UPDATE: 8mm to digital converter?

[gardenmom5]

has anyone done this?  have any experience?

dh has so many reels, he'd rather just buy a converter than spend the $$$$ to pay someone else to do it.

 

UPDATE:

I went researching last night.  Wolverine (range from $300 - $400)  basically has the highest rated diy systems, and they're just . . .  if that's what you're stuck with for quality . . . and super slow.

legacybox currently has a black friday deal for $8 per item  - usually $27.50 per item.  (8mm, super 8mm, vhs, etc.)  you buy in lots of 10,20, 40.   So, I was able to stick both a 10 and a 20 in my cart.  it comes to less than the better Wolverine would cost (including a multiple times downloadable digital format  - which I chose over a thumb drive) and should be a higher quality copy.

Edited November 11, 2022 by gardenmom5

[history-fan]

I have many reels to convert as well. When I last researched it was recommended to record while playing. 

[stephanier.1765]

My father was just talking recently about doing this so I would also love know how to go about this. Are converters expensive? This could make a wonderful Christmas gift.

[Kalypso]

I did this 2 years ago. I bought a converter on amazon. I think it cost about $75. I had to play the 8mm tapes on my camcorder to do it. It took some time, but I did about 30 8mm tapes. I didn't do any editing. 

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, Kalypso said:

I did this 2 years ago. I bought a converter on amazon. I think it cost about $75. I had to play the 8mm tapes on my camcorder to do it. It took some time, but I did about 30 8mm tapes. I didn't do any editing. 

I'm talking 8mm reel film.  You can only play them on an 8mm reel projector.

 

Edited November 11, 2022 by gardenmom5

[history-fan]

I have 2 8mm projectors and 2 screens but I started looking at the transfer equipment and like the single frame transfer idea it might be smoother as long as you had the frame rate matched. The pricing started around $400 for one I’m looking at. The price to have it transferred is .25 cents a foot locally. I have 3+ cases of reels the oldest from the 50’s on small and xl reels, so  almost 50 years of footage of 8mm then the cartridges from the 90s and dvds that need to be digitalized.

@gardenmom5do you already have a working projector and clean screen?

[Beth S]

My brother converted my dad's onto VHS back in 1993.  I did VHS to DVD, then DVD to Mp4.  Honestly, it really is worth the effort (if you remember the events).

 

[Dmmetler]

We used CinePost, in GA. We had a ton of old home movies that DH's mother had taken. We also converted our wedding video, L's dedication, etc. https://www.posthouse.com

[gardenmom5]

1 hour ago, history-fan said:

I have 2 8mm projectors and 2 screens but I started looking at the transfer equipment and like the single frame transfer idea it might be smoother as long as you had the frame rate matched. The pricing started around $400 for one I’m looking at. The price to have it transferred is .25 cents a foot locally. I have 3+ cases of reels the oldest from the 50’s on small and xl reels, so  almost 50 years of footage of 8mm then the cartridges from the 90s and dvds that need to be digitalized.

@gardenmom5do you already have a working projector and clean screen?

These are from dh's family.  50s, 60s.  I think there is a projector somewhere, and we do have a screen - but it is an old screen.  Most of the reels are 5", some are 3".   Dh and his sister have looked into converting them before, and the local estimates were in the thousands.

I'm happy with the deal we have.   and when we would have finished, we would have had no other use for it.  can't use it for vhs.   
It's possible the guy comparing the wolverine vs the commercial did something to make it shaky (I wouldn't put it past him), there is also clarity.  We would have zero use for an 8mm converter after we've converted these reels.

[Spy Car]

I know a guy (a good friend actually) who has a high-end film scanner from the Netherlands.

He has a very sincere interest in film preservation and in the cultural value of capturing home movies before they are lost forever, and he's developed a unique business arrangement for transferring people's old films (8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, and odd formats like Pathe 9mm).

He transfers people's films to a digital format for free (at a professional level). In exchange, he makes selected film clips available for licensing as "stock footage." When/if he sells a clip, he cuts in the people who supplied the original films on a share of the sales. 

I'm not sure what his current status is with regard to taking in new film collections, but if anyone is interested I could find out.

It is an unbelievable deal considering just how expensive it is to have film scanned professionally.

Bill

 

[history-fan]

42 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

These are from dh's family.  50s, 60s.  I think there is a projector somewhere, and we do have a screen - but it is an old screen.  Most of the reels are 5", some are 3".   Dh and his sister have looked into converting them before, and the local estimates were in the thousands.

I'm happy with the deal we have.   and when we would have finished, we would have had no other use for it.  can't use it for vhs.   
It's possible the guy comparing the wolverine vs the commercial did something to make it shaky (I wouldn't put it past him), there is also clarity.  We would have zero use for an 8mm converter after we've converted these reels.

Sounds like a great deal for you. Keep us posted 

 

[gardenmom5]

32 minutes ago, Spy Car said:

I know a guy (a good friend actually) who has a high-end film scanner from the Netherlands.

He has a very sincere interest in film preservation and in the cultural value of capturing home movies before they are lost forever, and he's developed a unique business arrangement for transferring people's old films (8mm, Super 8mm, 16mm, and odd formats like Pathe 9mm).

He transfers people's films to a digital format for free (at a professional level). In exchange, he makes selected film clips available for licensing as "stock footage." When/if he sells a clip, he cuts in the people who supplied the original films on a share of the sales. 

I'm not sure what his current status is with regard to taking in new film collections, but if anyone is interested I could find out.

It is an unbelievable deal considering just how expensive it is to have film scanned professionally.

Bill

 

Some of those home films have amazing footage.
I was watching a Sound of Music reunion video last night.  The actor who played Kurt received an 8mm camera for his birthday while they were in Salzburg.  All the behind the scenes footage from Salzburg - is his.   He was just playing around.

9 minutes ago, history-fan said:

Sounds like a great deal for you. Keep us posted 

 

Hope so.  They said 10 - 12 weeks.  which is fine by me - they've been cluttering my basement for years. 

If we can get them digitized and they turn out well, I'll be happy to send the reels to sil who is warehousing all of fil's military stuff.   (she's been *supposed* to write a book for decades.  but did get some of it added to someone else's book on the Hell Ships.)

[Spy Car]

1 minute ago, gardenmom5 said:

Some of those home films have amazing footage.
I was watching a Sound of Music reunion video last night.  The actor who played Kurt received an 8mm camera for his birthday while they were in Salzburg.  All the behind the scenes footage from Salzburg - is his.   He was just playing around.

 

It sounds like you are covered, but let me know if that changes and I would reach out to my friend. It is a great thing to have old family films transferred into an accessable format.

Bill