How much money are you willing to spend? A production house will charge up to $800 (or more) an hour for HD transfers (and that is an hour of working time, not film time).

Dave T2

Just curious, but do you expect to get useful images at that resolution from 8mm? A Super-8 frame is about 5 x 6 mm and most 8mm movie film probably has a resolution of around 2000 to 4000 lines per inch, which means that the useful resolution of a Super-8 frame is probably in the 480x400 to 960x800 range at best. Anything beyond DVD resolution is probably a waste.

I just thought I might be able to get some sort of modern machine
that gets the most out of the Super 8 format...resolution wise.
I am also looking for 16mm and 35 mm movie film as well.
I figure some sort of film to video device exists using a DV port
(1394) might be available to both play back and record to Super8mm
at very high quality. I am looknig to transfer TO and from Super 8mm,
basically using vegas video to edit the film and sync/score the sound.

I want to know the best but also most economical way to do this....
I just bought a Projector that has an built in screen where you just
point your video camera at it, but I think that the Video quality will be horrible
coming from a Hi8 or VHS camera to coaxial output or SVHS video (bypassing the actual tape) and I don't really want to buy a DV camera.

I'd like to buy a machine to automate transfer of the film over to
vegas video a frame at a time, edit it and then print it back to film.
Do they make such a machine for any amount?

Try contacting TFG Film & Tape. Start at http://www.webtfg.com./

I got the link you are looking for!

http://www.moviestuff.tv/equipment.html

Rodger makes a machine called a WorkprinterXP that allows you to take frame accurate digital captures right off the R8 or S8 film. You use your camera (must be at least 12x optical zoom). It is a little pricey at $1300 but if you have a lot of film it is worth it.

I do transfers on the side and will be setup with a workprinterXP and a 3CCD camera for captures by the end of september. Outstanding quality! Next best thing to a Rank transfer ($$$$$$). There is no flicker or speed problems as you do the 3:2 pulldown in software. Don't settle for off the screen capture or some of these VHS-analog to digital transfers.

You can do a search here on Workprinter for more info as I know that there are other Vegas-ites who have used it.

Let me know if you need more help or call/email Rodger he is great. If you would like me to do it once I get setup then shoot me an email.

Forget about a machine. By far the best method is to project your film onto a sheet of A4 super white paper. Position your video camer so that it completely fills your viewfinder, or flip out screen. Turn off auto focus. Start recording either direct to your camcorder tape for later editing, or eject your tape and record direct to a previously connected video recorder.

Hey Peaceinourtime,

Your kidding right. That may be the quickest or the easiest way but if you say it is the best method quality and results wise you really have no clue.

Ooooohhh you said super white paper.... well in that case maybe you have something there :)

For quality, the Workprinter is absolutely the only do-it-yourself way to go. Nothing else even comes close. As it happens, I have just pulled my Workprinter out of six month storage to do a new project. I am once again amazed at the quality. As someone said earlier in this thread, it can achieve results that are amazingly close to a Rank Cinetel, which is the ultimate film to video transfer mechanism.

In addition, if you really want quality, you can play all sorts of tricks. You can use a program like Steadyhand to stabilize the transfer prior to pulldown. You can use another program from Dynapel called Motionperfect to create almost eerily smooth pans (no more film-pan jitter).

The Workprinter can also capture the ENTIRE film frame, because Roger removes the film gate. You can even include the sprocket holes and then use Vegas to crop exactly to the edge.

As for resolution, which is your requirement, I have two points to make. First, as an earlier poster said, for 8mm, a good 3-chip DV camera is probably all that you need. Here's why. Most literature states that a 35mm film stock can achieve the equivalent of about 6,000 to 8,000 pixel resolution in the 35mm direction (of course the 35mm negative is only about 24mm tall). 8mm is less than 25% (closer to 20% because of how the percentage of the film taken up by sprocket holes). This gets you down to about 1600 pixels. While a DV camera is only 720 pixels in the long direction, in my experience, this seems to capture every bit of detail on the 8mm or Super8 frame.

Of course 16mm and 35mm movie film is another story.

The other point is that if you really want resolution, then you could use a different capture device with the Workprinter than a DV camera. The obvious choice would be a still camera that has a long enough zoom lens (you need 10x for Super8 and 12x for 8mm when using the Workprinter) and a fast enough cycle time to keep up with the Workprinter's slowest rate (about 1-2 fps). There are a few cameras like this, such as the Canon C-740. What I don't know is whether it, or the few other similar cameras, can be made to spit out a picture or more per second, and wether it can be made to send these photos via their USB connection. If it could, this would give you enoght resolution to do 16mm with no compromise.

But I think everyone is missing the point that he's not outputting to DVD or DV tape. He wants to output to HD or film, in which case, the higher frame size he can input, the less he has to "blow it up" to fit the HD template of 1920 x 1080.

I'm not sure, but I'd venture to guess there's going to be no way of getting this resolution via a firewire card. You'll need some sort of HD capable (or at least uncompressed) analog input card and go from there.

Exactly,
I will make a copy for DVD, while I am at it, but what I really want to buy is some machine to transfer it TO and FROM Film in one machine (or two machines) if possible.

This would be some sort professional film duplicator, or transfer machine much like the pro's use to make MANY copies of movies (Like for the Movies they make on 35mm) but instead make it on Super 8 for distribution from files recorded on Vegas....
Some scenes will be shot on video, some will be shot on film, and I need to edit them together, and put them BOTH on DVD AND Film. I want a Nearly Tapeless system, the exception for the transfer from material recorded on Hi8 Video Tape, to the computer.

I can't see any sense in pointing my Super 8 Camera at a Hi-Definition Television, just to get it on film, can you? Thanks ThrillCat.

After that is done experimented with THEN I will want the same thing in 35MM.
Doesn't anyone like FILM anymore :-( (Sniffle, Sob)

>>>...possibly even would like to transfer it back to film after making the necessary edits in Vegas Video.<<<

I just got this press release -They do handle 8 mm. Most of the responses here have been about the Film > Video transfer so this is the Video > Film part:

=====

Cineric, Inc., is offering digital-to-film conversion services for filmmakers requiring high-quality prints for festivals, trade shows and other purposes. The facility has installed a Lasergraphics Producer Digital Cine Film Recorder that converts digital images to film at the economical speed of four seconds per frame. As part of an introductory special, the facility is offering free testing and discount rates up to 25 percent to qualified filmmakers and students through the end of this year.

[SNIP]

Cineric was the first postproduction facility in New York to establish a digital motion picture film service bureau, offering scanning, recording, video-to-film, and specialized image processing services. Blowups and format conversions are a specialty. The facility has also restored more than 200 films including Jason and the Argonauts, The Birds, American Graffiti, A Man for All Seasons, The Man from Laramie and The Caine Mutiny.

YAY YAY YAY!!!! This is what I was looking for.
I just want to know what is the machine(s) they use,
and how much they cost. Thanks so much


Also I found AATON makes some equipmet in 16 and 35mm format to edit and sync the
film to video. One other part of the equation is solved...
http://www.aaton.com/index.php