DIY super-16mm scanning

[Zachary Vex]

I came across a link to a manufacturer of a machine that combined a gentle 16mm projector movement with a hi-res digital still camera designed to photograph each frame and create a file that could be stored as a movie a couple of years ago. At least that is how I remember it... It's possible it was for 35mm negs, or maybe both. Has anyone heard of this? Has anyone seen the results?

[Charles MacDonald]

I came across a link to a manufacturer of a machine that combined a gentle 16mm projector movement with a hi-res digital still camera designed to photograph each frame and create a file that could be stored as a movie a couple of years ago. At least that is how I remember it... It's possible it was for 35mm negs, or maybe both. Has anyone heard of this? Has anyone seen the results?

Sounds a bit like the one Clive Tobin sells made out of a CCD camera and a highly modified B&H projector. Not sure if he has a S16 version. There is another simalar unit sold by an outfit in Germanay, and yet another I have seen advertised in from the states.

[Zachary Vex]

The one I saw used a PC, a still camera, and a projector movement or something similar that took individual shots of each frame. It didn't run in real time... it was the kind of thing you'd have to leave running overnight.

[Ian Cooper]

Sounds a bit like the one Clive Tobin sells made out of a CCD camera and a highly modified B&H projector. Not sure if he has a S16 version. There is another simalar unit sold by an outfit in Germanay, and yet another I have seen advertised in from the states.

 

It doesn't sound like one of Clive's systems. The description is more like one of Roger's.

 

Perhaps one of the Workprinter series set up with an digital SLR instead of a video camera??

[Zachary Vex]

It doesn't sound like one of Clive's systems. The description is more like one of Roger's.

 

Perhaps one of the Workprinter series set up with an digital SLR instead of a video camera??

 

I've seen those too, but that's not the one I'm talking about. It's quite specifically designed to use a still camera, not a video camera. But thanks so much for the link... I feel like I'm getting closer. Maybe someone at that company will recognize the piece of gear I saw before.

[Rod Otaviano]

I've seen those too, but that's not the one I'm talking about. It's quite specifically designed to use a still camera, not a video camera. But thanks so much for the link... I feel like I'm getting closer. Maybe someone at that company will recognize the piece of gear I saw before.

 

Are you talking about this one ?

 

http://www.jkcamera.com/digital_printer.htm

[Ian Cooper]

Are you talking about this one ?

 

http://www.jkcamera.com/digital_printer.htm

 

 

I pity the poor shutter on the 30D.

 

I understand Canon give a shutter lifetime of 100,000 cycles.

 

100,000 / 25 = 4,000 seconds

4,000 / 60 = 66 minutes of film before Canon disown the shutter.

 

No doubt the shutter will continue to operate beyond that figure, but you could buy the camera new on a Friday, spend Saturday & Sunday transferring 3 hours of footage and have a dead shutter by Monday with the warranty expired through over-use!!

[Zachary Vex]

Are you talking about this one ?

 

http://www.jkcamera.com/digital_printer.htm

 

That's the one, thanks. On the front page of the site, however, is the bad news.

 

http://www.jkcamera.com/

 

Note: For this item no new orders are

accepted at current time

[Nate Downes]

Always thought to pair that with my 35mm movie camera as a cheap workprinter.

[Chris Burke]

I pity the poor shutter on the 30D.

 

I understand Canon give a shutter lifetime of 100,000 cycles.

 

100,000 / 25 = 4,000 seconds

4,000 / 60 = 66 minutes of film before Canon disown the shutter.

 

No doubt the shutter will continue to operate beyond that figure, but you could buy the camera new on a Friday, spend Saturday & Sunday transferring 3 hours of footage and have a dead shutter by Monday with the warranty expired through over-use!!

 

 

 

what about using a camera with a non mechanical shutter? Say a Canon G5. Would that work.

[Nate Downes]

what about using a camera with a non mechanical shutter? Say a Canon G5. Would that work.

would wear out faster I'd imagine as the CCD is getting near-constant light exposure.

[Zachary Vex]

would wear out faster I'd imagine as the CCD is getting near-constant light exposure.

Video cameras don't historically burn out because their CCDs are exposed continuously to light. Closed circuit security cameras run for years without failure.

[Robert Houllahan]

what about using a camera with a non mechanical shutter? Say a Canon G5. Would that work.

 

 

I think some of the D-Slr's have frame to frame exposure/color issues, this has been mentioned by a number of long term timelapse shooters, you may need to use manual lenses for this. Should work but slow and painful..

 

-Rob-

[Eric Steinberg]

Northwest Film Forum:

http://www.nwfilmforum.org/

....has one of JK Camera's digital workprinters, but it's only Regular 16. I think they may have converted it to video as well. Actually, some of these new point-and-shoots could probably be adapted to something like this; there goes your shutter issue. I've been very interested in this device for a while, can't afford one (Jakko wants $7500 for one), certainly can't afford the next step up in "quality" (Cintel Ditto). I imagine the servo contol of a projector would be very easy to program, using basic stamp or arduino or something like that.....I like the RGB LED idea on the Cintel....what's the best (gentlest) projector movement to use? And what about turning this whole thing into a lens attachment on a D200? Sealed housing, self loading, you could even do wet-gate if you were careful......anyone here know where to get drawings for a Nikon lens mount?

[Will Montgomery]

Northwest Film Forum:

http://www.nwfilmforum.org/

....has one of JK Camera's digital workprinters, but it's only Regular 16. I think they may have converted it to video as well. Actually, some of these new point-and-shoots could probably be adapted to something like this; there goes your shutter issue. I've been very interested in this device for a while, can't afford one (Jakko wants $7500 for one), certainly can't afford the next step up in "quality" (Cintel Ditto). I imagine the servo contol of a projector would be very easy to program, using basic stamp or arduino or something like that.....I like the RGB LED idea on the Cintel....what's the best (gentlest) projector movement to use? And what about turning this whole thing into a lens attachment on a D200? Sealed housing, self loading, you could even do wet-gate if you were careful......anyone here know where to get drawings for a Nikon lens mount?

 

Doing some sort of lens attachment still doesn't change the shutter problem. Too much trouble and expense to have one of the main components fail after only 100 hours or so of transfer... although it would certainly look good and give an option of 4k+ transfers.