Film to Video transfer help needed, hate to beat a

[bmklawt]

I need some guidance on how to do video transfers from S8mm.
I have an Elmo ST-180 ETC telecine projector with f=15~25mm zoom lens, and am using an older Sony CCD-F401 camcorder. The picture quality stinks, all grainy, looks out of focus half the time and the test piece of film I?m using I cant pick up the bright yellows. I have tried other film, same thing. All colors look washed out. But it is flicker free.

I have tried all the different setting on the video camera i.e. Aperture, white balance and shutter speed. I have a vague notion of what these do but can?t get even OK pictures. With my newer Sony I get a little better picture but still bad and I can?t change settings, it all automatic. The best I can do so far is with a transfer box and with the opaque class out of the projector, the one that?s in front of the projector bulb. You can see the light pulsing on the TV this way but picture is brighter and clearer.

So what do I do, what do I need to buy?
I have over 30+ hours of film so getting it transferred is going to cost me and I would really like to do it myself. I am in the market for a new DV video camera so that works out for me. I have a lot of questions I?m hoping you guys can answer and give me more information.

First of let me say my budget is $2500.00 not including the video camera, I?d be buying that anyway.

The Projector I have has been gone over by Irving Higdon and should be up to snuff. Is this a good projector?

Should I be using a different lens with this? Somewhere I read use a f1,3

What is the opaque glass in the projector for, is there different types to choose form? The one in my proctor is a replacement could it be the wrong type?

What type of video camera should I be using? I?ve heard the TRV900 is good anything better?

What is a multiplexer and where do I get one. I have no clue what they do, sound like it projects a picture in mid air and you record it. Can I make one of these (I can make anything, really, well almost anything). I?ve looked all over the net and only find it mentioned like Bulh or Laird, no pictures, nothing for sale. Do I need one of these? Would it help?

I read about an orange filter also but don?t understand that. Is it something they use when transferring a film to video or was it used when making the original film?

This Workprinter from Moviestuff looks like the cat?s meow, and darn cheap (price wise) but if I can?t get a good picture now with my camera I imagine I won?t get a good picture with that. Any thoughts?

What good programs our out they?re for getting this stuff onto mini-dv for editing, background music, and stuff. What are the minimum requirements for a PC? A side note, can you record more than one sound track an a mini-dv so that I could paly back one or the other of the sound tracks?

Did I miss anything?

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Bruce Klawiter

[MovieStuff]

Hi, Bruce!

The projector you have is perfect for what you want to do. If it is working correctly, it should give you excellent results.

Off hand, your camera sounds like the problem. You need a good three chip camera that has manual exposure and more latitude in the image quality. If you had that and simply projected onto a piece of Epson Ink Jet Paper like I did, your results would be terrific compared to what you've been getting. If you do project on paper, remove the diffusion insert from the Elmo projector so that you get a brighter image.

To answer your question, a multiplexor is a box with a front surface mirror and a condenser lens in it. The mirror reverses the image and the condenser lens offers a magnified view of the projection lens and film gate. This, effectively, lets you shoot right off the super 8 film with no screen of any kind in between. For this, you need the diffusion glass that Elmo provides so that you don't get a hot spot.

A condenser lens is really a fancy name for a magnifying glass. Go to an opticians store or any place that sells fine optics and look for the largest Bosch and Lombe magnifying glass you can find; the larger the better. Place a piece of paper in front the projector and focus on it until the image is small enough to "fit" inside the magnifying glass diameter. The smaller the better to avoid chromatic aberations on the edges. Then, replace the paper with the condenser lens (magnifying glass) and place your video camera opposite at about the same distance as the projector, to start with. You will have to play around with different focal lengths, distance and focus but eventually, you will see the raw image of the film frame in the video camera.

Be careful because the image will be VERY bright. So watch you eyes when looking into the projectors path.

Hope this helps.

Roger Evans

[mattias]

aberration is inconsistencies in optical systems, and chromatic aberration is inconsistencies between how different wavelengths are handled in the system. rainbow effects, lens flares and color bleeding are common examples.

/matt

[bmklawt]

Roger Evans, thanks for the advice.
I took the magnifying glass out of my cheap transfer box and played around a bit, I was about ready to give up when I put the lens right up to the camera and WOW there was the picture on the TV crystal clear. I imagine the lens is not big enough because the picture is round and a 100-watt bulb might be a bit to much, there is a bright white spot in the middle. I am very encouraged now and can?t wait to get started on this.
Wish I had known about the Workprinter before plunking my money down on the Elmo telecine, that is such a simple yet creative idea.
Question: what is chromatic aberations?
Thanks Roger

Here?s hoping also I can get some of the others folk to give me there two cents worth, I really would like to know what you would recommend for a dv camera.
What is an orange filter used for?

Thanks for all your help,
Bruce Klawiter




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