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Super 16mm Scanning


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Hello all,

Wanting some clarification on the option of scanning super 16mm to 2k log.

1. When scanning to 2k will there be any degradation to the image? Is it being blown up to fit the 2k parameters similar to if we were blowing up to a 35mm print?

2. Also what exactly is happening to the colors and latitude if they are converting it to a log file? Is it basically becoming a Log C image and changing the curves/color of the film stock?

Thank you.

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I had my entire 16mm negative scanned to 1080p 2kish (I say 2Kish because it's not really 2K, but it's close)  last year for my feature film that I shot back in 1997.  I kept my negative in a cool dry place for years, so it is in perfect shape.  The parameters of the image are fixed, there is no "blowing up" of the image.  I was absolutely amazed at how gorgeous the image looked!  It changed the looks of the film, in a good way.

I had all of my rolls converted to an mov. file.  Everything looks fabulous.  When I transferred the negative, I did not have any kind of color correction performed.  I wanted to make sure that I can adjust all of the highlights in the film, so the image looked a little bright and rather dull.  After the scan was complete, I added the shots to my edit and output the film.  Then I took it to a color correction program and adjusted the colors, highlights, and saturation to my liking.  Here's the trailer to my film.  The vimeo streaming file is compressed to 720p, but I think you'll get the idea.  https://vimeo.com/308628867

Does this help...?

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Depending on the stock used super 16mm is around or slightly less resolution then HD. A 2K scan will typically capture all the detail on the negative. 4K may look marginally better, but probably not enough to justify the extra cost.

The vast majority of super 16 films made in the last 15 years will have been scanned at 2k

A log scan doesn't mess with the colour, it just reduces the contrast of the image. You get a grey looking washed out image from Log, the idea being you dial the contrast back in during final colour correction. This process gives you more latitude to adjust the image in colour correction. 

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