound inward. However, they also advised that the winding direction be occasionally reversed. This simple action helps relieve tension and promotes a healthier internal balance within the roll over time.

In that respect, projectors such as the long-play Fumeo VI, which rewinds the receiving reel in reverse orientation, are ideal for the archivist with limited time. With each screening, one can automatically comply with Kodak’s recommendation, combining projection and preservation in a single gesture.

VENTILATED STORAGE BOXES.

An adequately ventilated archive vault would be of little use if triacetate films were stored in airtight cans or sealed containers.

When archived in boxes, reels should have ventilation openings to allow proper air circulation. Without airflow, degradation byproducts can accumulate within the container, accelerating chemical decay rather than slowing it. A film vault protects the environment around the reel; ventilation protects the environment within it.

Preservation is not only about temperature and humidity. It is also about allowing film to breathe—subtly, invisibly—so that time moves more slowly across its surface.

SUPERNATURAL GIFT FROM SOLEDAD MIRANDA

Some gifts seem to arrive carrying a historical weight, almost metaphysical. About ten years ago, following my advice, Soledad Miranda purchased a Bauer C109 from the fondly remembered French shop of André Egido. Recently, she decided to part with two Super 8 cartridges she would not be using, which had been resting in her dressing table drawer for years. With a generosity I deeply appreciate, she has given them to me.

One is a Kodak Tri-X, a black-and-white emulsion I have always loved: noble, contrasty, with that organic grain that turns light into substance.

But the other cartridge is something else entirely: a Provia 100 in Super 8, an absolutely cult emulsion, packaged for a brief period by Tak Kohyama of Retro Enterprises from the glorious Fujichrome Provia 100 slide film. It belonged to a strange, almost twilight era, when color reversal seemed destined to disappear and Fujifilm was the only remaining option, since Kodak had, at that time, abandoned Ektachrome.

Tak undertook a considerable investment in a machine capable of reperforating 35 mm film down to Super 8. For a small company, this was no minor technical feat. Adapting a film designed for still photography to the demanding 8 mm Type S gauge required precision, risk, and faith in a market already wounded.

Retro Enterprises began selling Provia 100 in Super 8 cartridges at a moment when no other color reversal stock existed. It was also offered in Single-8, the system created by Fujifilm in 1965, and “killed” by the same company in 2014, although the format survives thanks to those of us who continue to reload our own cartridges.

Then, suddenly, without warning (very much in keeping with the enigmatic nature of Fujifilm), the film supply was cut off. The project was abruptly terminated. Thus ended that brief golden age of Provia in motion picture form.

The cartridge now in my hands is therefore a relic of that adventure. There is no way of knowing which batch it belongs to whether it is from the early runs, now quite expired and potentially affected by perforation issues, or from a later, more stable production. It is, quite literally, an encapsulated unknown.

Shooting with it will be a game of photochemical Russian roulette. Will there be chromatic stability? Unpredictable color shifts? Perforation deviations?

In any case, risk is part of the charm. This is not merely a cartridge: it is a capsule of industrial history, of technical resistance, of romantic stubbornness.

Thanks to Soledad Miranda, I now have the opportunity to face that challenge.

And ultimately, what is photochemical cinema if not precisely this? To measure the light,  and to accept that sometimes uncertainty is part of the miracle.

RESTAURACIÓN DE LA ZAPATA DE LOS RODILLOS DENTADOS DE UN FUMEO 9119 DE SÚPER-8 (2 de 2)

Tras la introducción de la entrada precedente, toca ahora aplicar la fórmula que le fue revelada a Álex por un ingeniero de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas que, en sus ratos libres, se dedica a restaurar aparatos militares obsoletos, en una mezcla de saber empírico, paciencia monástica y liturgia química que funciona sorprendentemente bien. Esta receta para el aluminio herido debe seguirse con exactitud casi bíblica.

Zapata sin restauración

EL BAÑO PURIFICADOR.

Las zapatas o presores de aluminio, una vez desmontadas del proyector de cine Fumeo 9119,  se sumergen en vinagre blanco no seis minutos, ni ocho, sino exactamente siete.
Ni uno más ni uno menos, pues la precisión es importante para atacar la oxidación del aluminio sin dañar la física de la pieza.
Siete minutos, siete, como los días de la Creación.
Tras ese tiempo, la superficie comienza a mostrar signos claros de que la costra de óxido ha sido debilitada.

Zapata casi restaurada

EL DESPRENDIMIENTO DEL PECADO.

Inmediatamente después, se procede al frotado con cepillo, agua y jabón de lavavajillas marca Mistol.
En este paso se eliminan los restos de óxido reblandecido por el vinagre, y la pieza empieza a revelar su auténtica naturaleza metálica bajo la pátina de abandono.

Zapata casi restaurada

LA TRIPLE LIJA (AL AGUA).

Seguidamente llega el trabajo de finura ucraniana: la lija con la zapata mojada, lo que se denomina “lija al agua”. En un primer paso se utiliza lija de grano 400 al agua para eliminar irregularidades profundas. En un segundo paso se emplea lija de grano 600 al agua para refinar la superficie. En el paso final, con lija de grano 1000 al agua, se borran los últimos rastros de arañazos visibles. Cada fase del lijado es un proceso lento, casi meditativo, en el que cada pasada devuelve al aluminio su dignidad original.

LAVADO Y SECADO.
A continuación, una nueva limpieza con agua y jabón, tras lo cual se seca cuidadosamente la zapata con un paño limpio.
En este punto, el presor ya no parece un resto arqueológico, sino que vuelve a revelarse como una auténtica pieza mecánica, incluso mejor que cuando salió de Via Teocrito, 47, en Milán.

Sidol: imprescindible

EL BRILLO FINAL.
Se aplica Aladdin (de Sidol) con algodón, no como quien pule una cacerola, sino como quien restaura un instrumento científico. Poco a poco aparece un brillo profundo, metálico y elegante, en el que el aluminio recupera su presencia.

Las dos zapatas ya instaladas

LA PROTECCIÓN.

Por último, se aplica una gotita de WD-40 con un paño limpio, no para engrasar, sino para proteger. Fumeo pintaba estos presores precisamente para proteger el aluminio: la pintura era la barrera contra la oxidación. Pero, como demuestra este caso, en ambientes con humedades superiores al 80 % durante más de treinta años, aquella protección no fue suficiente. En esta restauración en concreto, conscientemente, se ha decidido no repintarlos. La pintura original todavía se fabrica (disponemos de la referencia exacta), pero el acabado pulido del aluminio desnudo es tan bello que merece quedarse así. No es una traición al diseño original, sino una reinterpretación respetuosa.

Primera parte del artículo: CLIQUE AQUÍ PARA LEERLA