And who's the lucky fella? 8mm and 16mm film specialists Pro8mm, who are the exclusive North American distributors of Denmark-based Logmar Camera Solutions' Super 8 camera, and they're saying that it'll be available at the end of December.
A few months ago, Logmar gave a special open house and demonstration at Pro8mm in Burbank, and the day's festivities can be seen in the video below.
If you missed our original post, you might be wondering what all the hubbub's about -- it's just an 8mm film camera after all. You can find a number of them at pretty much every second-hand store for less than $5 -- $15 if they're not broken. (I literally use mine as a paperweight.) Well, the Logmar 8mm film camera is very, very special, not only because it's the first to be manufactured since the 80s, but because it contains tons of technology that didn't exist for 8mm cams 30 years ago -- like sound. Here are some of the key features of the Logmar from Pro8mm's website.
Features
- Digital viewfinder
- Variable speed
- Audio recording on SD
- Filming history on SD
- Simple operation
- Direct film path
- C-Mount
- USB upgradeable
- WIFI remote controllable
- Video out
- Advanced trigger options
- Customizable Feature button
- NFC Ready
- Light meter Ready
- Aluminum body
- True 48V phantom power
- Timelapse support
- Phase advance support
- 1 year warranty
I'm a huge lover of the vintage aesthetic of 8mm and 16mm film, and the fact that the Logmar has audio recording capabilities makes it all the more attractive to professional filmmakers, especially since its XLR inputs give you the option to use studio grade microphones. So in the end, you get an 8mm camera that is far superior technologically to its predecessors, but still produces that beautiful vintage look. And if you want to know just how beautiful that look can be through the eyes of the Logmar, Friedemann Wachsmuth of filmkorn has shared some test footage he shot on a prototype using a Schneider Optivaron 1.8/6-66mm lens on Kodak Vision 3 50D Film.
I unfortunately wasn't able to speak with the lead on the Logmar project over at Pro8mm, but I was told that it should be available by the end of December and will cost somewhere around $5,000 -- quite a bit more expensive than the original $2,700 to $3,400 range they reported last year.
Be sure to check out Pro8mm to learn more.
Source: Logmar Super 8 Camera
