A well known problem with the Super-8 is that due to the design of the cartridges, coaxial, with a tortuous path for the film, if the film is not well lubricated, or by any small mechanic defect, the film can jam.
Some filmmakers blame against the film manufacturer, but the main guilty is the camera manufacturer, who, in certain models, has relied the force of film advance mainly on the claw in the over the gate, and not on the cartridge axis.
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| Eumig: moving the axis with a plastic cam: a shit of system! |
For a repair, I disassembled a Eumig Nautica. My surprise was to see that the motor does not move the cartridge axis with a worm gear or any other direct system, but rather moves it with a plastic cam at the same time as the meter counter. A system that is crap! because it transmits very little force if there are any anomaly of the cartridge or the film itself.
I looked at what the drive system on a ZC1000 camera: both filming forward and backward, the two axes of the cartridge move thanks to a direct drive with gears and worn gear (all gears fully made of metal).
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| ZC1000: moving the axis with metalic gears and worn hear: excellent! |
In short, the film advance troubles on certain Super-8 cameras due to poor technical design of the camera, which can only pull the film if the cartridge is in ideal condition.
- IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR THOSE FILMMAKERS WHO WISH TO INCORPORATE SUPER-8 INTO THEIR PROFESSIONAL OFFER:
For those readers in the professional field who believe it is convenient to offer Super-8 in their service portfolio, I always recommend Pro 8mm, the same provider used by Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee or J.J. Abrams.
My recommendation is proven: it certainly makes me proud to work with Phil and Rhonda Vigeant, whose efforts on Super-8 have been recognized by the ASC.
At Pro 8 mm they serve in Spanish and English, in the following link, and shipping to Europe takes only 3 days!
The complete catalog of products and services can be seen at the following link:
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