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8mm and Super-8 reel INFO

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8mm and Super-8 reel INFO

Contrary to many of our competitors, we do not send your valuable material abroad but digitize everything here in our store in Walenstadt. We rely on Swiss quality, which we would like to convince you of.

FilmFix.ch
Industriestrasse 7
CH-8880 Walenstadt

phone: 081 735 30 11

Regular 8mm Film (R8)

silent

with sound

(aka Standard 8mm, Normal 8, or Double 8 Film)

Super 8mm Film (S8)

silent

with sound

Recognizing the difference between Super-8 and Regular-8

The film's sprocket hole size determines the type of film. The holes in Regular 8mm film are larger and almost square, whereas the holes in Super 8mm are elongated and rectangular.

Both Normal 8 and Super 8 film is 8mm wide.

Our example images are much larger than the actual size of the film to help you see the difference between the two types of film.

The film spools are also different. In Normal 8, the center hole of the film spool is smaller than the center hole of the Super-8 spool. In Normal-8, the center hole measures approximately 8 mm. Super-8 measures approximately 13 mm.

Is It Regular 8 or Super-8 Film?

Here is a little puzzle: Try to figure out which of these two reels has Regular 8mm and which has Super-8 film wound onto its reel. One can determine what kind of film is wound onto ...

a typical regular 8mm 3-inch reel with it's smaller hole

This is the common 50 foot reel of Regular 8mm film.

The hole in the center of a reel of Regular 8 is smaller than the hole in the center of a Super 8 reel. One cannot fit their finger in the center hole of a Regular 8 reel whereas, usually, one can in a Super 8 reel.

How to recognize if film is silent or has sound

Only films that have magnetic band(s) have the capability of having sound recorded onto them. Simply having a magnetic band on a film does not mean the film definitively has sound. It would be silent, if no sound was ever recorded onto it.

How to determine if your film was shot at 18 or 24 frames per second

Most Normal-8 films were shot at 16 frames per second, and most Super-8 films were shot at 18 frames per second.

Very few films were shot at 24 frames per second (fps) and usually only a trained projectionist can determine the speed at which a film was shot.

Film shot at 24 fps produced smoother looking camera movements. It should have been the preferred speed to shoot at, but there was the cost factor. It used up film more quickly!

The film lengths can often be determined by the visual indicators on each film reel -- see image. Common small reels (approx. 3" or 7 1/2 cm diameter) have about 3 1/2 minutes of total running time.

how, much, film, 8mm, 8, mm, reel, measure, help, length

How Much Film is on My 8mm Reel?

Let us help you by providing this downloadable PDF. Simply print it out and start measuring away! Please call if you have any questions, whatsoever.

silent
Reel Type	8mm Film	Super 8 Film	Super 8 Film
silent	at 16 frames/second	at 18 frames/second	at 24 frames/second
50 feet (15 meters)	4 min	3.5 min	2.5 min
200 feet (60 meters)	15 min	13 min	10 min
300 feet (90 meters)	22 min	20 min	15 min
400 feet (120 meters)	30 min	26 min	20 min
600 feet (180 meters)	44 min	40 min	30 min
830 feet (250 meters)	-	55 min	42 min

with sound
Reel Type	8mm Film	Super 8 Film	Super 8 Film
(with sound)	at 16 frames/second	at 18 frames/second	at 24 frames/second
50 feet (15 meters)	-	3.5 min	2.5 min
200 feet (60 meters)	12 min	11 min	8 min
300 feet (90 meters)	18 min	16 min	12 min
400 feet (120 meters)	24 min	21 min	16 min
600 feet (180 meters)	35 min	32 min	24 min
830 feet (250 meters)	-	43 min	33 min

Common Formats

Super-8

8mm

16mm

Uncommon Film Formats

We do not tranfer the formats below:

9.5mm

17.5mm

26mm

16mm film double perf before cutting into 8mm

16mm vs. Normal 8 (aka Double 8)

This image above shows the difference between two different types of 16mm film perforation holes.

Shown from left to right (note that all perforation holes are the same size):

1) regular 16mm film - used in a 16mm camera

2) 16mm wide "Double 8" film (which was 25 feet long, when the unprocessed roll was purchased) - used in an 8mm camera

3) 8mm film "Normal 8" - split lengthwise (During processing at the lab, the lab would split the 25 foot reel into 2 sections of 25 feet, then joined the two 25-foot lenghts. That reel became a 50 foot reel!)

Which of These Does Not Belong?

The fourth reel from the left is quite an odd sight to see. That's because it's a leader of 16mm film - cut in half. This is something that was sometimes done with double perforated ...