*CAMERA REVIEW* Sankyo EM-40XL Super 8 Breakdown | Ektachrome 7294 100D | Filmboy24

[@axis3d]

I still have that camera! I used to shoot my live-action and stop-motion animation movies with that. It was (still is) a great camera, having a macro lens, and a remote-plug for an external single-frame-advance switch. I used it so I didn't have to touch the camera to record a single frame of film.

[@Filmboy24]

It was such a fun camera for me to mess around with, may have to add one to my arsenal eventually.

[@knife-wieldingspidergod5059]

Out of the three Super 8 cameras that I have, The Sankyo EM 40XL is the lightest one yet, great for camera bag, and great for hiking trips. This past trip I brought along my Canon Auto Zoom 1218, which is a beast of a super 8 camera that is mostly large lens and camera stuck in the back of it. Makes carrying it in the camera bag quite an ordeal.

[@Filmboy24]

I really do like this little Sankyo and yes, I can't imagine hauling the Canon AZ 1218 around while hiking. Definitely a great camera but not good for run and gun type stuff.

[@knife-wieldingspidergod5059]

@@Filmboy24 Never the less, I love my Canon AZ 1218 for the image it produced and it's light sucking ability. It runs like a fine Swiss watch I kid you not.

[@ovidiu4000]

It's been really fun to watch your review with my recently bought EM-40XL in my hands! 😂

[@Filmboy24]

Awesome! Thanks so much!!

[@mackenzieweeks5236]

You are a hero! This is the only Sankyo super 8 review I could find and it was so helpful! I have a Sankyo EM-30XL but even still the video helped me understand the basic components which I am soo thankful for 😁

[@Filmboy24]

Wow, thanks so much, Mackenzie!! So glad it helped you 😄

[@alexinnewwest1860]

Fun video Mike! I find the Sankyo cameras are a bit of an underdog

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks, Alex! I'm with you, I've always thought they were overlooked in the market. They kind of remind me of Chinon, which is another little underrated brand.

[@katerinafred-travelchannel5652]

Thanks for the video. I recently found a Sankyo EM-60 XL on eBay and your video helped me understand the functions. Cannot wait to try.

[@Filmboy24]

Awesome! Have fun with it!

[@tinaturbo666]

I just received this camera. Same model as well. Thank you for the comprehensive review of this specific camera. CHEERS🤘🏻

[@Filmboy24]

My pleasure! Thanks, Tina!!

[@thissidetowardscreen4553]

Excellent camera review and great results. Make me want to shoot super 8 now! Passion for film and film cameras is contagious!

[@Filmboy24]

Thank you kindly!!

[@super8blog71]

Very clear results. Most impressive

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks so much!!

[@dalehammond1704]

WOW! If it weren't for the cars and a few other props, I'd swear this film was shot in the 60's! Thanks for not editing out the camera shake. Hey, the darks are we what we all did back then. A+ for NOT making something that looks like it was done with a digital camera.

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks so much, Dale! I really didn't do much to this roll at all other than crop and add a tiny bit of brightness, that's it. I'm with you, I like that funky feel, my coffee'd out camera shakes and all 🤣

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

The Intervallometer is super handy. The ONLY camera i ever had that came with such a great timelapse feature is a Bauer C 107XL, which really a beauty in itself. The one i got was even modified by the previous owner so it got an 24fps mode that sacrificed the 36fps mode which is a really fair trade-off. That Interval timer really is a killer feature that you never thought you needed until you have it. THAT alone is worth having such a camera :) And yes, i too prefer split-image focusing over micrprism raster. Split Image is so much easier to see when you actually got something in focus.

[@Filmboy24]

I could definitely see having fun with the intervalometer on this camera. I had one on my Bauer S715XL and played with it quite a bit. Sounds like you have a pretty sweet modification with your Bauer, I'd take 24 FPS over 36 anytime!

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

@@Filmboy24 Oh yeah, that was even one of the mainreasons why i wanted it :P I just wish the viewfinder wouldn't be so freakin dark.

[@truefilm6991]

The footage looks great already on my cell phone. Will watch the whole video on a decent monitor later tonight. The new Ektachrome 100D has gorgeous colors and texture. The only issue I see is that it hates shadows. When you are on auto exposure and shoot from brightly lit areas into the shadow, you can see the camera react and bang: ahh, that's what we are looking at! 😁 I apologize for my ramblings. Anyway: great footage. Always nice seeing Piper having fun on film.

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks, Christian! You're spot on about the shadows, though I must take a little credit for the underexposure. I knew going in that I should over expose it by a stop, coupled with the fact that this camera was metering it at ISO 160 (so I was already behind the 8-ball) and voila, under exposed 🙃.

