Choosing Super8 film camera (not just for wedding shoots)

Super8 series 

Choosing a Super8 camera - you’re reading this right now 

Shooting on Super8 camera (in preparation)

Developing and scanning the film (in preparation)

Why Super8

Filming on Super8 is great fun. The film is timeless, beautiful, amazing. Unlike digital, it’s real film stock: celluloid and some chemistry on it (which we don’t really understand :D). Shooting the material is just the beginning, everything still needs to be developed and then scanned. With colour negative it ends there, with black and white film you can also project everything onto the screen on an 8mm projector. Unfortunately, there are only 4 films in the e-shop offer: the Kodak 50D, 200T, 500T and B&W. About the films some other time.

Super8 cameras that you can use 

Note: beware of regular 8mm cameras, as they are quite complicated to use nowadays. Super8 is a cartridge format that Kodak developed for ease of use and sending to the lab. More info here.

There are 3 types of Super8 cameras: expensive, unusable and recommended. You can find a complete list of them here.

Expensive 

Cameras like Beaulieu, Leicina, Nico. Sometimes they have some extra gadget (like a picture up to the film hole), but they are sometimes hard to find and expensive too. We won’t prolong the article with them. 

Unusable 

Cameras like Meopta, Bell & Howell and many others. Judging by the list, it seems that Super8 cameras were made by every toothbrush manufacturer in their day. Unnecessarily large, heavy (yet Super8 is the smallest format), with a sound module (which you don’t use today). Avoid them, they are a waste of money. 

Recommended 

Basically, there are only a few cameras that are worth using. You don’t want to waste your time, film stock and the time of the people you are filming. Proven cameras are these: 

Canon 310XL: zoom lens, f/1.0, really compact, lightweight (we used this one till 2022)

Canon 514XL: zoom lens, compact + focusing matrix (we use this one)

Canon 814/1014XL-S: even with the sound module, these are the most advanced cameras from Canon (including e.g. time lapse, multiple frames-per-second options), more expensive than 310/514XL.

Nikon R10: we haven’t tried it, but filmmakers often use it


Our plan for August 2023

Today we have great news for you about a wedding planned for August. We’re going to be filming a wedding right there at Magdalene College. It never ceases to amaze us what great and beautiful venues are available for weddings. We’ll be in Cambridge from the 21st to the 31st of August, so if you’d like to film something small (engagement, elopement, family video), be sure to let us know and maybe we’ll work something out! 


Olivia & Josh, wedding in London

This time it was in the winter and right in the heart of London (or rather a short walk towards Chelsea). We spent 4 days in the centre, we had a Friday ceremony rehearsal and a Saturday wedding with ceremony and reception and a giant party at @batterseaartscentre. Driving around London in a Fiat 500 sounds good, doesn’t it? Enjoy the films!

And wait! We have also created a short trailer for those of you who like short films.:


10 best places for Iceland wedding shots

Seljalandsfoss Waterfall

Not only can you walk behind the waterfall, but the way the sun shines through the water creates a magical effect that’s perfect for a fairytale wedding shoot.

Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach

This beach is not only beautiful, but it’s also steeped in Icelandic folklore. Legend has it that the basalt columns were created when trolls tried to drag a ship to shore.

Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon

You can take a boat tour among the icebergs for an unforgettable experience, or even add a touch of adventure by taking your wedding photos on a kayak!

Thingvellir National Park

This park is not only home to amazing geological formations, but it’s also historically significant as the site where the world’s first parliament was established in 930 AD.

Kirkjufell Mountain

The shape of this mountain is so unique that it’s often called the “most photographed mountain in Iceland”. The surrounding landscape also provides plenty of photo opportunities, from waterfalls to lava fields.

Sólheimasandur Plane Wreck

The abandoned plane has been on the beach since 1973, and it’s become an unexpected and haunting attraction. It’s a great spot for couples who want something unique and unexpected in their wedding photos.

Skógafoss Waterfall

You can climb the stairs to the top of the waterfall for a bird’s-eye view, or even stand behind the waterfall for some epic shots with the water cascading around you.

Vatnajökull Glacier

This glacier is so large that it covers 8% of Iceland’s land area! If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you could even take your wedding photos on the glacier itself.

Diamond Beach

The name of this beach comes from the sparkling icebergs that wash up on the shore, creating a stunning contrast with the black sand. You could even have a photo shoot at sunset when the light is just right.

