New kodak reelz 8mm scanner

[Paul Adsett]

Anybody seen one of these. Looks like it may be based on the Wolverine but much larger and more robust design.

https://www.amazon.com/KODAK-Digitiz...xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

[Brian Fretwell]

Showing "Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock." when I looked and no price given.

[Gary Sayers]

Wouldn't it be nice if this was the higher spec but more affordable scanner that the market is currently in need of? Who knows, as you say Paul, it certainly looks more robust.

The spec looks better too, at 8.08 mega pixels and the slightly higher 1296p resolution, rather than 1080p. Takes 9 inch reels (never seen one but assume them to be 800ft or so). Seems to be definitely aimed at the more experienced film user than the other similar priced scanners that are currently available.

The 'how to use' video lower down the Amazon page is really quite interesting. Looks like Kodak have designed all new software for making easy adjustments to the scanning process.



Here's Kodak's own Web page about the scanner: price $449.99


https://www.kodakphotoplus.com/produ...itizer-rod8mfc

[David Brown]

YIKES ! for a moment I thought Kodak had become another Zombie Brand.

Not so, this is on their web site and is available on Amazon.

BUT, if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck.........

Notice the telltale rollers and the signature film gate.



There is a larger camera inside than the Wolverine 1080 (3280x2464 1/3" sensor).




I suspect it has the same film transit problems and even with a larger camera, here is that familiar Wolverine look.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

I would trade that 1296p (or whatever) resolution or even 9" reel capacity, with REALLY GOOD 1080p sensor plus FULL MANUAL CONTROL, period.

There's absolutely no reason for any 8 or 80megapixel sensor, if it is really crappy in the first place. Having no control over image quality would add even more insult to this.

I'd rather stick to my DIY route using digital camera for the moment. At least I have control over literally everything, and the output at 1080p is still pleasing enough.

[Stuart Budd]

I would have probably bought it knowing full well the probability of the final image being superior to all the other digitizers would be minimal. I think the sensor on most including my Wolverine 720p is 3.5MP. Also discribed as 5MP by many knowing full well that this was probably interpolated. Fake. 8MP will more than likely be the same footprint as 3.5 so possibly using the same lens as all others.
However, not all digitizers are the same and it's dificult to prove better quality without buying them all. Then there's the physical updates made to each machine without publishing those updates and improvments.
Thus I would guess Reelz to incorporate most improvements.
1. Support for uneven width 8mm film in gate
2. Additional exit path post to help reduce flicker
3. Separate motors for claw and takeup spool
Not sure on fps options. (20fps)
First batch may have a quality about them but if successful parts may be sourced cheaper for future production.
At this time, B&H Wolvering with 1080p is the best option and cheaper as ticks all boxes. Image quality isn't bad but there's a lot more detail lost than captured. For me, the 720 is fine.
SPEC:
Dimensions: 12.4″ x 6.1″ x 8.4″ (31,5 x 15,4 x 21,3 cm)
Image sensor: 8.08 megapixels (3280 x 2464) 1/3” CMOS sensor
Native resolution: 1296p
Display: 5″ TFT LCD
Memory capacity: Up to 128 GB SD™ card
File output format: MPEG-4
Power source: 12 V DC
Exposure control: Auto, manual (-2 to +2 EV)
White balance: Auto
Frame rate: 20 frames/sec
Focus system: Fixed focus
Scan speed: 2 frames/sec
Language options: English/Spanish/French/German/Italian
Support systems: Windows XP, Vista/Windows 7, 8, and 10/Mac 10.7.3
Compatible film reel sizes: 3" - 9" film reels
Manual:
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/C1A-+UM02pS.pdf
4 tabs

[Brian Fretwell]

The film in that illustration looks more like 35mm VistaVision than 8mm.

[Stuart Budd]

Oh yeh! Well spotted. Quite a few perforation there. Thats going to add to confusion. Kodak, what you like.

[Lee Mannering]

Really hope they deliver. I've waited a few years for this new S8 camera

[Bob Sadur]

I haven't seen one yet. I wrote to Kodak, to ask if it captures with HDR. The reply said that it does. Should I believe them?

[David Brown]

Bob, I asume that by HDR, you're refering to High Dynamic Range. It's not mentioned in the specs when it should be a selling point if true.