[@truefilm6991]

@@Filmboy24 Sorry, but I didn't watch the whole video. Does this camera have manual exposure? I think that is always the way to go. I personally prefer negative because it has so much more latitude. But the E 100D is a very nice looking film stock. Season 2 of the TV show "Euphoria" was to a very large part shot on the E 100D, cross processed to get a certain type of look (35mm film) and it looks fabulous. Not verified, but I have read in a few different places that the new E 100D is actually rated to high. It's more like 80 ISO. Don't quote me on it though. Anyway: thanks as always, for sharing!

[@Filmboy24]

@@truefilm6991 Yes, I absolutely should have manually exposed this roll, or at the very least , use the BLC control. I've read (and experienced) the same thing you mentioned about this film's rating, I think it's a tad off. Next time 😉

[@mhmrules]

Great filming! :D I hope I do well when I shoot this.

[@Filmboy24]

Thank you!!

[@michaelb.5345]

Another great teaching video Miguel. Nice video.

[@Filmboy24]

Thank you, Pop!!

[@ieatcopper3438]

Love your content man, keep it up!

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks so much!!

[@cubdukat]

I have the EM60XL, and up until recently I liked it, but I have one major issue with them: the eyepiece, or more accurately, the incredibly flimsy eyepiece. Over the past five years since I discovered it, I have gone through three separate eyepieces because if you adjust them too far, they end up breaking and will just fall out of the camera. I have yet to use the timelapse function, but I think I might try it out when I head to Hollywood this August. One of the things I do like about it is the "Smart" focus. The only time where I really have to worry about focusing is at night, and then I more or less set the lens at infinity and shoot V3 500T wide open (or f/2.8 if I'm near Hollywood and Highland; it's that bright :)) And I love how quiet it is.

[@kd1841]

Relatively speaking, this video is great so far! Lol ❤️😆 Nice to see a Sankyo!

[@Filmboy24]

🤣I relatively agree across the board! 🤣

[@cubdukat]

I have the EM60XL, and I really like it. The only caveat I would have is that at least on the 60, the adjustable eyepieces are prone to breaking. I’ve lost two eyepieces like that, but fortunately the EM series seems to be fairly easy to find on eBay, so I bought one to cannibalize for the eyepiece. And even then, you have to make sure it doesn’t fall out. That’s really the only issue I’ve had with them. Even though Sankyo was one of the lesser known Super-8 vendors, supposedly their lenses were made by Asahi Pentax, so they were always nice and sharp.

[@Filmboy24]

@@cubdukat Thanks for that info. I have had Sankyo cameras in the past but none currently. I'm really impressed with this particular series though.

[@bagnome]

Great review. I though the timelapse feature was cool. I also love Ektachrome. I like the way it looks and projecting it's the best part. And I agree. Home movies are my preferred way to use movie film and how I want to record and remember such events. Though, I have to sneak the occational train in.

[@Filmboy24]

Thank you!!

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

It’s a good mornthernoonving for me! I finally got a Bolex H16 REX 5!!!

[@Filmboy24]

You’re gonna love that beast!! I miss mine, enjoy it!!

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

@@Filmboy24 the catch is I’m gonna need a CLA before I can even use the thing!

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

@@Filmboy24 I think I might actually have a REX 4 that was modded into a REX 5? Or I have a very early production rex 5 the serial number is 216296 and the website for the REX 5 doesn’t go that low

[@Filmboy24]

@@oldradiosnphonographs I would not take those serial numbers on BolexCollector.com as gospel. I've read many times over the years that they're just a rough guide and not an exact science.

[@oldradiosnphonographs]

@@Filmboy24 ok I’ll just say I have a REX 4 1/2! 😂

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

This cam is a little beauty! Kinda looks like the lovechild of a Canon 814XL-S and a Minolta XL401 :) Always love a healthy selection of framerates as i really don't like shooting 18fps only.

[@Filmboy24]

I'm with you on that one, I'm not an 18 FPS guy either...love me some 24!!

[@quincyakinyemi3961]

I NEED ONE

[@Filmboy24]

It was such a fun camera!!

[@knoptop]

That camera seems great! let me just mosey over to ebay and see what it's all about.. :D

[@Filmboy24]

😂, Thanks Dave!!

[@Ni5ei]

I got this one last week and must say I'm not keeping it. It feels cheap, is modeled after a brick and the buttons feel very cheap and flimsy. It may do the job but it just doesn't feel like I'm holding a quality product in my hands, unlike all the other models I've bought so far. Still continuing my search for an XL camera with a good zoom range (specifically on the wide side), manual exposure control and without sound (to keep the weight down). I think I'll give the Bauer C700 or C900 a try.

