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Could one film gauge use different film stock


When using a movie camera, could only a certain millimeter film be used for cinematography or could different film formats go in the same gauge at different times? For example is there a camera that has used 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, 35mm, 70mm, etc? This is just a fun curiosity I have.

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Nope. Because it is mechanical, the sprockets, registration pins and pull-down claws are geared for a certain pitch, and cannot be adjusted enough to accommodate such different sized film formats. Also the gate is physical, so even if you could run 16mm film through a 35mm camera, the film would not be centered through the gate.

You do get closer with 8mm to Super8, and 16mm to Super16, but you have centering issues and lack of perforations on the left side of the film on Super8 & Super16.



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