Scanning 4×5 Large Format Film

…using the Epson Expression 10000XL in the Visual Resource Center at UCCS.  The Epson software took a few minutes to set up but I suppose that it’s nice that once everything is calibrated I just hit the scan button and go off to do something else for about 20-30 minutes.  Or once a few images are done I’ve started working on those in Photoshop and backing everything up while I wait.  Also I’m writing this post (though as you read it it’s months later).

What do I think of the Epson Expression?  It’s as big a piece of crap as the V600 but at least it does 4×5 film.  It’s the only scanner on campus that can do large format.  Thanks to this site I found out that I could only do 2400dpi scans, but considering how long it takes to do those I don’t think I’d have the patience to let it do longer.  One thing I noticed, is that you must keep track of this:

(7 min. my ass…)
If the scanner isn’t making noise for a while, click that to get the damn thing working again; it’s like the scanner went out for a smoke break and needs to be kicked back into the building to do some work.

I’ve been printing some of these in the darkroom as well, but now that I have digital access to all my negatives I can see things I would have earlier, like where the dust has been caked in, just how bad my developing technique was starting out, how many times I missed focus (I think I should be using a loupe), things like that.  And the successes are quite successful, here’s an example:

Cowboy weaponry at the ready.  Kodak T-Max 400 pulled 1 stop.  

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Some film cameras, shot on film

Most of these are old pictures, but I wanted to put them all in one place. There might even be a Vol.2 someday.  So many people use a digital camera to take pictures of their cameras and I’m tired of seeing that so I decided a while ago that I would only shoot film to take pictures of my cameras.  So every few rolls if I think about it, I’ll burn a few exposures on this subject.

With the exception of the picture that features my SPII, these were all taken with my beloved Spotmatic and when I really got serious about it I started using a tripod, long exposures (in the range of 30-90sec), and shooting with my 4/50 S-M-C Macro-Takumar.  Before that it was all with either the 1.4/50 Yellow 50 or the 1.8/55 SMC, and got some good examples of Takumar bokeh.

I don’t dance but I learned the Nikon Shuffle

Because I just happened to find a camera that requires it, at a thrift store, for 1/8 the price that the F2 had cost me.  Had I waited another day I might have gotten it for half off, but then again someone might have snatched it up before me.  A bird in the hand, right?

The Nikon F Apollo (the meter doesn’t work but hey, the shutter speeds are “surprisingly accurate” according to my guy at Cameraworks when he checked it out).  So a camera that can at least do Sunny-16, this will make a good backup/secondary body for the time being.  And once again, I’m not doing the Nikon Shuffle.  As a bonus it came with a (very dirty and scratched) pre-AI 50mm f/1.4 Nikkor-SC lens.  I suppose that if I wanted to put the money into it, I could buy a working Photomic finder (it’ll cost me nearly twice as much as I’m into it for right now) and send the whole thing out for a CLA.  I’ll definitely do a CLA at some point, I hear that Cameraquest is the go-to for the Nikon F.

I found this camera about two weeks after I put my F2A on layaway so I was already committed to the Nikon system, but this is officially the first fully professional camera that I’ve ever shot.  Ironically (or maybe not), I used it as a hammer before I ever put a roll of film through it.  Not too different from the Uzi as it’s a bit “loose” in some of its parts but the manufacturing tolerances are such that it just works.  I felt the same thing about this Nikon F: there’s quite a bit of play in the finder, winding lever, and film door, so I shot a few tests to confirm that it is in fact still light-tight.  And considering that the shutter speeds are still accurate after God knows how long since its last CLA, I have to say that I’m pretty damn impressed.

So now that I’ve handled both for months and shot rolls through them what do I think?  As you might imagine there’s not a whole lot of difference between them, they’re both solidly built fine pieces of machinery, and just look at the picture to see how similar they are.  But I will say: everything that the F did the F2 does better.  It’s a refined design in every way, from the placement of the shutter release, the improved mirror lockup, the faster shutter speed, the swing-out film door, the light meter switch, light meter sensitivity.  I’ve seen a bit of discussion online about the F vs. the F2 and really there’s no reason to choose the original F…unless you happen to find a screaming deal on one like I did.

