The Kodak Super 8 Camera
3 years after its launch
The Kodak Super 8 Camera has been on the market for three years now. It’s the only Super 8 camera still being manufactured today. What do users say about their experiences with this model? Super 8 Magazine asked eight people who have experience with the camera. You can find six of their stories in the current issue of Super 8 Magazine, and two right here.
Steve Gal, Du-All-Camera, Rental Service, USA:
What has been your experience renting out the Kodak Super 8 camera?
The camera has gone out on a number of rentals, and we have not experienced any problems with it. All of the footage shot by our customers has come back looking good.
What do your customers say about using it?
We do not receive much direct feedback because the camera is often picked up and returned by someone other than the person who used it. However, we have not received any complaints—and in the rental business, no news is usually good news.
The camera has been on the market for almost three years now. Is it reliable? To your knowledge, have any improvements or changes been made to the camera?
We have not experienced any reliability problems with the camera on any of our rentals. For our rental package, we added an external battery charger and an Angenieux 8–64mm zoom lens. MID49 also made an accessory bracket and a 3D-printable monitor shade for the camera. I customized the foam in the case to accommodate all of these additional items, which makes it a very complete and convenient package.
Have any customers gone on to purchase the camera themselves after renting it from you?
Yes. We ended up selling two of our cameras to customers who had rented and enjoyed using them. Unfortunately, Kodak would not make us an authorized dealer, so we had to sell cameras from our rental inventory. They had very little film run through them and were in nearly new condition. The customers also had the advantage of already knowing that the cameras worked well because they had rented and used them before making the purchase.
Do you have any experience with synchronous audio recording via SD card?
I have not personally used the synchronous audio feature on a production, but the tests we performed were successful.
Are the image results—in terms of sharpness and image stability—better than those of other, older Super 8 models?
I would not necessarily say that the results are better; I would say they are comparable. We repair Super 8 cameras, and the better older models were also designed to produce sharp, stable images, provided they are properly maintained and correctly set up.
Are there any aspects you feel still need improvement?
I would prefer a more substantial camera door rather than the plastic one currently used. Another limitation is that when an external monitor is connected through the HDMI port, the camera’s menus cannot be accessed. The camera is also somewhat noisy while running, and there is a slight amount of vibration. However, we have not seen any problems with the footage as a result of that vibration. These are all areas that I believe could be improved in future versions of the camera.
Thomas Parent, Amateur Filmmaker, USA:
When did you buy this camera and for what purpose?
I bought the camera in the spring of 2025 because I love movies and film, but most of all because I wanted to make memories with it at home.
Which technical details of the Kodak Super 8 camera are most important in your opinion?
The crystal sync/XTAL sync sound recording was the biggest, the second most important thing to me would be the extended gates.
You already had a brief look at the possibilities of this camera: What is great, what is disappointing?
The biggest disappointment would be the viewfinder. It feels a little too 1990’s/early 2000’s sometimes and I wish at the very least it was 1080P resolution. It makes good focusing very hard.
Do you think this camera will bring new users into Super 8?
I don’t think any new users will be tempted to buy this camera. The price and sophistication are intimidating to people new to Super 8.
Do you have experiences with other Super 8 models? If yes, which ones?
I’ve used probably close to 2 dozen different super 8 cameras. Mostly I’ve used my Canon 1014XL-S.
If you compare the Kodak Super 8 cam with other Super 8 models – what is your impression? Which technical details are better, which are more worse?
This camera is a semi-automatic camera. The meter in it guides the user but ultimately the user chooses the exposure themselves on the lens. It was a source of some anxiety and because I was not used to manual exposure I accidentally messed up the ceremony shot in the first wedding I filmed.
Did you use the synchronized sound recording on SD card? How are your experiences?
When my sister started her first day of the 5th grade I recorded her with the sync sound recording talking about how excited she was. I’d only ever did sync sound one other time with my Canon 1014XL-S because it was crystal sync’d. The Kodak Camera was connected via Bluetooth to a mid line shotgun mic. I only managed to capture the first or second shot on it with sound because I accidentally switched the capture mode on the mic.
What kind of lenses did you use on the Kodak Super 8 Camera? Could you see differences?
I’ve only ever used the lens it came with (6mm wide-angle). I do have a Angeniuex 8-64mm lens that I plan on trying with the camera one day.
Some short answers about the following details, please: Menu clarity, on-screen focus adjustment, image stability, camera handling, noise during recording.
The image stability is actually impressive. Other than that the sound it makes while running is quite loud and I’m trying to develope a soft blimp for it with my aunt who is a masterclass seamstress. Hopefully one day we’ll finish making one and it will help. The handling is fine, my one gripe is that it is heavy, almost too heavy for extended shooting from the hip. The focusing can be a pain from what I’ve heard but with the lens it comes with its very simple and I’ve never had a problem.
In general: What do you like on the camera, what should be improved?
The camera was developed so long ago that the charging port on it is considered ancient. I wish it came with a USB-C port. I also wish that the SD slot for audio recording was recorded at a higher bit rate. All in all I do think it’s huge that it not only has an extended gated but that it has sync sound AND a c-mount lens system.
Is ist worth the money compared to other exisiting Super 8 cameras (that might be serviced before working with them)?
I would say for commercial purposes it has immense potential. Personally I want to shoot some scripts I wrote in college, two of which I wrote specifically to be shot on Super 8.
Super 8 Magazine #17 features an article on Kodak’s perspective on the success of the Super 8 camera (an interview with Kodak press spokesperson Kurt Jaeckel) and six user reviews. Available here: https://www.super8mag.de/shop/
