How to Convert 8mm/Super 8 to Digital Video with a Canon Scanner 

My goodness, you have just saved me many years of work and mind bending drudgery! I recently started where you started years ago, with how I was going to digitize all my 300 films! Thankfully I have stumbled onto your video to save me from insanity!!! After seeing what you've had to go through to digitize film, I will happily pay for an entry level digitizer/scanner machine, and accept the less than professional results... After all, it is only 8mm film...Thank you again...thank you!!! 👍🙏

This man has patience beyond quantification! Incredible.

Ken: is this your thesis for a doctorate in 8mm film preservation? Well done - a thorough and well presented video which has absolutely convinced me that I will find a simpler (but more expensive) way to convert my thousands of feet of super-8.

You are wonderful. You first understood the physics of a FILM FRAME and interptretated this to your script 👍

My first port of call would be using your macro method. The trick you missed there is that any lens can focus really closely if you use macro tube extenders between the lens and the camera. Then, one could import the frames as a image sequence in davinci resolve, then use its tracking feature to line up each frame using the sprocket holes as a reference. I might try this soon.

This is a problem I've been working on for almost as long as you have, but without your persistence. Thanks for taking us through all the trials and errors and technical evolutions. I appreciate the humor as well. Having watched this, I have ruled out using a flatbed scanner for my own project. It only took eighteen minutes, a huge savings of time.

You're mad - in a good way! What I take from your project is that in the 21st century the solution is more in the software than the hardware. I bought one of those cheapish scanners from Amazon but really wasn't happy with results or reliability so sent it back. Now I'm building my own device and struggling with old projectors and precision. What I take from your methods is to lean more to software solutions than mechanical. We all have a supercomputer handy but not a precision machine shop.

Wow this is a lot , thanks for sharing

In WW1, machine guns fired when the (two bladed) propeller was horizontal -ie "out of the way". Is there no way to synchronise a digital camera with a macro lens, so that it snaps the shot when the film is in the correct spot - and momentarily stationary? A Geneva wheel mechanism could advance the film and hold it still for a fraction of a second. (effectively a high end film projector shutter mechanism). The camera could even be from a Samsung cellophone, as they have excellent resolution and slow motion capabilities of up to 1000fps). The technology isn't just here but it's been "here" for over 20 years. The entire mechanism would probably cost no more than $500-750 and be able to scan 200ft in 10 minutes at 2K resolution. By simply moving the camera further away and using a different film gate, it could scan 16mm and 35mm. (Arri want $250,000 for a movie scanner). Something that could give top quality results and sell for under $3000 - how about that? If anyone wants to enter into a collaboration on such a project, 'd willing to contribute $10k. If we can get 20 or 30 people involved, I reckon it could be done for $200-$300k. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZNV79Nb1qM8.html

Your coverage of how to create a video from old tapes was fantastic and it made it clear that I did not care to do such a thing. I am an engineer and you indicated you were an English major, well, your English sure outdid my Engineering. In any case I wish to thank you for creating and uploading such an informative video!!

Imagine this guy using the same patience and dedication to kill

What a great yarn. Thanks for taking us along on it. I think that method is bonkers, but you stuck with it and made it work for you. Respect.

I tried to send you an email to the address that skated at the end of this video but it bounced as "undeliverable". Is there another email address?

Amazing, this quite an interresting thing to do, I’ve once digitized some super 8 films that my grandfather made using a raspberry-pi with camera module pointing at a projected film. The result was not as clean because of the skew in the image caused by the offset between the projector and the camera. My dad made a python script to setup the filename for each file as well as the pi camera module settings. I’ve always thought about scanning the film strip as the best and most direct method but have never attempted this before. Your methode looks inspirational.😇

Wow you are a machine! Good for you. So basically you are telling me the .3cents a foot is worth the cost of buddy stranger doing this with their $$$ machine.

Great job but very time consuming

Final result is pretty good!

I don't know why, but I kept on hearing the theme to the film, Brazil, while watching this. I loved it, but it's not going to happen to me. I have flown away with my metallic wings. The old Reflecta scanner gives nearly the top resolution possible and takes most (but not all) of the tedium out of the process. This is a crazy-making recipe. I wish you all the best. If you're a college professor, why not team up with your engineering and film production departments to create a superior retail scanner? If you do, e-mail me and tell me the price.

Génial. Bonjour J'ai , 2 bobines de 40 m, 1 de 45 m, 2 de 60m, 1 de 75m, 1 de 80m, 5 de 90m, 1 de 105m, 2 de 150m, 1 de 210m et enfin deux petites d'origine, non montée.

They were ok, I think it was a hd version, but some of the films were on a crap movie camera!

maybe you could try a digital microscope?

What a journey haha

👏👏👏👏 Will try this soon, very soon, I have about 14000 feet of 8mm film to work through. MY great grandfather made many films. and this is going to be a labor of love, Thank you for showing me a cost-effective way of doing it. Thank you for a very well explained video. You are a champ!!!

Some people have a lot of extra time on their hands!