The one advantage that this camera has for me over my F2 is its look. It might be more evident if these were color photos but this F has some beautiful brassing on nearly every corner.  These two Nikons aren’t the first black cameras I’ve had but this is the first where I’ve paid attention to the patina, evidently it’s something very much desired.  I don’t think much of people who pay to get a camera looking like this (and I’ve seen it done a few times) but I’m happy to inherit its bumps and bruises.  While the F2 looks nearly pristine it’s very obvious that this F has seen some history and if it could talk I’d buy it several drinks to hear what it’s seen.

Shipping Super 8 film

Ok yes I already figured total cost of shooting super 8 film…but I didn’t figure total total cost, as there are some additional costs: shipping, and the time it takes!  But it’s so subjective depending on how far you’re shipping, how many rolls at once, what courier, how fast you want it to get there.  I sent off some super 8 to Pro8mm, USPS Ground cost $11.05 shipping from my local post office in Colorado to Burbank, CA, and shipping from there to Nicholas Coyle in Denver (plus insurance) came out to $9.74.  So that’s a total of $20.79, and then the film has to be shipped from Coyle back to me at some point which will cost $4 more (he’s holding the footage until he gets his 6.5K scanner so I can compare/contrast with his current 2K setup).  So the grand total there is just under $25.  But let’s talk about X-rays:

How well do these work?  I don’t exactly know. 

USPS Ground took exactly one week; I use Ground usually because if it goes on an airplane the chances increase that it will pass through an X-ray and/or CT scanner no matter what is written on the package.  I talked to a nice young lady at FedEx about that a few years ago and she said that the handlers at the processing centers will usually honor stickers with official branding like Kodak’s, but there are no guarantees there.  I sent that package FedEx express because I needed film processed for a class and needed it there and back ASAP but talked to other shipping professionals for their opinion.  From what I’ve been told, USPS Ground is the only service guaranteed not to pass through an X-ray or other scanner, because it never travels on an airplane.  I still tape several of these on the box, just in case.  If I were in a hurry, I would use FedEx but only as a last resort: I’d rather it take a few days longer to get there and be completely safe.

I’ve written about avoiding x-ray scanners before, and I’ve even sent a roll of Tri-X through the scanner twice to see what would happen.  But I’m not about to take the chance with movie film.  If you need the “Do Not X-ray” stickers look no further:
DO NOT X-RAY label
I rarely send undeveloped film through the mail, thankfully have never had a problem, and I hope you don’t either!

There’s an additional additional cost: hard drives.  And I just bought another for my Mac (this one in fact) that cost $300 but that was to hold sound libraries, etc.  Thankfully I have a couple so if I have to send one with the film so it can be scanned this won’t be a big problem, because the last thing in the world I want right now is to drop more money on another hard drive.  But you should know that if you don’t send in a hard drive your scanning house will probably charge you for one, depending on where you go.  Now I’ve touted Nicholas Coyle Film & Video before (and will continue to do so!) because it’s the best-priced 2K scan that I’ve found, and I’ve done a lot of research on that front.  Another great thing about Coyle is that he’ll let you download the footage online for free which means no messing with hard drives!  For the larger projects you’d want to send one though, as it might be many Gigabytes.  This is the first time in 3 years that I’ve shot/processed/scanned super 8 film so it’s good I’m writing this as it’s fresh in my mind.

Now for the time aspect: I dropped the film at the post office on Monday 04/20, it arrived at Pro8mm a week later 04/27, was shipped out Thursday 04/30, arrived in Denver on Monday 05/04, and I was downloading scans 2 days later, so turnaround time was just a little under 2.5 weeks.

