Thanks for your honest assessment of that unit. Lately I have been thinking about purchasing an 8mm film scanner with the intention of attempting to modify it by hijacking the stream of uncompressed video data to a PC where I might be able to employ better hardware and software to encode with a much lower compression rate but after hearing your take on its ability (or lack thereof) to adequately track the film, I would rule this product out. Attempting to make such a modification is a big risk (I'm an electronic systems specialist by trade) and if I'm going to possibly sacrifice the cash should I fail, I at least want to own a unit that I can still get some use out of should I need to reverse mod it. Can you tell me what model Magnasonic scanner are you using and how would you compare it to a Wolverine Moviemaker Pro?
@@teddlear970 I tried the Kodak and returned it, too for the same reasons stated with the Wolverine Pro. Ultimately, I decided to have a professional convert my films. More money, but worth it. Thank you for your unvarnished reviews.
@@pckennedy11 I have tried to get people to listen to me. They just have to do the worst thing. Buy that Kodak junk. Kodak has sold out, and it's run by people who know nothing about quality !
Tedd, thank you for posting this important information. I wish I had veiwed your video before purchasing. Funny, mine was not in focus, despite having a fixed focus. ☹
You have to be careful to thread the film under all four plastic tabs in the gate, and that takes practice. I can do it by feel now, but still occasionally get it wrong, and if the result is out of focus, that's why.
Buying one of these digitizers is the exact same as going to Las Vegas to gamble...no matter what name is on the unit. It's a gamble whether you'll get one to work long enough to convert all of your reels. They're all made in the same shed from the same parts. Just keep buying and returning them until you have all your films converted. Or buy 3 or 4 of them and then just return them all when you're done.
Not sure what kind of problem you had, but I just finished a project of over a dozen 7” reels of 8mm film that consisted of movies taken almost 65 years ago and I couldn’t be more pleased. If I had it to do over again, I’d still buy the Kodak machine.
can you make comparative video side by side Magnasonic FS81 vs kodak reelz (without improvements)? I think magnasonic fs81 is same as wolverine basic model. And scan from kodak reelz have better results than wolverine pro version.
No, I didn't even waste my time. The REELZ would produce a 5 inch reel of super 8MM. It stopped 5 times in 15 minutes of no reason. I said this is no good, and returned it. I wasted my time testing, it is my thought. No one should even consider buying the "Reelz" !
We need a fully automated scanner that costs around $1500 dollars, and gives 4K scans. Using the camera and video module from a cellphone, this could be done, if someone could adapt the cellphone software to take autofocused and autoexposed pictures of each frame and collate them into a video stream. The transport mechanism could be adapted from a projector, to advance each frame and hold it whilst the exposure is being taken. If an LED light source is used, the illumination could be so bright that a 1/1000 sec exposure is possible, reducing the effects of weave or chatter in the film. The software could also stabilize the image and give better results than a high end projector. All of this technology already exists on inexpensive cellphones. The modules are very small and the whole equipment could easily fit into a miniature package. Ask we need is someone with the skills to put this kind of package together.
People have made home brew digitizers out of projectors, with a digital SLR pointed at the gate and some fancy system to trigger the exposures. And the results can be very good, judging by videos people have posted. But I don't have the know-how nor patience to do it. I. have got very good - not "archival" quality - results with a Kodak unit I bought used, having copied about 6 hours total of 8mm and super 8. Yes, it can get hung up on splices and will spill film now and then (I put a clean cardboard box on the floor to catch it) but if you are patient you can get a pleasing end product, looking much sharper than I ever got from screen projection, and it won't cost you the thousands of dollars even a low-end professional rig would set you back. I do hope the flaws in these machines will be corrected in the future, but I will have moved on by then. So stop your whining.
I was just about to purchase the Kodak Reelz until I watched your videos. One question I have is that you mention in this video that you like the Magnasonic HG. When I look at the Magnasonic web site, and do a web search I only see the FS81. There appears only to be this model available. Is this the unit you are talking about in the video? Please clarify.
