8mm MOVIE FILM transfer

Complete pricing below.

8 mm movie film is 8mm wide and has a ¼ inch (6.4 mm) round hole in the center of the reel.  It is sometimes called ‘Standard 8’ or ‘Regular 8’ to set it apart from Super 8 film and has an acetate ‘safety film’ base.  8 mm black and white film was introduced in 1932 for home movies and was an economical upgrade to heavy 16 mm cameras and equipment.  8 mm Kodachrome color film became available for 8 mm in 1936.  The film is actually 16 mm wide going into the camera: one side is exposed and then film is manually reversed to expose the other side.  The film is then slit apart during processing and the ends spliced together to make one 50-foot length of film.  One image frame is 3.3 mm x 4.5 mm and has an area of 14.9 mm.  Most 8mm film was shot at 15 or 16fps before 1960 and 18 fps there-after.  Magnetic sound on regular 8 mm film has a brown magnetic stripe along the non-perforated edge and was available in 1973.  8mm film was discontinued in 1997.

About Movie Film
Commercial roll film was developed in 1889 by Eastman which made possible the Edison motion picture camera in 1891.  Early photographic film had negative images which were ‘printed’ onto another film to reverse the image making it ‘positive’ for movies and slides.  Film playback speeds can be 12, 15, 16, 18, or 24 feet per second (fps) with 18 and 24 being the most common.  The outside diameter (O.D.) of the film on a reel is a good estimate for the length of film although it is not exact because of non-standard reel hubs, different film thicknesses, loosely wound film, and warped or curled film.  Movie film was mostly replaced in the 1980’s by magnetic tape.

Cellulose nitrate (nitrate) film was used in early film and is a fire hazard.  It must be stored in metal cans away from flammable material.  Nitrate film will damage other film from off-gassing during degradation.  Nitrate film was in use from the 1890’s to the 1950’s and can be sometimes identified by a star in the labeling.

Acetate film (cellulose triacetate) 'safety' film dates from the 1930s and had common usage after 1950; it smells like vinegar as it decomposes. 

Polyester film dates from about 1965and is safe but the picture information in the emulsion can separate from the backing with thermal cycling.

Kodacolor film is an early color reversal film with a direct positive image and was in use from about 1928through 1935.

Kodachrome is a color reversal (diafilm) “safety-film”; it was introduced in 1935 for 16 mm movie film and was expanded in 1936 for 8 mm home movie film and 35 mm slides.  Kodachrome was discontinued in 2010.

Ektachrome film is also a color reversal safety film and was introduced in the 1940’s.  It has improved performance in existing (low) light conditions for home movies and slides.

Example Films: