What's the Difference Between 8mm and Super 8 Film?

So you've discovered a film canister in the attic or basement, but which film type does it contain? It's difficult for most of us to tell. Don't panic; your precious home movies aren't permanently lost—even if they are old. We're going to show you how to tell the difference between 8mm and Super 8 film. At first glance, 8mm and Super 8 films appear to be quite similar, making it difficult to tell which is which, especially if you have both varieties of film. Fortunately, when looking at 8mm vs. Super 8 film up close, there are a few crucial characteristics that will make telling them apart much easier in the future. There are a few noticeable differences between the two types of film, and the differences between 8mm and Super 8mm film include:

Sprocket Holes

The sprocket holes on standard 8mm film are wider and practically square. They also have the sprocket holes on the right-hand side of the film strip. Super 8 films, on the other hand, are smaller, elongated, and rectangular with the sprocket holes further to the left of the film. In addition, 8mm sprocket holes are closely positioned to the frame's edge, closer than Super 8 sprocket holes, as you can see in the image above.

Spool Sizes and Center Holes

An 8mm film spool's center hole is smaller than that of a Super 8 spool. The center hole on 8mm reels is roughly 8mm, but the center hole on Super 8 reels is around 13mm.

Frame Sizes

Super 8 film frames are 50% larger than the first 8mm film which was just 4.5mm wide when it was launched in 1932. To provide a crisper image, Kodak extended the frame on 8mm from 4.5 to 5.7mm. The frames fill around 57% of the film's entire width of 7.9mm on this newer form of the 8mm film, compared to 73% on the Super 8.

Picture Quality

The introduction of Super 8 by Eastman Kodak was supposed to be a step up from the standard 8mm film format. Super 8 film is spaced closer to the typical widescreen ratio you're used to; it has a higher image quality because of the size difference between the two frames. Because 8mm film is less color sensitive, Super 8 also has more colorful images. There is also a significant difference in the lighting between photos produced on Super 8 film and those captured on 8mm film; 8mm film was commonly underexposed because of the quantity of light required to expose the frames properly. In addition, Super 8 has an ISO range that reaches as high as 500 which allows for better results when you are filming in lower lighting.

Sound

There were extremely few cameras designed for 8mm film that could record sound, so 8mm strips are less likely to include sound. However, because people could add a magnetic strip later in the process, it's a good idea to look for a thin strip running along the reel next to the sprockets. You've got sound if you see a rust-colored or yellow stripe. In 1973, a magnetic full coat strip was added to the side of Super 8 film to allow for sound recording as part of the manufacturing process. As a result, most Super 8 film reels now feature sound. To tell if your Super 8 film contains sound, look for the same stripe on one side and a thicker stripe on the other.

Transferring Film to Digital

If you've discovered piles of old 8mm or Super 8 films with family videos that have been sitting unused for decades, it's critical to have them converted before these celluloid memories slip away forever. A film that has been improperly preserved can and will decompose significantly. It's possible that the film will eventually become unwatchable.

Storage is a sensitive operation and a procedure that may cost a lot of money if done incorrectly. Vinegar disease, nitrite deterioration, and color dye fading can all be fatal to your home movies. If you have the desire, time, and proper equipment, you can digitize old film yourself or hire a professional firm to handle the 8mm transfer for you.