Honeywell Elmo 330 and Blackmagic Pocket 4K with Mirror Ground Glass - 2019

[Graham Jones]

Hi all!

I did a scout through the archives and didn't see this covered anywhere (at least with this combination).

I have a number of 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm films to transfer, and am trying to get the best quality. I bought the new model Wolverine unit, and have not at all been impressed by the quality. The resolution is FAR lower than what they claim, the codec is highly compressed, and there is a lot of jitter.

I happen to have a Blackmagic Pocket 4K camera, and thought this would make an amazing camera for transfers -- you can dial in any frame rate you wish, and it can shoot 4K progressive scan in RAW, opening up great possibilities for color correction.

Using my Honeywell Elmo 330, at first I tried removing the lens and capturing straight off the film, using a 60mm macro lens and heavy neutral density filter. I had thought this would make the best transfers, but I had an issue with a pattern of uneven light though the image.

I was surprised to find much better results using a CopyKit mirror / ground glass (recommended elsewhere on this forum) -- the colors, detail, and dynamic range all seem better, and the light is a lot more even.

I have been transferring at 15 fps, figuring it would allow easy math for shutter speed etc. I find a 1/60 shutter speed gives good results.

But my question -- it seems no matter how I finesse the rheostat of the Elmo and frame rate of the camera, I can't quite eliminate the rolling bar.

I should mention I have a hunch my rheostat might be failing -- the speed will sometimes "wow" significantly, slowing down and then getting back up to speed. It could thus be the projector is the culprit, not giving a stable enough speed.

Any thoughts?

[Janice Glesser]

If your shutter speed is 1/60 then you should be running the film at 20 fps to sync with a NTSC camcorder. The Honeywell Elmo 330 is spec'd out to run up to 24 fps. However do to age it may be running at at a much slower speed. I have found that sometimes changing the shutter speed to 30 fps can stop the banding.

[Graham Jones]

Thanks Janice! So are you saying that the shutter speed should be exactly 3x the frame rate ideally?

[Janice Glesser]

Technically it depends on the number of shutter blades in your projector. For example: A 4-blade shutter rotating at 15 rpm equals 60 (4x15), a 3-blade shutter operating at 20 rpm equals 60 (3x20), and a 5-blade shutter operating at 24 rpm equals 120 (5x24). Your Honeywell Elmo has a common 3 blade shutter.

[Graham Jones]

Thanks! I ended up trading in my Elmo because it had an issue where it was slowing down to a stop. I got a Bell & Howell 10 MS instead -- seems to be transferring well! I opted to shoot the gate directly with this one, because it has a mode with dimmer lamp. Shot at 20 fps, 1/60 shutter speed.

Pretty pleased with the results so far (first test): https://youtu.be/mYOYOFwwKVI

[Janice Glesser]

Your speed sync looks good. I do see some vignetting in the top right. Could be dirt in the gate or lens or the camera needs to be re-positioned to capture the entire frame.

[Graham Jones]

Thanks! Yes, still tweaking. I actually had to rotate the part of the gate next to the bulb because it was off kilter and causing a worse vignette on the bottom. Might have overcompensated.

[Janice Glesser]

Great Graham...you are off to a good start and tweaking is the name of the game in telecine I've always liked the B&H 10MS projector. Nice speed control. The only downside has been the lens and the CXR bulb. Luckily you solved both those problems with shooting off the gate and the lamp mod. Have fun with the transfers.