Total cost of one roll Super 8 film in 2020

Back at the end of 2018 I compiled all the information I could find about pricing of film/developing/scanning, looking at different film labs and scanning houses.  I don’t know everything, and there are probably developing labs and scanning houses I don’t know about, but these seem to be the main ones.  All values rounded up to the nearest dollar. Prices for D94 and ECN-2 developing.  In a few cases I’ve included some E-6 prices, expect to pay more for the film and the processing.  Shipping prices not included as they vary, the same with hard drives, but it must be said that those are extra expenses that must be taken into account.  Some labs will sell you a hard drive for a markup, but it’s always cheaper to buy your own to send in.  These are all labs and scanning houses located in the continental USA.  For the entire world I suggest this great list of film-related businesses.

So let’s get this out of the way first: The cheapest place to buy fresh newly-manufactured film is directly from KODAK.  The annoying thing is that they keep changing their online store every year so as you’re reading this maybe it’s up and maybe not, you’ll just have to click the link and see; I will try to keep the link updated.  You an always call 1(800) 621-FILM.  Kodak charges $30 for b/w reversal and color negative stocks (with a 30% discount if you’re a student, so about $21), Ektachrome is $40.  I don’t know why so many people buy from standard retailers other than general laziness.  Admittedly there are extra shipping charges with Kodak and to ship one roll by itself costs about $9-10 but that’s the same whether you buy 1 roll or 20.  But let’s look at a few other places:

Film Club of America: Tri-X $30 (currently on-sale for $27), 50D/200T/500T $33 (free shipping)
Mono No Aware: ORWO U-54/N-74 $25, Tri-X/50D-200T/500T $30, E100 $40 (I have no idea how much shipping is and they don’t necessarily have an online store, you would have to fill out their contact form)
Film Photography Project (FPP): Tri-X/50D/200T/500T $33, E100 $46 (shipping varies by quantity, $3.50-21)
B&H Photo and Video: Tri-X/50D/500T $33, 200T $35, E100 $46 (free shipping, but added sales tax)
Adorama: Tri-X/500T $37, 50D/200T $38 (free shipping on all)
Pro8mm Process/Scan package: Tri-X/50D/200T/250D/500T $58 ($33+25 processing which you’ll need anyway), E100 $70 (plus shipping)
Freestyle Photo: Tri-X $35, E100 $48 (plus shipping)
International Film Brokers: Tri-X/50D/200T/500T $33, E100 $42 (+7 shipping for 2 carts, varies for larger quantities)
Amazon.com: Tri-X $41, $500T $41, E100 $55 (at least when I last checked…I’m sure the price can fluctuate a bit)

You get the picture.  So on top of this you’ll have to get the film developed, and scanned to digital, unless you know enough about cutting/splicing as well as owning an 8mm projector.  If so I doubt you need much help from me.  It should also be noted that Film Club USA and Mono No Aware are non-profits, and FPP makes a lot of donations to photography programs all over America.  Adorama and B&H do things a bit differently when it comes to charging sales tax vs. charging more for the item sometimes, it usually ends up the same.

I was also given some information about regular 8mm film AKA Double 8, FPP started selling some and there’s also International Film Brokers.  Sometimes it’s not apparent who manufactured the film (though the only ones to my knowledge are Kodak, ORWO, and Foma), it’s slit (usually) by a third party, and the supply is low.  If you’re interested in Double 8 you’ll have to compile your own information.

FULL PACKAGE DEALS (film/processing/scanning)
FPP: 2K $93, 4K $103 (not really a combo deal but they do sell all three)
Pro8mm: 2K $98, 4K $118, 6.5K $158 (Ektachrome 2K $118, 4K $138)
Spectra: HD $125

PROCESS AND SCAN PACKAGE DEALS (not including cost of film)
Cinelab (student rate): 2K $46, 4K $63
Cinelab (regular rate): 2K $55, 4K $75
FPP: 2K $60, 4K $70
Pro8mm: 2K $75, 4K $88, 6.5K $128

So basically add whatever your film cost to that to get the total price, and compare to the full package deals offered above.  Here are a few examples of what you should expect to pay using multiple sources, though still to be factored in are hard drives and shipping.  There are so many options for that that I didn’t bother including any.

