I've worked with a few digital video cameras over the years, and for whatever reason I don't like making movies with cameras that don't feel designed for the job.
During the DV "revolution" of the 2000's there were many pro-sumer-to-pro cameras that were like grown-up camcorders with some of the trappings of professional video cameras. These cameras were excellent for indie filmmaking, the most well-known being the DVX-100.
Today the standard is DSLR still cameras with video capability. They can get some great shots, but I don't like working with them. The ergonomics don't fit the way I like to shoot, the controls are aligned with my still-shooting muscle memory and for whatever reason I just have a hard time getting good shots with them. I know there's all sorts of accessories that are supposed to address this but it seems like a better solution is to start with a better design in the first place.
If you travel up the price scale a bit ($10k+) you can get into some cameras that are closer to what I'm talking about, but to kit them out into a complete setup you could take in the field you get start sailing well over that $10k mark and for lots of reasons (including fear of breaking it) I'm not ready to go there.
Many years back I took a trip in the opposite directly and started experimenting with Super-8 film. Shooting on film is a completely different thing, and I really enjoyed it, but again the cost, when you count the film, lab, transfer, etc. is beyond what I'm going to budget for a feature project.
But I really liked the "feel" of shooting with film. The cameras I picked-up (one from a thrift store, another borrowed from a friend) are high-quality units with nice glass and feel as solid in the hand as a firearm. When you pull the trigger you feel it, not just a little "beep", and when it's shooting there is physical, tactile feedback that you are doing something.
So I started experimenting with combining the cost-effectiveness of digital video with the experience of shooting Super-8 film and designed a 3D-printable Super-8 cartridge to house enough electronics to replace the regular film.
I seem to have misplaced all the photos and videos I made with the DV8 project at the time, but luckily I still have the CAD files.
I had some initial success using a Raspberry Pi Zero and it's camera module (one of the first such modules) but there was a lot left to be desired. I really wanted the film cartridge to work with the camera in all the same ways as the real thing, including things like variable frame rate. At the time I didn't know enough about controlling the camera module to even begin to do something like this, and since it required interfacing with tiny parts of the camera (the little pawl or hook that advances the film) it felt out-of-reach for my mechanical engineering capabilities at the time as well.
Since then I've thought about the project occasionally, usually when I'm shooting with the DSLR. I've seen a few other people try to use Super-8 cameras for video, and they are really cool, but I haven't seen one that prioritizes getting the details like the shutter, aperture, etc. right.
Because of this, I'm considering reviving my DV8 project. I have an idea for a mechanism that not only solves the frame rate interface but would also solve a focus problem I ran into in a way that I think will produce a very "filmic" look as well. It's more complicated than what I've done before, but I've learned a lot since my last attempt almost ten years ago. Knowing that I'm not the only person who things this is an interesting idea helps as well, because it's a lot easier to get and stay motivated when someone else might make use of what you're making. Finally, there's a lot more to choose from on the electronics side now when it comes to digital camera hardware, etc.
Jason J. Gullickson, 2026