[@Filmboy24]

I really miss my old trusty Bauer S715XL. It's a sound camera but one of the best Super 8 cameras I've ever owned.

[@Ni5ei]

@@Filmboy24 Got lucky today and found a Bauer C700 for only €25 From what I've heard the lenses on these series were among the sharpest Super 8 lenses ever.

[@Filmboy24]

@@Ni5ei Wow, great deal! Bauer always put excellent glass on their cameras. Mine had a gorgeous Angenieux Zoom Macro f/1.4 6-90 mm lens on it. I really miss it :(

[@Ni5ei]

@@Filmboy24 Yeah I looked it up. Great that it has 6mm wide! A heavy beast though at 2200 grams 😯

[@Jjjjjjvcfyumnv]

I’ve just found myself a Sankyo 20XL, but the viewfinder is not working - just wondering if you knew how to remove the lens or how to fix this as I have no Manuel ?

[@Filmboy24]

Hey there, Unfortunately, I really don't know how to fix these old Sankyo cameras. I know that removing the lens off any Super 8 camera can be quite a surgery.

[@BluesBrethrenofPolishPeoplesR]

Very beautiful results, almost like interlaced processed, smooth for this media, well 24fps?

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks so much!! My KZbin video was shot at 24P but the film was shot at 18FPS. Sometimes a little of that "look" crosses over when combining the two.

[@RideManDave]

I have an EM-40XL that I bought new in 1981. Bought that model because I wanted to do some animation. It’s a nice camera, and the thing you don’t think about until you either run into a problem on another camera or until the battery dies is this: the Sankyo cameras are crystal controlled. They will ALWAYS run AT EXACTLY 18 (or 24 or 36) FPS. If the camera can’t run at speed (weak battery) it will fire one frame and stop dead. Did you say that film is 100 ISO? I don’t recall whether the Super-8 cartridge can identify itself to the camera as 100 ISO, and even if it can, I don’t recall whether the EM-40XL can calibrate its light meter for that. I would not be surprised if the camera was exposing for 160 ISO, which was one of the two standard supported film speeds. That would make it leave things a little dark. For me the disappointment was always in color rendition. I normally used the Ektachrome 160 Type G, which is neither daylight nor tungsten balanced, but with no filter it was effectively a little faster in daylight than the Type A.

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks for the info, Dave! Yes, the camera was definitely metering this roll of 100D at ISO 160. I really should have exposed everything manually (or at least with BLC engaged) but I kind of wanted to run and gun in auto. The film certainly suffered because of this though.

[@DethronerX]

20:39 Sony Vegas? Really cool result and even though the underexposed darks are too dark, but the highlights are also blown out, so how do you fix that? I know we can use reflectors and fill light for the shadows, but cant in the distance, unless Holllywood : D But, is there a way to get some details in the highlights, if ND is a good option or would 50D work better in this light?

[@Filmboy24]

Thanks!! Yes, I've used Vegas Pro for years, though I've been sprinkling in some Davinci Resolve lately. The shadows and highlights can be quite tricky, especially when I underexposed everything. 100D isn't the best at handling shadow detail (Vision stocks have much more latitude), so I was already behind the 8 ball. A bit of the blame also has to be laid on the scan itself. It can be difficult (short of scanning it 5 or 6 times) to find that perfect medium. When boosting the levels a bit to try and bring out anything at all in the shadows, often the whites go haywire. The solution? Well, first and foremost, I should have exposed this roll manually. That would have solved much of the problem :)

[@DethronerX]

@@Filmboy24 but it's film so I'll take it either way. I still use Vegas. Recently i got the current version and hopefully it allows effects individually on all cropped pieces on the same timeline. I haven't learnt DaVinci properly, except watched some basic videos on it. On After Effects, I use Lumetri Color or Color Finesse. I'm not an expert but Color Finess is good to fix WB and basic CC and Lumetri is cool for both CC and Grading. But, I love Vegas for audio editing and even recording and mixing. The interface is beautiful and easy to work with

[@sclogse1]

Maybe I missed it, but is there a way to set the f stop on the camera?

[@Filmboy24]

Absolutely, take a look at the video from this point: kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5iZeaSVm6p2jJY

[@photomitch]

I own the sound version of a Sanyo, but the damn thing quit on me.

[@Filmboy24]

Well that's a bummer, Mitch. Unfortunately, these things aren't the easiest to work on either.

[@covrace]

Man, that camera looks familiar......

[@kd1841]

R u the one who sent it in? 😉

[@Filmboy24]

What a great little camera! Thanks again!