And then the old “PROCESS AT ONE LAB AND SCAN AT ANOTHER” (including cost of film from Kodak, presented as “Process”/”Scan”)
Spectra/Coyle (student rate & no telecine prep): 2K $56, 4K $61
Cinelab/Coyle (student rate): 2K $59, 4K $64
Spectra/Coyle: 2K $65, 4K $70 (no telecine prep)
Cinelab/Coyle: 2K $70, 4K $75
Cinelab/FPP (student rate): 2K $74, 4K $84
Cinelab/Gamma Ray (student & cheapest rate): 2K $74
Pro8mm/FPP (student rate): 2K $76, 4K $86
Pro8mm/FPP: 2K $85, 4K $95
Cinelab/FPP: 2K $85, 4K $95
Pro8mm/Cinelab: $85, 4K $105
Cinelab/Gamma Ray (student rate): 2K $92, 5K $108
Cinelab/Gamma Ray: 2K $98, 5K $117

PROCESSING ALONE (without film or scanning)
Dwayne’s Photo (Parsons, KS): $12 (E6 only, I’m listing because it’s the best price I’ve seen; prep for telecine is $2 extra for up to 8 rolls)
Spectra (North Hollywood, CA): $20 (E6 $20) (no prep for telecine)
Cinelab (New Bedford, MA): $23 (E6 $28) (student rate, with prep for telecine)
Yale Film & Video (Valencia, CA): $24 (E6 $26) (no prep for telecine)
Cinelab: $25 (E6 $30) (regular rate, with prep for telecine)
Pro8mm (Burbank, CA): $25 (E6 $25) (with prep for telecine)
Kodak Film Lab NY: $25 (this is according to people that have called them; they do not advertise that they process super 8 film)
Spectra: $44 (includes minimum $24 prep for telecine, assuming one is shooting 8 or more rolls of film that cost is $23 per roll)
Yale: $47 (includes minimum $25 prep for telecine, I think that’s ~$24.50-25 per roll on volume but is listed as $50 per hour, no other info)

SCANNING ALONE
Nicholas Coyle Film Film & Video Transfer (Denver, CO): 3K/2K $15-25, 6.5K/4K $20-30 (4K scans coming mid-2020) ($.30-.50, $.40-.60 per foot)
Gamma Ray (cheapest scans): $28 (SDR, ProRes422HQ)
Film Photography Project (Fair Lawn, NJ): 2K $30, 4K $35 ($.60, $.70 per foot)
Cinelab (student rate): 2K $30, 4K $45 ($.60, <$1 per foot)
Cinelab (New Bedford, MA): 2K $30, 4K $50 ($.60, $1 per foot)
Negativeland (Ridgewood, NY): 2.5K $32 (>$.60 per foot)
CinePost (Marietta, GA): 2K $35, 4K $45 ($.70, $.90 per foot, and some good volume discounts)
Gamma Ray (Allston, MA): 2K $43, 5K $62 (HDR ProRes4444HQ)
Movette (San Francisco, CA): 2K $44 ($.66 per foot but a minimum order amount of $44, otherwise would be $33 per cart)
Pro8mm (Burbank, CA): 2K $50, 4K $63, 6.5K $100 ($1, $1.25 and $2 per foot)
Spectra: HD $80

There are volume discounts applicable for each place I think, I didn’t take that into consideration as much because I’ve never shot enough for that to matter…yet. Still, I doubt that it’s likely to change the labs’ placement here.  All film processing costs include the prep for telecine.  I consider 2K to be the lowest acceptable resolution, and have also included the maximum resolution available, either 4K or 5K.  Pro8mm is offering a 20% discount if you’re not in a hurry and can wait 4-6 weeks.

Kodak Digitizing Box can be found here.  No info on what resolution, and it takes 4-6 weeks turnaround.  It’s a pretty new service but I thought I’d at least mention that it’s an option.  It’s $80 for two reels. It’s possible they’re sending everything to Pro8mm, but I don’t have enough information for that.

