Key Takeaways
- Super 8 and Regular 8mm, also called Standard 8, Normal 8 or Double 8, are both motion picture films 8 millimeters wide.
- The holes along the edge tell them apart. A hole beside the middle of each picture means Super 8, and a hole on the line between two pictures means Regular 8mm.
- Regular 8mm dates from 1932. Super 8 arrived in 1965 with a picture about a third to a half larger and a drop-in cartridge.
- Most home movies in both formats are silent. Sound shows up as a brown stripe along the edge opposite the holes, mostly on Super 8 from 1973 on.
- At Reel Keeper, both formats can go in one kit, and reels are counted by size, not format.
Super 8 vs 8mm Film at a Glance
Both formats came from Kodak and both are 8 millimeters wide, so mixing them up is easy. The difference between 8mm and Super 8 is clearest side by side.
| Feature | Regular 8mm | Super 8 |
|---|---|---|
| Also called | Standard 8, Normal 8, Double 8 | Super 8mm |
| Introduced | 1932, by Kodak | 1965, by Kodak |
| Film width | 8 mm | 8 mm |
| Holes along the edge | Large and wide, on the line between pictures | Small and narrow, beside the middle of each picture |
| Picture size | About 4.8 by 3.5 mm | About 5.8 by 4 mm, a third to a half larger |
| Frames per foot | 80 | 72 |
| Usual camera speed | 16 frames a second | 18 frames a second, 24 on many sound cameras |
| How it was loaded | A 25 foot roll of 16mm wide film, run through the camera twice | A drop-in 50 foot cartridge, no threading |
| A 50 foot roll plays for, at its usual speed | About 4 minutes | About 3 minutes 20 seconds |
| Sound | Rare, added after processing | Found on some film made from 1973 on |
| Reel center hole | Small | Larger |
| Most common years in family boxes | Mostly 1950s to mid 1960s | Mid 1960s to the 1980s |
| Still made today | In small batches by specialty makers | Yes, by Kodak |
Figures are rounded. Picture sizes vary a little by source, and by which frame is measured, the camera's or the projector's. The dates come from Kodak and the National Film Preservation Foundation, and the other figures are the usual published values for each format.
How to Tell If Your Film Is 8mm or Super 8
The quickest answer is in the holes along the edge. A hole beside the middle of each picture means Super 8. A hole on the line between two pictures means Regular 8mm.
You do not need a projector for this. The National Archives says you can identify film even without viewing equipment. If you are still asking "Is my film 8mm or Super 8?", the five checks below will settle it.
1. Look at the Sprocket Holes
Put on cotton gloves, or work with clean, dry hands, and hold the film only by its edges. Unwind past the blank leader until you see small pictures, then hold that stretch up to a window or a lamp. Look at the row of holes down one side.
Regular 8mm has large holes, a little wider than they are tall. Each one lines up with the thin line between two pictures.
Super 8 has small holes, a little taller than they are wide. Each one sits beside the middle of a picture, and the picture fills more of the strip. The National Archives describes Super 8 the same way, as film with smaller holes that leave room for a larger image.
Knowing how to tell if film is 8mm or Super 8 mostly comes down to this one check.
2. Check the Center Hole of the Reel
Look at the hole in the middle of the reel. Super 8 reels usually have a larger center hole than Regular 8mm reels, because the two kinds of projector use spindles of different sizes. Film was sometimes rewound onto the wrong reel over the years, so treat this as a second check and not as proof.
3. Read the Box, Can and Reel Labels
Processing boxes and mailers often say "Super 8" or "8mm" right on them. A cartridge still sitting in the box is a strong clue. The National Archives also suggests reading the can and the leader, the blank strip at the start of the film, for printed or handwritten notes. Write down any dates you find, because check 5 uses them.
4. Look for a Splice Near the Middle of a 50 Foot Roll
Regular 8mm was shot on a 25 foot roll of 16mm wide film. The camera exposed one half of the width, then the roll was turned over and the other half was exposed. The lab split the film down the middle and joined the two pieces end to end, which gave 50 feet of finished film, as Kodak's history of the format describes.
That join often shows up as a splice near the middle of a 50 foot roll. Cartridge-loaded Super 8 has no such splice. Families also spliced reels together when they edited, so a splice is a supporting clue only.
5. Use the Date as a Clue
Super 8 went on sale in May 1965, according to Kodak's own chronology. Film shot before 1965 is almost certainly Regular 8mm. Film shot in the 1970s is most likely Super 8. Boxes from the late 1960s can hold both, because families did not all buy new cameras at once.
Still Not Sure?
You do not need to know. You can send Regular 8mm and Super 8 reels together in one kit, and our Super 8 to digital service accepts both.
What Is Regular 8mm Film?
Regular 8mm is home movie film 8 millimeters wide, made from 16mm wide film that was split after processing. Kodak introduced it in 1932, according to the National Film Preservation Foundation's Film Preservation Guide.
Kodak's history explains why it caught on. Its 16mm home movie camera weighed about 7 pounds and cost too much for most families, and Regular 8mm brought the price down.
You will also see it called Double 8 film, after the double-width roll it was shot on. Check 4 above describes how that roll was split and joined. Loading it by hand took care, and it was the step Super 8 would later remove. Cameras usually ran at about 16 frames a second, and most films were silent.
A rarer version called Straight 8 came on a single-width roll. The finished film is the same, so it is digitized the same way as Regular 8mm.
What Is Super 8 Film?
Super 8 is home movie film 8 millimeters wide, with smaller holes and a bigger picture than Regular 8mm. Kodak launched it in May 1965. Shrinking the holes left room for a larger picture on the same width of film.
