Kickstarter

The Kodak Super 8 system is a brilliant film format that inspired thousands of wonderfully well made Super 8 cinema cameras. Unfortunately, the proprietary film cartridges are no longer in production and existing supplies are quickly diminishing.

Considered highly collectable by many, these cameras are well crafted, well thought-out tools of cinematography. However, without a replacement for the film cartridges, these beautiful cameras are destined to gather dust in antique shops.

The Solution

Give new life to your Super 8 camera with the Nolab Digital Super 8 Cartridge. Shoot 720p HD video with any Super 8 camera.

Avoid all of the hassles associated with film.

• Footage limited only by SD card size
• No film processing time or costs
• No telecine transfer time or costs
• Direct import into editing application

How it works

At the heart of the Nolab Digital Super 8 Cartridge is a tiny but powerful 5 megapixel image sensor similar to the one in your smartphone. Unlike your phone camera, our image sensor is has no lens. In fact the exposed sensor, mounted at the film plane, is pressed against the camera’s film gate. By using a 4:3 aspect 5 megapixel sensor we can capture footage at the native Super 8 aspect ratio of 4:3.

Processors integrated into the image sensor are able to  process and encode the footage in real time to a removable SD card. Optionally the same processors can apply one of two predefined Film Look color grading filters to the footage. 


That sounds simple enough, but to allow the Nolab cartridge’s image sensor to synchronize with the camera’s shutter, a unique sensor had to be developed. It’s this design that allows the cartridge to work properly in any camera at any frame rate up to 60 fps.

Features

• 
720p HD video capture in 4:3 format

• Frame rate automatically adjusts to camera settings (up to 60 fps)
• 
Integrated Film Look options
• 
Unlimited storage via removable SD card

• Battery and recording status light

Specifications

• 
Image Sensor:  5 megapixel Omni Vision OV5600 series

• Video Encoding: 720p HD H.264 (4:3)*

• Memory:  Removable high capacity SD card

• Connections:  One mini USB port (primarily for charging)
• 
Battery:  Rechargeable LiPo battery providing up to 4 hours of recording
• Height:   70mm
-Width:    75mm
• 
Depth:    24mm
• 
Weight:   168g



How the funds will be used


The person behind the idea of the Nolab cartridge is a long-time Super 8 enthusiast and a professional designer with 15 years of consumer product development experience. He will be acting as the lead developer on this project. However, it will take the talents of more than one to realize this product properly.


Together with an firm specializing in engineering and manufacture of digital cameras.
 That’s why we are using Kickstarter to raise the $60,000 needed to cover the development costs and first production run of 250 units.

If we exceed our funding goal, we will produce as many cartridges as our production facility allows. However, fabrication on this scale takes time and we don't want to keep paying customers waiting. For this reason we are limiting the first production run to no more than 1000 units.

Progress So Far


We have developed the first working proof of concept which we demonstrate in the video above. 


Now we are in the early phase of mechanical and electrical design. Preliminary solutions for the shutter interface are being fabricated presently for testing. Primary components are being sourced and priced.


We are in discussions with an eminently qualified engineering firm, which will also able to provide the manufacturing and assembly.. No contracts will be agreed to until funding is successful.