Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted March 06, 2012 08:10 PM
I haven't even received shipment of my Elmo 16-CL I just ordered...but I'm already thinking I may have made the wrong purchase. My cousin is shipping me dozens of 16mm silent reels my grandmother took. I want to be able to play and transfer them to digital.
Can I adjust the speed on the Elmo 16-CL like I do on my Elmo Super 8 - 800ST? I just found out that the 16-CL only runs at 24fps...so is it possible for me to slow it down to 20fps?
Posts: 701
From: Massachusetts
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 07, 2012 04:11 PM
Hi Janice, Two separate issues you have here:
1) Can you play the films -- and the answer is yes, they will just be at 24fps instead of 18fps. In practice it's not really that big a deal. The only way to adjust the speed on an elmo 16-cl would be to open up the back and switch the belts onto the slow-speed pulley (assuming your projector has one - some only have 50/60hz pulleys, not 24/18fps pulleys)
2) Making digital copies is not something you want to do with a standard film projector. The shutter rate is wrong and you get all sorts of flicker. Your best bet is to use a transfer projector which has a 5-blade shutter, and (for the better ones) a built in CCD pickup. Then, once you have the video on a DVD, you can pull it into a computer and adjust the speed there.
I do 16mm transfers for people using a proper transfer projector (w/ built in CCD) for $25 per half hour reel (or fraction thereof). If you need anything done, you can contact me at steven (at) 16mm-films (dot) net. Other services charge by the foot - generally works out to more like $200 for a half hour reel...
Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011
posted March 07, 2012 06:02 PM
Thanks Steve for the feedback. When the projector arrives I will see if it has a speed changing belt. I've done lots of realtime film transfers with 8mm projectors http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqoF4gqUwh4&list=UUzhVuBJou11ziWdERi0ZGuQ&index=11&feature=plcp and am very aware of the timing issues. I can capture at 24fps and just slow it down in post. I was just hoping it would have an adjustment to tweak the speed...but I guess not.
-------------------- Janice
"I'm having a very good day!" Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).