I recently returned the Magnasonic (1080p) scanner which broke before I even finished 2 50' reels of Super 8. Wouldn't advance the film and made a 'grinding' type sound. I then purchased the Kodak Reelz which I'm also about to return. While it didn't break and seems like a more 'robust' build, the Kodak oddly won't advance 'newer' Super 8 film that I shot in the 90's. It just gets stuck for a frame or two or doesn't advance at all. Nothing to do with splices. Had no problem with my grandfather's home movies from the 70's. Not sure what the difference is. I don't think it's the size or thickness of the film. Maybe a different film material. Yes, the Kodak did stop whenever there was a splice in the 70's super 8 films, but the splice didn't actually break it like it did the Magnasonic. While a pain, at least with the Kodak I had, I just simply advanced the film a few frames, then hit OK again. Couldn't do that with the Magnasonic which just stopped working, making only a grinding sound. Maybe I just got a bum one, but I'm not taking a chance on another. I was thinking of trying the Wolverine, but I'm guessing they're all basically the same. I will say, it appears the Magnasonic produces a slightly better picture scan than the Kodak from what I saw.
Hi Just like to have some input.I just bought the wolverine pro digitizer.I can not believe a 3 1/2 minute movie film has taken more than 3 hrs to finish.I have done 2 so far I know I have done everything right.Is there something I'm missing?
I also meant to ask you about the magna you mentioned can you give me the exact name.I noticed there was another gentleman ask you about the one you mentioned and didn't see.Thanks
Hey Thanks so much.All my films are sound.I know they don't do the sound.So I tried one more time last night 5hrs.I"m going back going to get the one you mentioned.Thznks again.lamar hope
I really like and appreciate your videos, Tedd, and am a Subscriber to your channel, but I think the background music in today's video is a bit distracting. Thanks again and take care!
I do music just to have some sound. I always tell my customers, "If you don't like the music, mute it." It's just that easy. Thanks for subscribing. I hope you'll find the videos I post Enjoyable and informative.
@@teddlear970 Good point, Tedd! (Maybe it was just that particular song, or maybe I'm just a grumpy old man! lol) Thanks for getting back to me and please keep up the good work!
Nice to see that John McGiver is still around and has a gig.
Thanks for the update.
Might turn down background music.
But thanks.
Thanks for your honest assessment of that unit. Lately I have been thinking about purchasing an 8mm film scanner with the intention of attempting to modify it by hijacking the stream of uncompressed video data to a PC where I might be able to employ better hardware and software to encode with a much lower compression rate but after hearing your take on its ability (or lack thereof) to adequately track the film, I would rule this product out. Attempting to make such a modification is a big risk (I'm an electronic systems specialist by trade) and if I'm going to possibly sacrifice the cash should I fail, I at least want to own a unit that I can still get some use out of should I need to reverse mod it. Can you tell me what model Magnasonic scanner are you using and how would you compare it to a Wolverine Moviemaker Pro?
FS81. That works very well. I found the Pro wolverine showed way too much video noise (grain). It also over saturated the colors. Mostly Red.
@@teddlear970 I tried the Kodak and returned it, too for the same reasons stated with the Wolverine Pro. Ultimately, I decided to have a professional convert my films. More money, but worth it. Thank you for your unvarnished reviews.
@@pckennedy11 I have tried to get people to listen to me. They just have to do the worst thing. Buy that Kodak junk. Kodak has sold out, and it's run by people who know nothing about quality !
Tedd, thank you for posting this important information. I wish I had veiwed your video before purchasing. Funny, mine was not in focus, despite having a fixed focus. ☹
These are worthless !
@@teddlear970 I must agree Sir.
You have to be careful to thread the film under all four plastic tabs in the gate, and that takes practice. I can do it by feel now, but still occasionally get it wrong, and if the result is out of focus, that's why.
Buying one of these digitizers is the exact same as going to Las Vegas to gamble...no matter what name is on the unit. It's a gamble whether you'll get one to work long enough to convert all of your reels. They're all made in the same shed from the same parts. Just keep buying and returning them until you have all your films converted. Or buy 3 or 4 of them and then just return them all when you're done.
True. Don't buy this !
The Magnasonic is a clone of the Wolverine.
It works better than the others I've used. But, just for home users.
Not sure what kind of problem you had, but I just finished a project of over a dozen 7” reels of 8mm film that consisted of movies taken almost 65 years ago and I couldn’t be more pleased. If I had it to do over again, I’d still buy the Kodak machine.
Just wait
can you make comparative video side by side Magnasonic FS81 vs kodak reelz (without improvements)? I think magnasonic fs81 is same as wolverine basic model. And scan from kodak reelz have better results than wolverine pro version.