There are a few home scanning machines available new, the cheapest being the Wolverine (~$400) and the Reflekta (~$900), but they have low build quality and low resolution.  I know some people still say the top resolution of Super 8 film is about 720p and there’s no need to scan beyond that, but those people are largely idiots.  It has been proven that you’ll get sharper and more detailed images scanning in higher resolutions even if you’re viewing at standard 1080p HD, plus you’re future-proofing your scan as well.  Here are a few articles pertaining to this:
–Busting the Resolution Myth
–Is Transferring Super 8 Film to 5K Overkill?
Now for $400 you could transfer 26 rolls of Super 8 film and higher quality, so there’s no way it’s practical for small projects.  And if you shoot a lot?  Then you’d probably want something that can’t damage your film for starters, so don’t look at the Wolverine.  Maybe if you shoot enough that you’d spend $6500 in scanning, then look at the Retroscan Universal.  And you still wouldn’t be getting the same quality as is available with the latest scan that can cost as low as $15 a roll.  So if you care about what your footage looks like, then cough up the money for a good 4K/5K/6.5K (or at least 2K) scan from a reputable lab; you’re doing a disservice to the reputation of super 8 film otherwise.

Special thanks to the members of the Super 8mm group on Facebook who have chimed in on a few options that slipped by me.  I’m taking most of my information off these companies’ websites where pricing is advertised, though special mention should go to Gamma Ray Digital for taking the initiative and providing me with a PDF of their prices, the price sheet I have is dated 2017.  There seems to be an option for everyone with them (and they have a reputation as the best scanning house on the East Coast, if not the country). I’ve put up a few different options but it’s based mostly on what options personally interest me.

Some things of which to take note:
-Cinelab has some pretty good pricing, cutting some especially good deals for students that get the develop & scan package.  However, I know from experience that they are not very communicative and can make mistakes scanning.  I’m also hearing a lot from people that they take a long time to scan the film; a good problem I suppose, meaning that just that many people are shooting it!  A lot of people will have their film developed at Cinelab and sent to Gamma Ray Digital for scanning, as they are both located in Massachusetts about an hour away from each other.  That said, it’s still in the same ballpark price-wise as the package deals I listed.
-The Film Photography Project got into scanning just a few years ago, and while their prices started out extremely good ($20 for 2K or 4K, plus volume discounts), they’ve since raised prices significantly, though still under what a lot of other labs are charging.
-There was a film lab in Denver called Cinemalab, maybe 2 hours away from me but unfortunately it closed down between my first and second projects.  One of Cinemalab’s former employees, Nicholas Coyle, inherited some of their equipment and has built his own scanner from that, and can offer 2K super 8 scans at $15 a roll, the best deal I’ve yet found.  He also pointed out to me that one doesn’t necessarily need to get Spectra’s prep for telecine, so for one roll of film without it, that’s only $20, and that makes it probably the most affordable option, though quality may vary.  He’s in the process of buying a Lasergraphics Scanstation 6.5K scanner so will have the option for 4K (or 6.5K overscan) by mid-2020, plus he’s extremely flexible with lots of different options available.  For comparison, his best-light 4K scan costs the same as a standard HDR 2K scan from FPP.
-Pro8mm is considered the industry standard, and as you might be able to tell you’ll pay for it too.  I also assume you’re paying for the cost of living in Southern California.  Since Technicolor and DeLuxe don’t have any Super 8 services, large Hollywood productions go to Pro8mm as their default lab.  Back when the only film stocks available in Super 8 were Kodachrome 40 and Ektachrome 160 they were buying professional 35mm color negative stocks from Kodak, cutting them down to 8mm, and loading them into cartridges.  Since discontinuing Kodachrome and Ektachrome Kodak has basically followed their model.

Why I love the Olympus Trip 35

RIP 1968-2018.  Unfortunately after shooting this camera for 3 years the shutter is now stuck halfway open and I haven’t gotten around to fixing it yet.

It will happen though, because it’s small, light, easy to use, gives me spot-on exposure, and has an absurdly sharp lens.  The Olympus Trip 35 and it’s my favorite mirrorless camera.  Reading about some of my photo friends’ experiences with the Trip and also finding this fantastic store made me want to sing again the praises of this mechanical wonder that I found at the thrift store for all of $8.00.

