Comparison of Movie Cameras - 16 Mm

16 Mm

16 mm film occupies a rather curious position within filmmaking - with a wide range encompassing virtually every field - amateur home movies, student films, experimental films, television work, commercials, music videos, corporate films, industrial research, medical applications, and lower budget features. Its robust image quality in relation to its size allows for a much more versatile, accessible, and affordable usage in many fields where neither 35 mm nor Super 8 would be well-suited. Despite current challenges from the burgeoning digital video market, the consistent improvement of cameras, lenses, and film stocks have enabled the Super 16 format to flourish recently, with many labs reporting increased usage. The modern era of 16 mm cameras is concurrent with that of 35 mm for both the same reasons as 35 mm as well as an additional change: the creation of the Super 16 format by Rune Ericsson in 1971. The format expanded the usable film negative horizontally, which required a larger film gate and necessitated either specialized conversion of machined parts or purchase of new cameras designed with Super 16 gates. Since the format took more than a decade to slowly standardize, the competition from both high and low end video cameras has decimated the demand for 16 mm cameras for most non-professional usage. Therefore there are relatively few Super 16 cameras, although most are considered professional-grade.