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Cinelab vs Colorlab vs Other?


Mayer Chalom

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Hey guys. I am shopping around for prices for an upcoming project on super 16. I am interested in processing and 2k raw scans. I've contacted both Cinelab and Colorlab about their services and pricing.

 

Cinelab is a bit more competitive with the pricing for the project but uses Xena scanner where as Colorlab uses a Spirit Scanner (not sure about the quality difference)

 

Can anyone chime in with their experiences with these two labs and the quality of their 2k scans?

 

Can anyone also recommend any other labs that do 2k scanning for a reasonable cost?

 

Best

 

Mayer

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Can anyone also recommend any other labs that do 2k scanning for a reasonable cost?

 

 

Hi Mayer,

 

We don't do processing, but if you'd like a quote on scanning, send me a message (or use the contact form on our web site.

 

 

Personally, I'd avoid transferring on older hardware like the Spirit. You will get better results from a modern large-sensor scanner like the Xena or our 5k ScanStation, even if you're only outputting to 2k.

 

-perry

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I'm really going to have to try your ScanStation because I can't believe I'm hearing someone say "avoid older hardware like the Spirit." Not so long ago a well-tuned Spirit was amazing. But maybe it usually came with a very good colorist that made all the difference.

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I'm really going to have to try your ScanStation because I can't believe I'm hearing someone say "avoid older hardware like the Spirit." Not so long ago a well-tuned Spirit was amazing. But maybe it usually came with a very good colorist that made all the difference.

 

The spirits are still pretty good machines, but they look just too "video like". They do not work well if Super 8 at all due to the frame jitter/registration issues. The design of the Spirit cannot handle the frame movement. It gets confused and the result is warped frames.

 

Spirits are still pretty good for 16mm and 35mm, but units like the ScanStation and Director from LaserGraphics blow it out of the water. Although no one can afford to use it, the Scanity at Cinelicious is much better than the Spirit too.

 

Also, there are different "Spirits". The Spirit 4K Datacine is a far superior machine to the old Spirits (from even before the Spirit HD). A Spirit is generally used as telecine system and not a scanner. For example, the Northlight is also an older machine like the Spirit. But, it's a far superior ( and slower ) scanner, not telecine.

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A Spirit is generally used as telecine system and not a scanner. For example, the Northlight is also an older machine like the Spirit. But, it's a far superior ( and slower ) scanner, not telecine.

 

That's a good point, and I should have been clearer in my original post - I'd avoid older *telecine*-style transfer systems, for the reasons David enumerated. Even the Scanity can have problems with splices, simply because it's a line scanner with a continuous motion transport.

 

Our Northlight is like 12 years old and slow as hell, but produces beautiful scans. Unlike the Spirit, though, it's an intermittent transport, so it's not subject to the frame warping that happens on machines like the Spirit/Shadow/Scanity.

 

-perry

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