It needs no battery: it has a selenium meter which gives perfect exposure, something I tested by shooting slide film in it.  After reading about “night tripping” (which basically means using high-speed film in the Trip manually set to f/2.8 and its slower speed of 1/40sec), I’ve felt comfortable using the Trip in all kinds of situations indoors and outdoors.  One thing that I’ve talked about a lot (though never tried yet) is putting a few rolls of Cinestill 800T through it; or now that T-Max P3200 is back that might have to happen.  Either way I’ve yet to test the extremes of film latitude yet, but it will happen.

And the Trip 35 does indeed live up to its name: it travels so well!  I took it to Wales where it was my camera for color film, and threw it into my bag for a last-minute trip to Ohio.  Though the lens sticks out a bit it still easily fits in a jacket pocket without getting in the way.  Speaking of the lens and its zone focusing, you do have to be careful when shooting inside, but made it perfect for shooting my William Klein masters’ study.  Since then focus doesn’t mean as much to me as it used to, though most of the time I’ll get it right.

When looking through all the shots I’ve taken with this camera I couldn’t believe just how much I’ve used it in the last few years!  It’s a large gallery–in order we have: Tri-X (6), Velvia 100 (3), Double-X (4), Provia 100F (3), T-Max 400 (4), Fomapan 100 (2), Kodak Gold 200 (2), Fuji Neopan Acros 100 (2), and Ferrania P30 (2).  There will be other films shot in this camera one day, but for a while now I’ve been concentrating on the Spotmatic for my photo project that’s been going on since January (and long before).

I would definitely recommend this camera for people who don’t want the bulkiness of an SLR, don’t like relying on batteries, but still want an AE camera.  My camera’s shutter still had accurate speeds after nearly half a century.  Zone focusing can take practice but is doable, so don’t let that dissuade you!

Super 8 cameras for beginners

The Super 8mm group on Facebook had a discussion going on about what the best cameras were for beginners, and I put in my 2c.

My cameras–a super 8 family portrait

If you are brand new to shooting super 8 or film in general, get a Pentax K-1000 or other manual 35mm still camera. If someone is such a beginner that they don’t know the fundamentals of light and dealing with different shutter speeds and f/-stops, then they should spend a while taking pictures first, take an intro to photography class that shoots on film, something like that. Now once they have some photographic experience, see below:

A beginner shouldn’t be spending a whole lot of money (nor would they want to anyway) so thrift stores/garage sales are the way to go. The most important thing will be if the camera transport works (BTW I’ve heard that running the camera at speeds over 24fps can burn out the motor if there is no film inside), the battery compartment has no acid corrosion, and then whatever mechanical/optical features in which the buyer is interested. If the buyer doesn’t know enough about this to test these functions, than see above.

So forget listing particular cameras. Not only is it taking the easy way out, there will be plenty of cameras left off and it drives the prices up for that model, while others are relatively undiscovered.  Also one shouldn’t get hung up on any one camera, there are so many great models out there that I’m still hearing of for the first time, and I’ve been researching this off/on for the last few years.  Never mind the brand, so I’ll list features one should look for instead, in order of importance:

1. Price and condition. Absolutely most important aspects
2. Uses easy-to-find batteries like AA.  It’s great to have the Wein Cell but annoying having to keep an extra stash of batteries around for the light meter (and makes it verify that everything works)
3. 24fps framerate
4. All other framerates 9-36fps or greater (for slow motion), timelapse, etc.
5. Ability to read all (or at least most) film speeds ASA25-400 (I’d make this #2 but it takes a lot of research; Tri-X, 50D and 200T should be plenty of choice for the beginner)
6. exposure compensation of some sort, even just a backlight button but +/- a stop or two would be nice (1/3 stop increments would be even better, but I don’t know that many super 8 camera had that)

Now, the further down the list one gets, the longer one will actually use that particular camera I think, but what I’m personally looking for in a super 8 camera and the list I’ve given for beginners aren’t necessarily in the same order. That said, there are plenty of cameras out there that have all 6 of these things and more; it’s possible that the “beginner” camera is enough to last the filmmaker a lifetime.

I’m not ever giving up mine!

