In recent blockbusters like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Spectre, analog film has been making a small comeback in Hollywood, thanks in part to directors and cinematographers who have an appreciation for the medium. This isn’t lost on Kodak: The company is continuing to produce film for the movie industry, and it is looking to bring back Super 8 film to consumers with an incredibly sleek Super 8 camera.
Everything about the camera’s design — the shape, leather pistol grip, iconic logo — harks back to Kodak’s history. It comes with a C-mount 6mm Ricoh lens, with an optional 8-48mm zoom, and you focus manually. Yet, despite shooting on film, it’s very much a modern camera. Created by one of top industrial designers, Yves Behar, the camera, made out of high-quality machined metal, has digital connections, an SD card for storage, a built-in microphone, and a flip-out color viewfinder – more like a modern camcorder than a vintage Super 8. Behar has essentially created a beautiful device that blends both past and present.
Billed as a next-generation film camera, Kodak is leveraging the popularity of filmmakers such as J.J. Abrams, Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Quentin Tarantino – all who still shoot on film, and many who got their start shooting using Super 8 (heck, Abrams even made a film called Super 8). It seems Kodak wants to inspire a new generation of filmmakers who grew up with digital, but there has always been fans interested in prolonging the format; it also marks its upcoming 50th anniversary. With the push from the aforementioned filmmakers and the success of their movies, perhaps we could see resurgence for film.