You have put some innovative techniques into your transfer methods. I've tried a few methods myself, and have settled on the Wolverine scanner for transferring my Mother's home movies, but it has a few drawbacks. Color balance when scanning Kodachrome ends up with overemphasized yellows. The default exposure is too hot with some shots, too dark with others, so I tend to use "-1" and boost the gain in post. When sprockets on Super8 is worn, sometimes the frames do not advance. I've been considering a Magnasonic scanner that has a super 8 film holder, but like some of your methods, this would be a one frame at a time option. However, the guild should keep everything lined up so you wouldn't need to adjust each frame. Nice, informative video!

love your videos.. i have a elmo 612s xl super 8 camera with the kodak film . i was wondering how can i rig it so i can put it thru the computer.. i dont want to submit the footage over and over to kodak and such and i heard there is a way to process it to digital. .any help would be greatly appreciated if possible thanks.

hey i have a tip for scanning with a dslr (i tried it out myself). you can 3d Print or buy super makro adapter extensien tubes for like 20 box. it works just perfectly

This was an excellent video. I’m in the process of planning a similar adventure with a flatbed scanner. Great work, and thank you!

you're a genius!

That is Korean 100won haha

Geez....just buy a wolverine film scanner, it cost me only 250.00 and took 1/3 the time of what you had to go through and it came out fantastic. I just don't have the time that you see to have and I'm retired....Lol At the very least this shows everyone that you are a very patient man....you must love watching golf...Lol

Hi Ken, thanks for this helpful video. Have you ever had any luck scanning and processing negative film?

would this work with a cannon cx3810 ?? also whats the doftawe you are using is it special for film use only. setting ??

You should try the free version of Davinci Resolve form the Black Magic web site. It is pro grading software that would be save you several steps in your process.

Amazing. How many manhour does it take to digitize a 3minute super8 film?

You can use step-motor for film-advancing, which would be driven by Arduino. Arduino also could be synced with computer, where script can automate film advance and scan order. And I'm pretty sure, that some talented programmer could easily automate your Photoshop workflow with a small software.

99 % of all these table flatbead scanners has bad density. Old good flatbed Topaz is way better.

Maybe an "microscope camera" can put into 8mm projector's lens. Then, "8mm projector" and "microscope camera" works same frame rate.

Brilliant video! I recently did much the same thing, but using a Plustek 8200i scanner (as pictured partway through your video) to do it. I usually get mine sent off to be flashscanned, but there was one that didn't seem very long (about 60 foot) was black and white, wasn't in the best of condition and thought it wouldn't be too much of a headache to do myself if I jerryrigged up a contraption around the plustek to hold the doors open, the film itself sitting at a jaunty angle through the 35mm adapter. Scanning at its max-native res allowed the film to be cropped to 1080. After the scanning was photoshop, straighten though I didn't make any fancy scripts beyond an action that created a box selection to the same size as a frame, then I could manually place that aligned with top and left side of the frame, then crop and save, repeat. I think I v-dubbed it together at the end into an AVI, it's been a while since I made it. I quite enjoy sitting there, listening to music, or watching a movie and doing repetative things like that. Though I'm not sure I would want to go through it for something that was 400ft!!!!! Anyway, here are the results. I'm happy enough with them! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-jGseKpBSjWQ.html

Simply buy an old, (but in good working order) 8 mm projector; like a 1947 REVERE MODEL 85, 8 mm Movie Projector with Original Case and Free Shipping; as I did on eBay, for under $80.00. Yes I won't have a digitized copy (with all kinds of problems). But I will be able to enjoy playing my 8 mm movies; using the exact same technology; that made the 8 mm film in the first place. Incidentally 3 weeks ago, I bought a "Wolverine 8 mm transfer to digital item" from Amazon. It was a joke. Yes I have 5 digitized SD cards now. But the movies are grainy, TOO much contrast and it flickers; not to mention splotchy. Big deal. It cost over $300. Big deal. I sent the joke back. To hell with that. I found NO other item that would do any better. So sad. Bah humbug! Quit trying to turn a '50's item into a 2021's "Gem". Remember one still "caint" turn a boar hog into a princess!. NO way! NO disrespect atoll.

This is mental but I love it! 😂. You're a genius

Thanks for that physics 😢lesson 😭😭

Nice video report! But wow; can it be done simpler?! (without losing quality -scanning can be high quality)

Commendable!

Thanks for your helpful video. I plan on taking photos frame by frame and then cropping and joining them. Is your Photoshop action script code just for Super 8 or Standard 8mm as well? Is there a way to use this script so just the frame is shown without sprocket hole?

Just project the film in reverse on a small rear projection screen

Yea, life is too short.thanks for sharing

very good video, but you're right I don't have enough patience to scan my 8 mm to a flatbed in this fashion.

With The magic lantern program on pc I think can convert all frame in video

Fortunately i had the opportunity to borrow a wolverine scanner from a friend!

You're a mad scientist, man!

good video buddy

???? 백원짜리가 나오네

I bought the Wolverine Pro. I am very happy with the output. I put it in Final Cut Pro and color correct it.

😀

Why can't you project it on a white sheet and record it digitally from the other side, then flip it in your editor?