Another piece of advice: don’t leave your batteries in the camera for an extended period of time!  They can leak acid and corrode a lot of the insides, killing the camera stone dead.  Even if you’re buying it so that can be repaired by a tech, know that most techs won’t touch a camera with battery acid corrosion, or if they do it’ll become much more expensive to fix.  So remember that when you’re looking at a camera, because that will tell you a lot about its condition!  If you’re buying online, this is the most important aspect, and most sellers don’t even bother to look.  In fact, most will say “I don’t know how to test it” (half the time they’re lying and it’s broken), but if they’re willing to verify that the battery compartment is clean and the price is good, then it might be worth the chance.

If you’re willing to put in the effort and do the research to find a camera with the features you personally want, you’ll be rewarded and will end up paying a lot less than someone that just has to have “the best.”  And I’ll tell you something else: there’s no such thing as the best.  I’ll give you the resources that have helped me the most, and good luck.
–The Super 8mm Facebook Community
–The Super 8 Wiki
–Filmkorn’s Super 8 Database

Total cost of one roll Super 8 film in 2018

(edit: This pricelist is a bit out of date, the new 2020 page is here)

I’ve had a total of two 8mm projects sent off to labs, the first to Pro8mm and the second to Cinelab.  While I was quite happy with the results, I’m shopping around to see just what my options are and just how low I can get on price, mostly based around total cost of shooting one roll of super 8 film.  And what a plethora of choices there are!  I don’t know everything, and there are probably developing labs and scanning houses I don’t know about, but these seem to be the main ones.  All values rounded up to the nearest dollar. Prices for D94 and ECN-2 developing, no E6. Shipping prices not included as they vary, the same with hard drives, but it must be said that those are extra expenses that must be taken into account.  These are all labs and scanning houses located in the continental USA.

FULL PACKAGE DEALS (film/processing/scanning)
Pro8mm: 2K $98, 5K $118
Spectra: HD $125

(Now #1 thing is that the cheapest place to buy film is directly from Kodak, especially if you’re a student like me because there is a 30% discount, but also because there’s almost always a markup with retail sellers)

PROCESS AND SCAN PACKAGE DEALS (including cost of film from Kodak)
Cinelab (student rates): 2K $67, 4K $84
Cinelab: 2K $82, 4K $102
Pro8mm (student rate): 2K $96, 5K $109
Pro8mm: 2K $105, 5K $118

And then the old “PROCESS AT ONE LAB AND SCAN AT ANOTHER” (including cost of film from Kodak)
Spectra/Coyle (student rate & no telecine prep): 2K $53
Cinelab/Coyle (student rate): 2K $58
Cinelab/FPP (student rate): 2K $63, 4K $63
Spectra/Coyle: 2K $62 (no telecine prep)
Pro8mm/FPP (student rate): 2K $66, 4K $66
Cinelab/Coyle: 2K $67
Cinelab/Gamma Ray (student & cheapest rate): 2K $71
Cinelab/FPP: 2K $72, 4K $72
Pro8mm/FPP: 2K $75, 4K $75
Pro8mm/Cinelab: $85, 4K/5K $110
Cinelab/Gamma Ray (student rate): 2K $89, 5K $105
Cinelab/Gamma Ray: 2K $95, 5K $114

PROCESSING ALONE (without film or scanning, with telecine prep)
Dwayne’s Photo: $12 (E6 only, I’m listing because it’s the best price I’ve seen)
Spectra: $17 (no prep for telecine)
Cinelab: $22
Pro8mm: $25
Kodak Film Lab NY: $25
Spectra: $41 (includes minimum $24 prep for telecine, assuming one is shooting 8 or more rolls of film that cost is $20 per roll)
Yale: $47 (includes minimum $25 prep for telecine, I think that’s ~$24 per roll on volume but is listed as $50 per hour, no other info)

