>Here's a good one! I just got a camera and shot some footage. The footage is actually flickering a bit!? And at the end of the roll there was some vertical shadowing of the image. It's not the projector. What could cause this? Martin! Are you out there?

One of the most common problems on some older Super 8mm cameras which can cause a flickering type effect is the aperture exposure system. Due to electrical/electronic problems...the aperture blades will jitter and create uneven exposure from one frame to the next. This is done quite rapidly and will cause a film to appear as though it's flickering. To eliminate this possibility....set the camera's exposure setting to manual and see if it does it again. I recommend running only a few feet in a potential 'problem' camera and 'slate' the footage by filming a sheet of paper marked with the camera name/model and how you have it set. Then after filming your test(s), remove the cartridge and use it in another camera you know works fine. This way you won't be wasting an entire roll of film. Or you could test another camera as well...or run other tests on your camera.

Another possibility is that the shutter is slightly out of phase with the film claw's pulldown rate. This often isn't a problem since on most cameras the two are interlocked....but....it can happen on a worn camera. On XL type Super 8mm cameras....the shutter opening is quite large...usually in the 200° to 230° range, depending on make and model. If anything is wrong with the aperture vanes or shutter (especially if the shutter is variable), then it will show up in the film readily.

And ...a somewhat rare occurance but it happens....is if you are filming on a tripod and have your eye away from the viewfinder. If any bright stray light enters the eyepiece.....the light travels down the viewfinder to the beam-splitter prism and can create a ghosting or hazing effect in the film. If the light is direct sunlight it can overexpose the film as well. Best to use some black electrical tape and close it off or get a small plastic lens cap (such as those made for eyepieces on binoculars) and cap it over the viewfinder's eyecup. This doesn't apply as strongly to the Beaulieu mirror shuttered Super 8mm cameras since any light coming in thru the viewfinder has no reflecting surface at the moment of exposure. However...just as a precaution it's still best to cover the eyepiece if strong light is hitting it and you're filming remotely on a tripod with you eye away from the viewfinder.

Lastly.....a physical interference of some kind. I had a piece of fluff caught in the filmgate once...and although I clean the gate between each film....this darn piece stayed in there for nearly 3 cartridges. It would move at times...and hung tightly to one side...and then jumped to the top of the frame (upon projection...actually the bottom the filmgate in the camera) where it revealed itself as an obvious piece of fluff. So, be careful in cleaning your camera, as it's easy to get a piece of fluff, or a fiber from a camel's hair dust brush, or fibers from some soft cotton or flannel cloth, caught in the film gate. Use a small wooden skewer or toothpick to scrap any emulsion dust or grit off the side of the filmgate.....and carefully use a pair of tweezers to gently pull out any fibers or fluff caught in there. If you use a Dust-Off or similar canned air product....use caution, as it can just as easily jam a piece of fluff in behind the gate...and possibly into the shutter workings. On BEAULIEUs below the 6008 series, use extra caution and no air pressure on the film gate..since the builtin UV and Wratten #85 Daylight filters are there, and you don't want to damage them or blow them out from the sliding metal frame they are adhered to! Also...some other Super 8mm cameras place their filters behind their shutters.

As usual, I've probably done some overkill here in answering. However...not knowing which model camera you have, and not being able to examine the camera and the film...I thought I'd cover several possibilities as well as mention some precautions. Let us know what you determine the problem to be.

Best wishes,
Martin W. Baumgarten

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