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I recently obtained a 16mm film reel (approx 300 ft long) of the Sinking of the Lusitania from 1918. How is 16mm different from 35mm? Is 35 the original and 16 a later print size or something? I need to know how to word it when I post this piece to my site. Any help would be appreciated.

M.f.g.
Eddie

The footage at that time was most likely shot in 35 mm, which has been the professional standard since the beginning of commercial film. 16 mm prints would be reduction prints made in an optical printer for the home market, which 16 mm was likely aimed at.

The difference between 16 mm vs. 35 mm is basically that of halves. 16 mm is about half width that of 35 mm, and therefore has about half the resolution. 35 mm use two sets of perforations on each side of the film, four perforations to a frame. Silent 16mm uses one perf per frame and either has one set of perfs (if there is a soundtrack) or two sets of perfs (if it's silent).

If your film is on Eastman Kodak stock, it will be easy to date by the date code on the edge of the film. The chart for identifying when the print was made can be found here:

http://www.amianet.org/resources/guides/date_code.pdf

If you happen across footage that was shot in 16 mm and is a reversal or a direct print, this guide will tell you what camera photographed it:

http://www.thephotoplayer.com/cameraident.jpg

Jack Theakston wrote:The difference between 16 mm vs. 35 mm is basically that of halves. 16 mm is about half width that of 35 mm, and therefore has about half the resolution.

Wouldn't it be more like 1/4 the resolution? A 16mm frame having about 25% of the area as a 35mm one. Or am I figuring that wrong?

Paul, yes, you are correct. I was forgetting adding *height* into the factor, too.

The Academy standard for 35 mm is .825" x .600", and while I don't have the SMPTE measurements for 16 mm, one source claims .378" x .276". So the area of both frames compare at about 4:1.

Thank you for the reply. I was wondering how to list this on my website when I get to the update later next week. It would have been nice to be the 35mm, but I suppose an original 16mm works just as well. I also have 5 cells from the Carpet of Baghdad which were salvaged from the wreck of the Lusitania in 1982, which is interesting. More interesting is that it smells burnt after all these years under water.

M.f.g.
Eddie
www.cunard-whitestarline.net

Let me just state here quite unequivocally that I believe there to be absolutely no truth in the rumours that a certain teutonic count of our acquaintance was personally involved in the firing of that torpedo.