The bigger change was the Super 8 cartridge. You dropped it into the camera and started filming, with no threading at all. A full cartridge held 50 feet, and Kodak's history credits the format with bringing movie-making to the masses.
Super 8 cameras usually ran at 18 frames a second, and sound cameras could also run at 24, according to the Home Film Preservation Guide.
Fujifilm launched a rival called Single-8 the same year. Its film is the same size but comes in a different cartridge, so it is digitized like Super 8.
The format never fully went away. Kodak still sells Super 8 stock today, including Ektachrome 100D, on its Super 8 films page.
Do 8mm and Super 8 Films Have Sound?
Most home movies in both formats were filmed without sound.
Kodak brought sound to Super 8 in August 1973, according to its chronology. Sound film carries a brown magnetic stripe, which the National Archives describes as a stripe adhered to the edge of the film. On Super 8 it runs along the edge opposite the holes. A thinner second stripe often runs on the hole side, there only to help the film wind evenly.
Sound on Regular 8mm is rare. When it exists, the stripe was added after processing, as the Home Film Preservation Guide explains.
If your Super 8 reel has a brown stripe along the edge opposite the holes, mention it when you order. Reel Keeper captures the sound on Super 8 sound film.
Which Has Better Picture Quality, Super 8 or 8mm?
Compare 8mm vs Super 8 frame for frame, and Super 8 has the edge. All else being equal, its bigger picture holds more detail and shows less grain.
Yet other things matter more than the format. The camera, the focus, the light, the film stock and the way the reels were stored all count for more. A well-kept 1950s Regular 8mm reel can look better than a faded 1970s Super 8 reel.
Fading, a vinegar smell and brittle film affect quality more than format does. Our guide to digitizing 8mm reels covers the signs of damaged film in more detail.
Can One Projector Play Both Formats?
No standard projector plays both. Each machine is built for one side of the Regular 8mm vs Super 8 divide. This is where the difference matters most, because the holes are spaced differently and the reels fit different spindles. Some Dual 8 projectors were built to switch between the two.
Running film through the wrong machine can tear the holes. The National Archives also warns that a projector that has not been maintained can damage film on its own.
That goes for an old 8mm projector or a Super 8 projector that has sat in a closet for years. Digitizing is the safer way to watch.
8mm Film Is Not the Same as 8mm Video Tape
Many people type "8mm" into a search box when they mean camcorder tapes. The two have nothing in common except the number.
8mm video tape, sold as Video8, Hi8 and Digital8, is a small plastic cassette from the mid 1980s onward. It holds magnetic tape, and it usually has sound. 8mm film comes on an open reel, and you can see tiny pictures when you hold it up to the light.
Tiny pictures you can see means film. A closed plastic cassette means tape. Tape goes through a different process, usually called 8mm tape to digital. It also ages in its own way, and our guide on how long VHS tapes last covers the 8mm tape formats too. Reel Keeper transfers Hi8 and Digital8 tapes too, and they can go in the same kit as your film.
What Your Film Type Means for Digitizing
A scanner has to be set for the right format and speed. The wrong settings crop the picture, or make it play too fast or too slow.
At Reel Keeper you do not have to sort anything. You can mix Regular 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm reels in one kit. Every reel is cleaned, broken splices are repaired, and the film is scanned frame by frame in Full HD 1080p. Sound is captured on Super 8 reels that carry a sound stripe. A reel that cannot be digitized is refunded.
Format does not change the count, because reels are counted by size. A reel up to 4 inches across is one item. Larger reels count as one item for every 100 feet, so a full 7 inch reel of about 400 feet counts as four items. Reels over 7 inches are quoted first. You can see current kit prices in our pricing section, along with all the film types we transfer.
If you would rather try it yourself, our guide on how to digitize 8mm film walks through each method at home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Super 8 the Same as 8mm?
No. Both are motion picture films 8 millimeters wide, but Super 8 has smaller holes and a larger picture. They are different formats that need different scanner settings.
Is Super 8 Better Than 8mm?
Super 8 has the larger picture, so it can hold more detail. A well-kept Regular 8mm reel can still look better than a faded Super 8 one, because condition matters more than format.
Can You Play Super 8 Film on an 8mm Projector?
Not on a standard one, because the holes and reel spindles differ. Dual 8 projectors could switch between the two, but digitizing is the safer way to watch old film.
How Can I Tell If My 8mm Film Has Sound?
Look for a brown stripe along the edge of the film opposite the holes. Most home movies are silent, and sound is far more common on Super 8 from 1973 on.
Is Super 8 Film Still Made?
Yes. Kodak still lists several Super 8 stocks for sale, including Ektachrome 100D. Most families, though, are working with reels shot decades ago.
What Is Double 8 Film?
Double 8 is another name for Regular 8mm. The name comes from the 16mm wide roll that was exposed twice, once on each half, and split into 8mm film after processing.
Does It Cost More to Digitize Super 8 Than Regular 8mm?
At Reel Keeper, no. Reels are counted by size and not by format. A reel up to 4 inches is one item, and larger reels count as one item for every 100 feet.
Is 8mm Film the Same as 8mm Tape?
No. 8mm film sits on an open reel and shows tiny pictures against the light. 8mm tape is a closed plastic cassette made for a video camcorder.
Know Your Reels, Then Save Them
Telling Super 8 vs 8mm film apart needs nothing more than a window and a careful look at the holes. Start with the reels you care about most. If you would like them digitized, a kit is the first step.