SCANNING ALONE
Nicholas Coyle Film Film & Video Transfer: 2K $15
Film Photography Project: 2K $20, 4K $20
Gamma Ray (cheapest scans): $28 (SDR, ProRes422QH)
Cinelab (student rate): 2K $30, 4K $50 ($.60, $1 per foot)
Cinelab: 2K $30, 4K/5K $55 ($.60, $1.10 per foot)
Gamma Ray: 2K $43, 5K $62 (HDR ProRes4444HQ)
Spectra: HD $80
Pro8mm: 2K $100, 5K $125 (all have 2 roll minimum, so that’s $1, $1.25 per foot)

There are volume discounts applicable for each place I think, I didn’t take that into consideration as much because I’ve never shot enough for that to matter…yet. Still, I doubt that it’s likely to change the labs’ placement here.  All film processing costs include the prep for telecine.  I consider 2K to be the lowest acceptable resolution, and have also included the maximum resolution available, either 4K or 5K.

Special thanks to the members of the Super 8mm group on Facebook who have chimed in on a few options that slipped by me.  I’m taking most of my information off these companies’ websites where pricing is advertised, though special mention should go to Gamma Ray Digital for taking the initiative and providing me with a PDF of their prices, they are very active on social media and usually respond to questions extremely quickly.  There seems to be an option for everyone with them (and they have a reputation as the best scanning house on the East Coast, if not the country). I’ve put up a few different options but it’s based mostly on what options personally interest me.

Some things of which to take note:
-Cinelab has some pretty good pricing, cutting some especially good deals for students that get the develop & scan package.  However, I know from experience that they are not very communicative and can make mistakes scanning.  I’m also hearing a lot from people that they take a long time to scan the film; a good problem I suppose, meaning that just that many people are shooting it!  A lot of people will have their film developed at Cinelab and sent to Gamma Ray Digital for scanning, as they are both located in Massachusetts about an hour away from each other.  That said, it’s still in the same ballpark price-wise as the package deals I listed.
-The Film Photography Project just recently announced their scanning service and it seems like a crazy good deal: $20 to scan any roll of super 8 film whether in HD, 2K, or 4K (that’s not advertised but I have confirmation from Michael Raso).  I think I’m going to give them a try next time.
-There was a film lab in Denver called Cinemalab, maybe 2 hours away from me but unfortunately it closed down between my first and second projects.  One of Cinemalab’s former employees, Nicholas Coyle, inherited some of their equipment and has built his own scanner from that, and can offer 2K super 8 scans at $15 a roll.  He also pointed out to me that one doesn’t necessarily need to get Spectra’s prep for telecine, so for one roll of film without it, that’s only $17, and that makes it probably the most affordable option, though quality may vary.

Milestone of a different kind

I don’t know exactly why, but I’m the first hit when someone Googles “Fujica ZC1000.”  Feeling lucky, it’ll send you directly to The Resurrected Camera.  And if you search just for images, mine is the first there too.  Pretty good for a camera I bought over a year and a half ago, have never used, meant to get a CLA for and never got around to doing it.

Not that I’m complaining mind you, but it’s strange to have that happen and it’s not like I’m an expert in the field of small-gauge filmmaking or the ZC1000 in particular (for that go read Ignacio’s blog).  Having the number one search result on Google is pretty significant milestone, one I didn’t see coming.

Though while we’re on the subject of the ZC1000, I did manage to track down a (somewhat rough) copy of the 1.8/5.5mm EBC Fujinon-SW lens…so wide the only focus it needs is macro.  And when I get a workflow for developing the film and reloading the single-8 cartridges, I’ll be using that baby.  But for now, the Canon is easier to deal with.

Oh, and guess what: it seems I’m the first choice for information regarding the Pakon F335 scanner as well!

Well that I can understand more I guess, but still…

The price is reasonable!

I think when I first was looking into shooting bulk rolls for the intermediate photo class Tri-X in 100ft rolls were going for around $125 which made it cheaper to shoot regular 36exp rolls.  I don’t know exactly when that changed but I’m happy to see it!  Every online retailer I’ve looked at so far is asking $76.5 for a 100ft bulk roll of Tri-X!

It’s almost enough to make me get a darkroom set up!  I’m in the process of finishing my photography minor with a 3D studio class, but if I take another photo class before I graduate you can bet I’ll take advantage of this!