Welcome to the new 8mm Forum!
The forum you are looking at is entirely new software. Because there was no good way to import all of the old archived data from the last 20 years on the old software, everyone will need to register for a new account to participate.
To access the original forums from 2003-2019 which are now a "read only" status, click on the "FORUM ARCHIVE" link above.
Please remember registering with your first and last REAL name is mandatory. This forum is for professionals and fake names are not permitted. To get to the registration page click here.
Once the registration has been approved, you will be able to login via the link in the upper right corner of this page.
Also, please remember while it is highly encouraged to upload an avatar image to your profile, is not a requirement. If you choose to upload an avatar image, please remember that it IS a requirement that the image must be a clear photo of your face.
Thank you!
I have an older Tobin Systems 8mm scanning machine. This has a standard definition camera (pictured). I am wondering if it's possible to replace this camera with a high definition version. I'm also wondering where on earth I'd be able to find such a camera that would fit in this machine. Can anyone give me any insight as to whether such a change is possible? Thanks.
TBH that seems more or less the same as those cheap analog board camera readily available on any online store. I'm also certain that the HD version would be readily available dirt cheap as well. Search fleabay for "HD board camera" for example - there should be plenty of them.
The hard part would the rewiring work. Some reverse engineering work needed for sure (still possible I guess).
You are correct. I've found a couple HD cameras that look very similar to what is installed in my unit. Looks like they would work if I can figure out the rewiring.
Do you think upgrading the camera is a good option for better quality scans? I like the Tobin for many reasons (Small footprint, self-contained, S-Video output, etc.) but am looking for improvement in quality as well. I thought this would be a good first step. I'll admit, I'm a newbie so any advice is really appreciated.
I've noticed that when viewing my scans in VirtualDub, every 3rd or 4th frame is blurred. It's as if this system isn't getting a clean scan of every frame. The timing seems to be off just a bit. I don't notice the blur when viewing the video at normal speed, but I now know it's there. Any advice you can offer as to whether this is common and how to correct the issue?
I'm also wondering if a sprocket driven projector can produce jitter in my scans. Some film seems to have quite a bit of jitter. Would a sprocket-less projector be a better option for producing smoother videos? Of course, the Tobin is sprocket driven so I'm not sure what could be done, but I am curious.
So many questions, but I'm learning. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
To my understanding this machine can run the film at fixed "sync" speed to NTSC frame rate. Possibly at 19.98fps (2/3 of NTSC frame rate: 29.97fps) hence a blending frame every 3 frames or so. As you've already found out that this is not an issue when in normal playback. Only this will be when you're doing frame-accurate edit or so.
Regarding the image quality you'll sure get massive improvement if replace it with a DSLR or mirrorless camera. But that also means MASSIVE modification. Using HD board camera would give moderate improvement - about dash cam image quality (because this is literally what a dash cam was made of๐) but at least it shouldn't be too much work to be done. If you already have basic to moderate mechanical & electronic skill, and not afraid to pop the back cover off, this will be pretty possible and worth the attempt!
Tweet
Comment