Hvitárvatn Lake

This lake is surrounded by mountains and volcanic landscapes, providing a serene and picturesque location for your wedding photos. You could even take a canoe out onto the lake for some more unique shots.


Featured: Wedding Day Match

They asked, we answered, haha :-D

Wedding Day Match magazine asked us a few questions about the wedding shoot. The things we think are the most important, the shots that should definitely not be missed. In the beginning, it looked like we were going to create some sort of “list” that if you don’t shoot, it’s a big mistake. It’s just the opposite, so do what you want at the wedding and let your family be there to film it together. Headlines might be “emotions, family, party, get Perky Pug Films there as soon as possible and freedom”. 

 You can find the article here, enjoy!


Featured on: Together Journal Issue 29

Although it seems like nothing has been happening for a while (we see this a lot on everyone’s creative blogs :D), we’ve finished the 2022 season (with an amazing Christmas wedding in London at the end - thanks to Olivia and Josh for inviting us to such a great event) and are getting everything ready for 2023. 

 If you’re planning a wedding in Bali or Hawaii, of course let us know :D we’d love to warm up a bit already. And as a little Christmas present we have a sneak peek from Grace & Matt wedding, published in Together Journal (Issue 29). We’re adding some previews and you definitely try to get some printed ones!

Have a wonderful 2023!

photography @imogenxiana​​​​​​​​
florist @marthaandthemeadow​​​​​​​​
caterer @victoriablashfordsnell​​​​​​​​
videographer @PerkyPugFilms​​​​​​​​
string quartet #CascadaStrings​​​​​​​​
muah @amazing_facedorset​​​​​​​​
cake: Sugar and Salt

featured on: togetherjournal.com


Grace & Matt, St Giles House

It happens to us often that we experience something unexpected with people and places… and that is the case of Grace and Matt wedding at St Giles House. Just… wow. When we go to a wedding, we never know in advance what the unexpected will be. What will happen? Everytime it’s a surprise.  In June 2022, we headed to the county of Dorset for St Giles House. We were there for 3 days, shot hours of footage with Super8 included (a lot of color and black and white film too) and it was great. 

 St Giles House is etched in our memories and we already know we are going there again next year for another wedding. Actually, you could just say “check out the video” but it’s so much more. Give a bride a Super8 camera and you will see… We think it was a great success (sometimes we have to give ourselves a pat on the back). So many great things happened at this wedding… 

We also met some amazing vendors:

photography @imogenxiana​​​​​​​​
florist @marthaandthemeadow​​​​​​​​
caterer @victoriablashfordsnell​​​​​​​​
videographer @PerkyPugFilms​​​​​​​​
string quartet #CascadaStrings​​​​​​​​
muah @amazing_facedorset​​​​​​​​
cake: Sugar and Salt


Tips for wedding shooting (CZE)

Photography is fun, don’t be afraid of it. After all, it’s one of the most relaxing things about a wedding! In fact, it might be the first time since the morning that you have some quiet time to yourself to talk, relax and absorb all the emotions. Don’t think of it as extra stress, but more like a light walk outside. Of course, we’ll advise you all in person as well, but we’ve decided to write most things down so you can read everything ahead of time. There are years and years of experience involved, maybe something will come in handy!

For our czech speaking friends (or friends with Deepl or Google Translate) we’ve added a few tips to our friend’s article Vita Malina. You can find tips and the article here: https://malinaphoto.cz/blog/uplne-nejvic-nejlepsi-svatebni-tipy


Grace & Matt, St Giles House wedding film

First preview of what we created for Grace and Matt at St Giles House in the south of England. Super8 wedding film, sweet, chic, groovy… – as we like it. How beautiful it was!

Venue: St Giles House 

photography @imogenxiana​​​​​​​​
florist @marthaandthemeadow​​​​​​​​
caterer @victoriablashfordsnell​​​​​​​​
videographer @PerkyPugFilms​​​​​​​​
string Quartet #CascadaStrings​​​​​​​​
hair & Make Up @amazing_facedorset​​​​​​​​
cake: Sugar and Salt


Wedding at barn Kalhov, Kachenka and Vojta, Super8 wedding film

And we have another Super8-only wedding movie, this time for our friends Kachenka and Vojta. Two Kodak 50D colour films, the band Gipsy, a beautiful day, dancing and lots of drinks… that’s what we like. Another wedding where a memory in the form of a film captures just a fragment of everything we experienced there. Thank you so much for inviting us.

muah: @veronikamykolenko dress: @mariemukarovskadress venue: @farmakalhov

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