If you meant HD, or High Defintion, then yes it certainly does exceed SD, standard defintion of 720x480. HD includes everything 720p and up. There is no requirement beyond the image dimensions. The problem with the Wolverine and the rest has been the quality of the lens and the heavy image compression used.

I'm only playing the skeptic here, I don't belive that Kodak has had any part in producing this scanner beyond the use of their name and logo.

Even in the fine print Kodak will not be providing any support.

Wait for some hands on reviews to show up if you're cautious. These machines were originaly developed by Winait in mainland China. They sell it under various brand names in Europe. It was also licensed to Wolverine, a company based in Taiwan. Product support for Wolverine in the US comes from Wolverine-Data in California.

Just look at the construction, the box looks new, but many parts are still the same. I owned a WolverineMovieMakerPro and a Winait brand.

[Stan Jelavic]

I agree with David. This is a Chinese product. Based on what I know about Wolverine, the controller HW and SW is based on a dashcam design. There must be a dashcam out there with similar specs. Why a dashcam. If you think about it it does make sense. One of the basic features of the dashcams is time lapse video and the scanner is basically the same, take a frame at a time and stitch a video from it. The video quality is reasonable for the dashcam footage, but not adequate for 8mm film scanning, at least not adequate for everybody. But that is what they picked, gambling that it will be OK for most of the people...
The Wolverine product and other similar brands are based on SJCAM Novatek dashcams. See this forum for more details:
https://www.goprawn.com/forum/novatek-cams
The SDK kits are also available for hw and sw and any manufacturer can pick them up and design their own prpduct based on the chipset and the sw framework. And that is what the scanner designers did with the Wolverine and its brothers and sisters.

Recently the dashcam products came out with higher resolutions and HDR. So, now I am speculating that there must be dashcams out there with HDR and the specs that match the Kodak product. Have not found one but did find many very similar ones. So if my hunch is correct than this product could have HDR but it could potentially suffer from heavy MP4 compression. Will let you know if I spot a dashcam that matches the Reels specs.

[Bob Sadur]

I was thinking of high dynamic range, and just to be sure, I spelled it out in my email to Kodak, so someone wouldn't be in a hurry and answer the wrong question. They used the term "high dynamic range" in their answer, but I agree with David that if it were for real it would be something they'd be bragging about.

Here's what they wrote to me:

Thank you for contacting us. The Reelz Scanner captures high dynamic range (HDR) video from 8mm and Super 8 film a with 8.08-Megapixel Sensor.

Though the rep is talking about HDR, they're also talking about megapixels, so I guess we still don't know what it can do.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Speaking about dash cam...


Here's a sample shot from my own (outdated & dirt cheap) dash cam shot from years ago. Although being resized from 1080 to 720p plus some transcoding hence "digital generation loss", the detail seems to be still genuinely HD. Also notice its dynamic range - you can see the detail of the white cloud in the sky, and still see some shadow detail there.

My point is that the sensor itself wouldn't be the problem, as it is actually decent. But maybe due to poor implementation that played down all its potential.

In other words - if they REALLY pay more attention/dedication to the product, it could be waaaaay better than this.

[Stan Jelavic]

OK the image that you posted Nantawat looks good at the first glance but when you zoom in you can see artifacts similar to Wolverine.

The other issue is when you take a video of scenery with the wide lens it is more forgiving than the 8mm video. The 8mm video has its own imperfections and the mpeg compression can change them enough that it is observable and becomes annoying.
To add some meat to this I used the disassembled Wolverine, changed to a wider lens and took a video outside. Mind you today was cloudy (unusual for Florida) but I think the video looks better than when the unit is used with the 8mm film. But anyways, you be the judge.


Not a very good lens but to me the snapshot does not look bad. Just do not zoom in he he.

Here is my "setup"

https://photos.app.goo.gl/BVVKEpcDoCSim1gy7

The dashcams with the Novatek controller and Onsemi sensor (same as Wolverine) take pretty nice videos.
https://dashcamtalk.com/forum/thread...est-com.26206/

The Novatek controller used in Wolverine is quite powerful so yes quite likely more careful programming could give us better results.
Other video formats, other than MP4 are also supported including WDR. The programming guide is not publicly available only this doc.
https://dashcamtalk.com/cams/mobius/...%20NT96650.pdf