MODIFIED SUPER-8 CARTRIDGES BY PRO 8MM

In recent months, reports have multiplied about film transport failures in rear-loading Super-8 cameras when shooting with newly manufactured cartridges (summer 2025 batch).

In my case, this problem hardly affects me —as my regular readers know, I usually extract the raw film from Super-8 cartridges and reload it into Single-8 cartridges—, but it has become a serious concern for many users, and Kodak is now investigating the issue.

Meanwhile, the ever-resourceful Phil Vigeant, ASC, from Pro 8mm in Los Angeles, decided not to wait for a corporate fix.

While testing the rebuild of a Canon camera, he detected irregularities in the film take-up system when using recent Super-8 cartridges: the older ones worked flawlessly, but the new ones showed inconsistencies, especially in rear-loading cameras, whose mechanics depend on an extremely precise coupling between the take-up spindle and the cartridge hub.

Phil also noticed something more: even the way you hold the camera affects performance. When the cartridge hub faces downward, everything runs smoothly —but flip the camera and the take-up becomes erratic.

With no immediate solution from Kodak, Phil designed his own modification to the current Super-8 cartridge, achieving smooth, reliable take-up and preventing the dreaded jams.

I have just received three modified Vision 500 test cartridges from Pro 8mm to try with two of my rear-load Bauer A512 Mark II and C900 cameras.

The parcel, by the way, was held in customs for three weeks, and after wasting time with the usual paperwork, I even had to pay six euros to get it released. It seems that, in some aspects, we’re still living in the 19th century.

Bauer A512 Mark II

Still, the wait was worth it. These modified cartridges by Phil Vigeant ASC,  perfectly embody the spirit that keeps the Super-8 community alive —a mix of ingenuity, patience, and technical curiosity that often compensates for the lack of industrial solutions.

Since Phil was eager for results, I shot the three cartridges with the lens cap on and the aperture closed, so the film remained unexposed and could later be reloaded into Single-8 cartridges for future projects.

FIRST TEST: CARTRIDGE 8A.

Filmed with Bauer A512 Mark II at 18 fps, both vertically and horizontally.
The film advanced flawlessly from start to finish.

SECOND TEST: CARTRIDGE 9A.

Filmed with Bauer A512 Mark II at 12, 18, and 24 fps, in both positions.
Again, perfect transport until the last frame.

THIRD TEST: CARTRIDGE 13A.

Filmed with Bauer C900, another rear-loading camera, at 12, 18, and 24 fps.
Once more, the film ran smoothly and without any jams.

Bauer C900

CONCLUSION.

The cartridge modification developed by Phil Vigeant at Pro 8mm completely solves the transport issues affecting rear-loading cameras.

I would encourage Eastman Kodak to contact this member of the American Society of Cinematographers and consider incorporating his improvements into all Rochester-made Super-8 cartridges —it would save headaches for filmmakers worldwide and spare Kodak the trouble of returns.

Even after sixty years of life, Super-8 continues to remind us that technical creativity is also a form of resistance.

WHERE TO BUY SUPER-8 ITEMS? I always recommend the same store Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams use: Pro 8mm in Hollywood. They offer service in Spanish and English. They can be found at the following link: Pro 8mm