No, I didn't even waste my time. The REELZ would produce a 5 inch reel of super 8MM. It stopped 5 times in 15 minutes of no reason. I said this is no good, and returned it. I wasted my time testing, it is my thought. No one should even consider buying the "Reelz" !
We need a fully automated scanner that costs around $1500 dollars, and gives 4K scans. Using the camera and video module from a cellphone, this could be done, if someone could adapt the cellphone software to take autofocused and autoexposed pictures of each frame and collate them into a video stream. The transport mechanism could be adapted from a projector, to advance each frame and hold it whilst the exposure is being taken. If an LED light source is used, the illumination could be so bright that a 1/1000 sec exposure is possible, reducing the effects of weave or chatter in the film. The software could also stabilize the image and give better results than a high end projector. All of this technology already exists on inexpensive cellphones. The modules are very small and the whole equipment could easily fit into a miniature package. Ask we need is someone with the skills to put this kind of package together.
People have made home brew digitizers out of projectors, with a digital SLR pointed at the gate and some fancy system to trigger the exposures. And the results can be very good, judging by videos people have posted. But I don't have the know-how nor patience to do it. I. have got very good - not "archival" quality - results with a Kodak unit I bought used, having copied about 6 hours total of 8mm and super 8. Yes, it can get hung up on splices and will spill film now and then (I put a clean cardboard box on the floor to catch it) but if you are patient you can get a pleasing end product, looking much sharper than I ever got from screen projection, and it won't cost you the thousands of dollars even a low-end professional rig would set you back. I do hope the flaws in these machines will be corrected in the future, but I will have moved on by then. So stop your whining.
I was just about to purchase the Kodak Reelz until I watched your videos. One question I have is that you mention in this video that you like the Magnasonic HG. When I look at the Magnasonic web site, and do a web search I only see the FS81. There appears only to be this model available. Is this the unit you are talking about in the video? Please clarify.
Yes, that's the one FS81. It's always worked for me.
I recently returned the Magnasonic (1080p) scanner which broke before I even finished 2 50' reels of Super 8. Wouldn't advance the film and made a 'grinding' type sound. I then purchased the Kodak Reelz which I'm also about to return.
While it didn't break and seems like a more 'robust' build, the Kodak oddly won't advance 'newer' Super 8 film that I shot in the 90's. It just gets stuck for a frame or two or doesn't advance at all. Nothing to do with splices. Had no problem with my grandfather's home movies from the 70's. Not sure what the difference is. I don't think it's the size or thickness of the film. Maybe a different film material.
Yes, the Kodak did stop whenever there was a splice in the 70's super 8 films, but the splice didn't actually break it like it did the Magnasonic. While a pain, at least with the Kodak I had, I just simply advanced the film a few frames, then hit OK again. Couldn't do that with the Magnasonic which just stopped working, making only a grinding sound. Maybe I just got a bum one, but I'm not taking a chance on another.
I was thinking of trying the Wolverine, but I'm guessing they're all basically the same.
I will say, it appears the Magnasonic produces a slightly better picture scan than the Kodak from what I saw.
Lubrication. Your 70's 80's and 90's films were lubricated by the processing lab.
Hi
Just like to have some input.I just bought the wolverine pro digitizer.I can not believe a 3 1/2 minute movie film has taken more than 3 hrs to finish.I have done 2 so far I know I have done everything right.Is there something I'm missing?
Sound wrong. I had one that I tested and returned. Should take 35 min for a 3" roll. Defective machine ?
I also meant to ask you about the magna you mentioned can you give me the exact name.I noticed there was another gentleman ask you about the one you mentioned and didn't see.Thanks
MAGNASONIC FS81
Hey
Thanks so much.All my films are sound.I know they don't do the sound.So I tried one more time last night 5hrs.I"m going back going to get the one you mentioned.Thznks again.lamar hope
I really like and appreciate your videos, Tedd, and am a Subscriber to your channel, but I think the background music in today's video is a bit distracting. Thanks again and take care!
I do music just to have some sound. I always tell my customers, "If you don't like the music, mute it." It's just that easy. Thanks for subscribing. I hope you'll find the videos I post Enjoyable and informative.
@@teddlear970 Good point, Tedd! (Maybe it was just that particular song, or maybe I'm just a grumpy old man! lol) Thanks for getting back to me and please keep up the good work!
This thing is lousy, it will not advance the film properly, the take up reel locks up. It's a mess.