Need help with 8mm film transfer

[Below Zero]

Hello,

I have an old Tobin Systems transfer machine that I want to use to transfer some 8mm film. I like the unit for several reasons (small footprint, self contained, S-Video output, etc.), however I have some questions I'm hoping someone can help me with.

1) The unit uses a standard definition board camera. Would upgrading the camera to high definition improve the quality of the scanning? I found a couple HD cameras on e-Bay that look very similar to the currently installed camera. I realize the re-wiring will be a challenge, but just wondering if such an upgrade would be worth the effort. Obviously, I'd like the best quality I can get with this machine.

2) While the Tobin is supposed to be a frame-by-frame scanner, I've noticed that every 3rd or 4th frame is out of focus (See pictures below). It's as if the timing is just a bit off. Does anyone has any idea how to fix that in the capture process? It isn't that noticeable when viewing the video in real time, but I now know it's there. I sure would like to capture each frame in focus if possible.

These pictures are 3 consecutive frames. Notice the 2nd picture being blurred.


[Attachment 80847 - Click to enlarge]
[Attachment 80848 - Click to enlarge]
[Attachment 80849 - Click to enlarge]

3) I've noticed that some reels have quite a bit of jitter in them. Since the Tobin is sprocket driven, could that be causing some jitter in the capture? Would a sprocket-less projector produce a smoother video? I doubt I could make that change in this machine, but just curious.

Any ideas or advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[timtape]

It looks to be capturing with an interlaced video camera. Interlaced is fine in motion, which it was designed for, for interlaced television, but a still frame of both fields (two fields per "frame") will expose timing differences between the two frames. If there is a problem with the interlaced motion, you would need to upload a short interlaced movie clip.