I have a lot of old 8mm/Super 8 films I’d like to see/convert to digital formats.
I’d like a projector to do this myself… I don’t really want to send these off to one of these conversion services. I searched the net, and all I found were expensive prices for projectors.
I also don’t want to deal with ebay. I’ll settle for a nice cheap maybe used 8mm projector. Any ideas?
Just that many have old belts and such and are fragile. If you borrow one you might have to come up with some serious dollars to fix it if you break it.
We have found two projectors at estate sales, both in working condition. We spent less than 20 bucks on each of them. It is a matter of luck, but if you’re persistant, you’ll find one.
Find someone that just “loves” to use Ebay and have them buy it for you.
Yes. Try to get over your Ebay fear. It’s really precisely where you need to go for your "cheap " projector. The odds of someone with a huge positive feedback score trying to cheat you in something as specialized as old projectors is not impossible but is pretty remote. You’re also going to need a little conversion rig to get the best results from an 8mm to digital transfer.
Be aware that trying to do a home brewed version of this transfer typically results in much worse results than using a professional film transfer service. These people will do 400 feet of 8mm film for $ 20.00.
One of the best projectors for doing video transfers is the Elmo 180. (There’s a letter prefix, but I don’t remember it.) But! Projectors that are used for video transfers are not your typical consumer unit. They have been modified to reduce or prevent flicker. I know they use a 5-blade shutter instead of the normal 3-blade one, but I don’t know what other modifications are made. They tend to be expensive.
I’ve seen Elmos modified for video transfer on eBay for four figures. I haven’t looked recently. You may want to call Irv Higdon (his number is on his web page). He doesn’t like e-mail, so you should call him on the phone to talk to him about it (you may have to leave a message). If he doesn’t have a transfer projector on-hand, he can get one for you. I think his prices will be better than many people’s for a transfer machine. Tell him I sent you.
If you’re not concerned about quality, then you can use an inexpensive machine from eBay. I’ve used a normal, unmodified projector for making transfers and the results were not very good. You may want to do as astro suggests and just have it done professionally. But look on eBay to see what transfer-modified machines are going for, then give Irv a call and see what he says.
Old projectors can be found easily at thrift stores, ditto screens. We’re talking literally a couple bucks.
I’ve got a an 8mm (not Super 8 which is what I needed) projector I bought from Ebay. It was made in the early '60s in almost new condition, though it might need a little lubrication. Let me know if you want it and make an offer. I can provide additional details.
