Super-8, Super 8 Film & Normal 8mm Reel Info

Regular 8mm Film (a.k.a. 8mm, Normal 8, or Double 8 Film)
	silent	Regular/Normal 8 and Super 8 film is 8mm wide. The sample film strips on the left are shown much larger than actual to help distinguish the difference between Regular and Super 8mm. The film's sprocket holes determine the film type. The holes in Regular 8mm film are larger and almost square, whereas the holes in Super 8mm are elongated.
	with sound
	with sound

Super 8mm Film
	silent
	with sound
	with sound

	On the left is the common 50 foot reel of Regular 8mm film. The hole in the center of a reel of Regular 8 is smaller than the hole in the center of a Super 8 reel. One cannot fit their finger in the center hole of a Regular 8 reel whereas, usually, one can in a Super 8 reel.

The film lengths can often be determined by the visual indicators on each film reel -- see image. Common small reels (approx. 3" or 7 1/2 cm diameter) are about 3 1/2 minutes total running time.

How to recognize if film is silent or has sound

Only films that have magnetic band(s) have the capability of having sound recorded onto them. Simply having a magnetic band on a film does not mean the film definitively has sound. It could still be silent if no sound was ever recorded onto it.

Silent (no bands)
	Super-8
	Normal 8

With one, or two, Magnetic Bands
	Super-8
	Super-8
	Normal 8
	Normal 8

Is your film shot at 18 or 24 frames per second?

Most Super-8 films were shot at 18 frames per second, and most Normal-8 films were shot at 16 frames per second.

Very few films were shot at 24 frames per second and usually only a trained projectionist can determine the speed at which a film was shot.

silent


Reel Type	8mm Film	Super 8 Film	Super 8 Film
silent	at 16.67 frames/second	at 18 frames/second	at 24 frames/second

50 feet (15 meters)	4 min	3.5 min	2.5 min

200 feet (60 meters)	15 min	13 min	10 min

300 feet (90 meters)	22 min	20 min	15 min

400 feet (120 meters)	30 min	26 min	20 min

600 feet (180 meters)	44 min	40 min	30 min

830 feet (250 meters)	-	55 min	42 min

with sound


Reel Type	8mm Film	Super 8 Film	Super 8 Film
(with sound)	at 16.67 frames/second	at 18 frames/second	at 24 frames/second

50 feet (15 meters)	-	3.5 min	2.5 min

200 feet (60 meters)	12 min	11 min	8 min

300 feet (90 meters)	18 min	16 min	12 min

400 feet (120 meters)	24 min	21 min	16 min

600 feet (180 meters)	35 min	32 min	24 min

830 feet (250 meters)	-	43 min	33 min