Anyone here have a Moviestuff RetroScan Universal?

[digicube]

How good is it at capturing 8mm and super 8 films? It's expensive but has good resale value.

My other option is from this ebay seller. http://stores.ebay.com/FocusScan
He is more affordable but low resale value.

[jagabo]

Search the forums for RetroScan. You'll find several threads that discuss it.

[digicube]

OK thanks. Do you have any comments on systems such as that of the ebay seller? Are they good?

[johnmeyer]

Over a decade ago I bought one of Roger Evan's (he is MovieStuff's founder) first units, a Workprinter. I then developed my own capture system, and shared all my inventions and upgrades with Roger (he was already doing similar things himself, so I don't know if I actually helped him or not). I've corresponded with him and spoken to him on the phone a few times since then. His company has grown a lot, and he has a really good, solid business.

His products now are absolutely world class. As you may know, "Hollywood" studios scan their film using either a Cintel or Spirit, both of which cost over $100,000. Roger's early products were simply modified projectors that he purchased from eBay. While they did create "frame accurate" transfers (i.e., one frame of film gets transferred to exactly one frame of video), and while the quality was close the a Cintel or Spirit, those high-end machines were able to do much more because of the optical path they used. As Roger started having a harder time finding decent used projectors on eBay, and as he kept improving the quality of his upgrades, he eventually realized that he could build a complete unit from scratch, and sell it at a fraction of the price of a Cintel or Spirit. These new units (like the RetroScan) actually give the Cintel and Spirit a run for their money.

Bottom line: these units are absolutely spectacular.

As for the question about buying them from eBay, Roger used to insist that all re-sales went back through him for refurbishment. I don't think he does that any more so you have no way of knowing what quality you will get. Therefore, what I recommend is that you send Roger an email, via the MovieStuff site, prior to purchasing, and tell him you are thinking of buying a used unit (make sure you tell him it is a RetroScan) on eBay, and ask if he will refurbish it, and if so, how much it will cost.

Finally, I do 8mm and Super8 with my old Workprinter, and it does a great job. I could go through all the details of what makes the RetroScan better, but bottom line is that if you learn how to operate it properly, you should be able to achieve results that are as good as any professional lab equipped with either the traditional Cintel or the newer Spirit film scanners.

If you are interested, here is some Super8 film I transferred with my Workprinter about two years ago. I added the music and goofy foley. Be prepared for some silly sophomoric humor because this was a high school student film from the late 1960s:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avUw-pDDByI

[digicube]

How about systems such as this? Are they any good?

It seems Moviestuff is destroying their direct competitor, Tobin Cinema Systems.

[johnmeyer]

I don't have any hands-on experience with these, so I can't comment.

[digicube]

The camcorder is recording the film in real time at 30 fps, so I assume the video will show the film moving which is probably not good. It's like a clearer version of projecting the film on a white screen and recording it on a camcorder.

[JVRaines]

This is what's referred to as "film chain" transfer. You have a video camera shooting into a movie projector. The main advantages are real-time transfer, easy sound capture and low cost. The disadvantage is that you have to mess with the projection rate to minimize flicker and ghosting and you may need to keep adjusting it during the transfer because no mechanical camera or projector runs at a perfectly constant speed, unlike your video camera. You may also end up with a video that shows too-fast or too-slow motion.

The RetroScan, on the other hand, is a frame-by-frame scanner. It makes no attempt to run at real-time speed, instead capturing each frame as an individual picture. It's then up to the software to compile the pictures into a motion video at whatever rate you deem correct. I have worked with an earlier model of the RetroScan and, while it had some shortcomings which have been fixed in the Universal, it was still a tremendous value for the price.

[digicube]

@johnmeyer Are you able to capture HD images with your Workprinter? I read that the software Cinecap only support SD.

[johnmeyer]

I don't know if Cinecap is supported any longer. I used another capture program for years, and when I finally decided to purchase Cinecap, I talked with the author directly, and he said Roger was using something else and that he no longer sold or supported Cinecap. I was still able to get a license, however.

I am quite certain the RetroScan can capture in HD.

Having said all that, HD for 8mm and Super 8 is pretty much a waste of time. There just isn't enough resolution in those miniature little pieces of film. I've tried a few captures in "HD" simply by pointing my DSLR at the Workprinter and taking a few frames. I then compared that to what I got from my SD capture (which uses a prosumer Sony FX1 camcorder, which captures in HD but down res's before outputting DV). The HD was almost indistinguishable from the HD capture.

Try it yourself, if you have any capture equipment, or if you can freeze frame with your movie projector and then take pictures.

[digicube]

Wow I didn't know 8mm film doesn't have HD resolution. Real eye-opener.

What software are you using to capture HD images with your Workprinter? I should probably just get a used Workprinter XP then.

[johnmeyer]

Wow I didn't know 8mm film doesn't have HD resolution. Real eye-opener.

What software are you using to capture HD images with your Workprinter? I should probably just get a used Workprinter XP then.

As I said in my last email, I don't capture in HD: I tried it, and it doesn't provide any additional quality, at all.

Here's a link to something I've posted dozens of times in many forums over the past decade:

8mm Resolution

[digicube]

Would a 1 CCD camera be sufficient or is a 3CCD camera better to capture 8mm film?

[johnmeyer]

Wow, 1 CCD vs. 3 CCD ... those are some REALLY old-fashioned terms. If I were buying a camera for capture, I'd get a modern HD camera that can output component.

[digicube]

Moviestuff released a Workprinter XP with Velocity box and 1-CCD Sniper camera. After reading your comments, I feel this would be sufficient for 8mm film.

I don't much about camera but I assume CCD has been completely replaced by CMOS.