Converting 8mm film question

Question

Not sure if this is the right forum, but here goes. I have acquired the old family 8 mm film reels (no audio) and the projector, a Kodak Brownie 8 Model 10. I would like to put them into digital format and edit in FCE.
I have searched the web and local businesses to have someone else do this, but I'm cheap and would rather do it myself. Plus, I have read so many differing opinions on the best process (wetgate vs frame by frame, etc.) that I don't think I would trust a "transfer mill."
I am hoping I can set it up to capture the projected movie into the Canon, then download and edit in FCE. The final output doesn't have to be of pristine quality, I just want it to be as good as I can get using my current equipment. I like the ambiance of the old film look. I plan to keep a copy on MiniDV for future editing.
1) Is this really a feasible idea? 2) If yes, what am I looking at in terms of frame rate adjustment? What sort of settings do I potentially need on the Canon and in FCE? I thought I had found a few threads on this before, but can't locate them now. Please feel free to point me to those threads, if they do exist in more than just my imagination.
Thanks!
iMac 20" Intel Core Duo 2Ghz 1.5gb RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.7)   FCE 3.5HD, Canon Optura 50 NTSC>
iMac 20" Intel Core Duo 2Ghz 1.5gb RAM   Mac OS X (10.4.7)  

Answer 1

Hi Lisa,
Been there, done that.
A few years ago, as a favor, I set out to convert to digital all 8 and Super8 film shot by various relatives as far back as 1946. A variable speed projector is essential, and projecting on an off-white surface is best. Using manual focus and manual exposure worked best for me. Also, connect your camera to a tv — the larger the better — while you're filming. It helps a lot with focus, determining proper exposure, and correcting flicker. Much better than using the camera's small monitor.
No matter what, you still end up with some amount of flicker and a hotspot. Then, because you cannot get the camera directly in line the image, there is some amount of distortion created by the camera offset and you also end up losing some amount of the projected image.
In the end, you will have lost some quality and part of what was actually filmed, but will have preserved the captured memories and re-saved them to disk. Of course, with a dvd it's a whole lot faster to find a specific scene than having to set up a projector, find the reel, etc. So, that's good, and better than not transferring at all.
I've seen some of the results of the film transfer factories, and, for the most part, the do-it-yourself methods discussed here produce better results because you're working on something you care about, rather than have a min. wage person being bored processing other people's boring home movies.
I appreciate the desire to do this with minimal expense. My wife has described me as someone who can make Lincoln scream by squeezing a penny so tight. However, in the end, I just wasn't satisfied with the result. So, I shopped around a bit and ended up at www.moviestuff.tv and purchased the equipment to do my own frame-by-frame transfer.
The result is incredible. Full-frame capture of the original film frames, no hot spot, no flicker, true colors, sharp focus. And, as word spread to the friends of relatives, and to their friend's friends, I started getting requests to do transfers for them — for a reasonable fee of course. Consider that possibility when you look at the cost of the equipment. Just thru references, my setup has already been paid for.
Good luck with your project.
Tom T.
MBP 17" w/max memory; and a souped-up G4 that's still useful   Mac OS X (10.4.8)   FCS, CS2 pkg