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Author Topic: 16mm Fil,m Thickness Bill Enos Film God Posts: 2081 From: Richmond, Virginia, USA Registered: Apr 2000 posted 05-28-2004 07:15 PM                     Is the base material used for 16mm thicker than 35mm or does it just seem that way because it is smaller??  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 05-28-2004 08:04 PM                        The ESTAR base is the same thickness for 16mm, 35mm, and 70mm Kodak VISION Color Print Films: 0.0047 inches nominal thickness.  |  IP: Logged Stephen Furley Film God Posts: 3059 From: Coulsdon, Croydon, England Registered: May 2002 posted 05-29-2004 02:59 AM                     What about the old diacetate base? I have some 16mm prints on that, and it does feel slightly thicker to me, but I haven't measured it. Could it have been made thicker to compensate for the reduced toughness compared to nitrate. Also, old film does seem to vary slightly from one make to another. Fuji Single-8 film was always on a polyester base, which was noticably thinner than triacetate Kodachrome Super-8, but also thinner than modern polyester 35mm print stock. I was once shown some 16mm film using a silverless process, some form of diazo, but I can't remember the name of it; this was much thinner than any other motion picture stock that I've seen. It was more like that used in roll film for still cameras, or the old 5x4 film packs.  |  IP: Logged Bruce Hansen Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 847 From: Stone Mountain, GA, USA Registered: Dec 1999 posted 05-29-2004 04:24 PM                     It could be that you are looking at a 16MM print on acetate, and a 35MM print on estar. The estar base will be thinner.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 06-01-2004 02:08 PM                        I recall that 35mm acetate prints used 0.0056 inch thick triacetate support, and 16mm prints used 0.00525 inch thick triacetate support. I'm trying to verify this recollection. Since ESTAR base is a stiffer plastic than triacetate base (Young modulus), the film base can be slightly thinner (0.0047 inches) and still match the stiffness of the old triacetate films. http://www.engineering.ucsb.edu/~me15web/3_stress/text_3-1.htm http://schools.matter.org.uk/Content/YoungModulus/Default.htm  |  IP: Logged

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