The old 8mm video camera could be making a comeback - Swedish company Ikonoskop is planning to release an 8mm version of its popular 16mm film camera, the A-Cam SP16 . It will be the first new 8mm camera design in over 20 years.
The company claims it needs a minimum of 25 pre-orders to fulfil an initial production order. Deposits are 1,000 euros (£690); the total cost of the camera is 5,200 euros (£3,590). Ikonoskop's 16mm A-Cam SP16 (£3,600) is a popular camera used by film makers, both professional and amateur.
The 8mm camera was doomed to retirement when Kodak - the company that pioneered the format - closed its last 8mm processing plant in 2006.
Why Ikonoskop would want to make such a camera is puzzling. The company itself admitted that 8mm stock is hard to find and even harder to get processed.
Although 8mm cameras use 16mm film - still a very popular format - they film on both sides, at a lower quality. And the main difference is in the perforations: 8mm film has far more holes along the side than 16mm, making the formats incompatible.
