WHEN THE ZC1000 WAS JUST A DREAM OF SHIGEO MIZUKAWA...

When the best movie camera, the never sufficiently praised ZC1000, was still in the project phase on Shigeo Mizukawa's desk, already in March 1972 it caught the attention of Peter Dean, from the British magazine FILM MAKING, who wrote (sic):

Cover of March 1972 issue

Zooming in on the hardware scene, we come up with an interesting camera that Fuji brought out in Japan as part of the Single-8 system. It looks as though somebody has been carefully studying the Beaulieu 4008 ZM because they have produced --on paper at least -- the latter´s spitting image. The new Fuji Single-8 8Z 1000 (even the name sounds similar) will accept interchangeable lenses from 16 mm cameras in standar C-mount, has a mirror shutter, and pulse outlet for syncronised sound. One intriguing feature which I can´t wait to see is said to be an interchangeable reflex viewfinder. Now that´s something the Beaulieu hasn´t got (or any other 8 mm camere for that question), although the Beaulieu does go some way towards it by having a ground glass focusing screen which you can switch in or out of the finder. And, of course, the Fuji offers all the well-known advangages of the Single-8 cartridge: accurate film transport, ability fo reverse any amount of film at any stage of filming, precission pressure plate. Final Fuji trump card is ther new Super 10x zoom, from 8 to 80 mm (...) 

Part of the text of the article

Anyway, I believe Fuji have wisely set out to capture some of the professional market with their new model? It does seem more logical to use Single-8 than Super-8 professionally. If only the could  (a) make an even thinner base and double the running time of the cartridge; (b) bring out a fast colour film, and (c) call that colour film Kodachrome, all might be swept before them.

Ignacio interview to Shigeo Mizukawa for a British and a German magazines

• 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:

PRO 8MM