DIY real-time 8mm/S8mm telecine system sample footage

[Peter G. Kent]

New guy here.

Have been following the forum quietly for some time. I think this setup is something I can finally commit to! I already own a Sankyo 2000H projector, which some people on the forum seem to like somewhat better than the 1000, noting that some adjustments/repairs are more difficult to make. If I start with this projector, can I complete Onnie's instructions from message #3 without running into problems?

Advice appreciated.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

New guy here.

Have been following the forum quietly for some time. I think this setup is something I can finally commit to! I already own a Sankyo 2000H projector, which some people on the forum seem to like somewhat better than the 1000, noting that some adjustments/repairs are more difficult to make. If I start with this projector, can I complete Onnie's instructions from message #3 without running into problems?

Advice appreciated.

Short answer: definitely YES!😀

I'd done several similar setup in the past (as far back as in standard definition days) and still can do the same setup today if needed be. Maybe some slight difference in detail here & there, but principally identical to this - and it will sure work well.

[Peter G. Kent]

Thanks, Nantatwat!

I am going to order the elements suggested here, beginning with the lens. While I can find Onnie's 16mm Wollensak camera lens on eBay, many of you swear by the 50 mm lens that Stan used:

https://www.seeedstudio.com/8MP-50mm...ra-p-4624.html

But it is out of stock. Any recommendations for a replacement?

[Stan Jelavic]

Try Mouser Peter
https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail...0Pt1uZfQ%3D%3D
The lens has to be stripped down in order tot get it to fit into the lens holder.

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

Thanks, Nantatwat!

Any recommendations for a replacement?

If you mean the lens on "projector" side, then ANY projection lens for 16mm projector would mostly work - provided that the lens barrel fits.



Here are examples of the lens I normally use. Apart from some scrapped films wrapped around to fit snugly in the projector's lens barrel, no other modifications need at all. It will just works.

[Peter G. Kent]

Thanks. I have an old B&H 16mm projector tucked away, so will try that first.

[Peter G. Kent]

Curious about the HDC-HS9. Is the onboard HD a dealbreaker over the HDC-SD9, which has identical optics, but only comes with an SD card? Been having a lot of trouble getting an HS9 that is not listed as "for parts only."

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

ALL of my current cameras / camcorders are memory-card based. I rarely (if ever) have any trouble with SD card - reformatting it would take care any issues found.
Even in worst case scenario when the card is so corrupted beyond repair, just change the card! It's dirt cheap nowadays and user-replaceable. Changing out corrupted HDD in the camcorder would probably need some sort of skills. Therefore I see no specific reasons to look for HDD camcorder today.

[Robert Held]

Thanks to everyone for all the great ideas in this thread; it's been very inspiring. I've built two real time capture systems over the past few months, one based on the Dualux 1000 and the other on a Keystone K100. Both work really well, but I've found that the AC universal motor's speed drifts too much to prevent flickering; it's hard to compensate for on the fly. So, I've added some upgrades to the Sankyo have better control over the speed using a sensored brushless DC motor (BLDC) with potentiometer speed control and a tachometer to monitor the speed. As others have mentioned, to capture 30 frames per second at the camcorder and eliminate flickering, the projector has to run at 20 frames per second or 1200 rpm at its main shaft. The BLDC will maintain that speed within +/-2 rpm. To add the motor does take some work and requires:

• 24 VDC for the motor
• 12 VDC for the tachometer
• 5 VDC for a remote potentiometer (optional)
• larger main pulley (the BLDC is a little slower than the original motor)
• Motor mount
• Tachometer hall effect sensor mount
• On/Off switch
• Removing the existing motor and some wiring

If anyone is interested, I used:

• Pulley: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CD7DK7HQ
• 24 VDC Power Supply: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078RTV7HV
• Tachometer: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VKATA9G
• BLDC and Controller: https://www.ebay.com/itm/264229767726

[Stan Jelavic]

Nice work Robert. Would like to see some clips if you can share.

[Robert Held]

Thanks, Stan! Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcDOeAf8NkY

I didn't do anything but slow the speed down to match 16 fps.

[Stan Jelavic]

Thanks for sharing Robert. I do not see any noticeable jitter. Nice work.
The video seems to be a bit on a dark side. Maybe run the levels in your video editor.
What optical setup do you use?

[Robert Held]

Thanks, Stan. Yeah, I haven't done any color correction on it and I agree it could use some tweaking. The only thing I did was flip it vertically and render as this was just a speed test. I'm using the Seeed lens you recommended and a Panasonic HDC-SD9 camcorder. I also tested with a Canon HF R800 camcorder, a Canon SX740HS point/shoot camera and a Canon M50 mk2 mirror-less DSLR, all at 1080p 29.97 fps. No surprise to me that the M50 had the nicest colors and was a very tiny bit sharper, but I think the Panasonic camcorder gives a more pleasing image overall.

[Kim Trampus]

The clip looks nice, no flicker. I think it could be a tad bit sharper though. Try focusing on the Laurel Grove Sign in the gate. Also I find it easier to focus with the Panasonic remote control with the camcorder. Also I use a large HDMI monitor from the Hdmi mini jack on the HDC-SD9 to find the sharpest focus.

[Robert Held]

Hi Kim. Thanks! I have the remote and an external display. They really makes things easier. I think the softness may be a function of the original camera operator, instead of this camcorder operator 😁, as I have a test film I use for focusing before loading a reel. But I'll definitely double check. That clip is the beginning of a 5" reel and I do want to capture it fully anyway.