Wolverine 8mm & Super 8 Reels to Digital MovieMaker Pro Film Digitizer, Film Scanner, 8mm Film Scanner, Black (MM100PRO)

To get the real story on a product, start with the star reviews-- So, while I would give this digitizer a 4 or 5 star rating, I've hidden my review here for those of you who, like me, want to know a legitimate assessment of this product. br>I bought a similar product for $100 less that only took 5" reels, and it belly up after only digitizing six 3" reels. I was ecstatic because this Wolverine unit offered same-day delivery because I had rented a hand rewind and was on a tight deadline. br>I've digitized 63 8mm reels ranging from 3" to 7" so far. year- old film. Here's how I'd go about doing it:
- A hand crank rewind is available for rent or purchase. Before digitizing, the film must first be cleaned, and this method of rewinding the film is faster.
- Film Renew, a lint-free product, can be used. Cotton cleaning pads (a cut-off) are provided for free. up t- It's also possible to cut a shirt into 3"x3" squares. Cleaning the film before processing (professional pads are very expensive). Because Film Renew is a solvent, take care not to take too many deep breaths. It cleans and conditions the film effectively. The disadvantage is that it dissolves adhesive, so any tape splices you may have, especially if they're older, will fail during cleaning or in the digitizing machine.
- I made it work with scotch tape for failed spices. If I could do it all over again, I'd buy a splice box to keep the sprocket holes aligned (so the film doesn't hang up while digitizing) and either pre-splice or pre-splice the film. Spice tape or film glue, for example, can be made at home. Because I wrap the tape around the non-conductive surface, the tape splice occasionally hangs up due to a slight increase in the width of the film at the splice. sprocket- hole end. A few glued spices appeared in my film, and they worked flawlessly.
- I used the Film Renew for one pass, then rewound the film with a clean, dry pad to remove any excess solvent, which cleaned the film both ways. I cut the 3" pads into quarter squares and soaked them in Film Renew almost to the point of dripping before folding them around the film to clean it. I'd keep checking the pad every 10 feet or so. to see if it was getting dirty, and then continued with a clean fold. I noticed that not only dirt and grime, but also color, came off the film, which I assume was due to oxidation. Of course, this will affect the brightness of the colors in the final product, but I figure I'll be able to improve the color in Premiere once I get to post. I'd prefer it to be clean so I can get the best image possible up front.
- I loaded the film into the digitizer after allowing it to "breathe" for a few hours (or perhaps overnight) to remove any remaining fumes. THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT: Each reel must be properly aligned using the Frame Adjust feature. What I ended up with was a few stops off from what I was aligned to. To put it another way, the alignment for my unit was slightly high and to the right. I'd recommend aligning it, digitizing for 5 or 10 seconds, and then looking at what was digitized. If the alignment is off, you can easily fix it before digitizing the entire reel, and if you still need the test clip, you can add it in post or pull the film back and re-edit it. br>- digitise EXPOSURE: EXPOSURE: EXPOSURE: EXPOSURE: EXPOSURE: EXPOSURE: E 5 to - SHARPNESS is the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a word. High
- The majority of the failed spices continued to digitize, and if I wasn't careful, a large pile of film would end up on the floor! But don't be concerned; I fixed the splice on the spot to make sure there wasn't a twist in the film, then inserted the take-off while the machine was still running. Rewinding the film up reel by reel was a nice touch.
- ALSO VERY IMPORTANT, AND IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO FIND OUT: I began to notice a brown spot on the lens of some of the digitized clips, as if someone had fingerprinted it. With a lot of effort, I cleaned the digitizer camera lens with Windex and a modified Q-tip, thinking it was something I had done. tip. I then assumed it was on the original film, but it wasn't; instead, the film was rubbing off on the illumination plate, which I eventually figured out. I'm not sure if it was because the film wasn't completely dry or what, but I started cleaning the digitizing tray with Windex and a Q-tip in addition to compressed air. The light plate, in particular, is a good suggestion. That was the solution!
- When the first competitor unit I bought started making binding noises, I read about adding lubricant and it worked for a while until it died. As a result, I decided to add a small amount of WD-40 to the mix. This unit's sprocket opening also received 40 gel. It purrs like a kitten, but as I added a little more, I began to have the same issues with the new unit- When it was turned on, for example, it would immediately begin playing the film without recording it. Some electronic connections, it seems, can be messed up if you use too much lubricant, so be cautious! br>I understand that we all have "lemons" from time to time, but I'm very pleased with my unit, and it performs exactly as it should. It's a lot less expensive than hiring someone else to do it, and the quality is excellent (I know there was another post where the buyer complained about the quality, but if you look closely, the image he provides shows that it's due to the original footage, not the machine's performance. ) I would recommend getting a program plug-in. in a program like Neat Video to remove any graininess, scratches on the film, and so on). br>On the counter, there is a single note- The product comes with a one-year warranty or 200 digitized reels. The counter indicates how many times the process has been started rather than how many reels have been digitized. I've completed 63 reels, but the counter indicates 162 due to the numerous stops and starts. This was primarily due to a lack of success with the spices. Unless you want to come back to a pile of film on the floor, or only 25% of your reel getting digitized before it gets digitized before it gets digitized before it gets br>PLEASANT SURPRISES THAT WE DID NOT EXPECT: The unit will eventually stop on its own at the end of the reel; I assume it has a sensor that detects when the frame does not change; however, I've noticed that if the film is too dark or too light, it will also trip the sensor. It's not a problem; all you have to do now is restart it. Also, when your SD card is full, the device will shut down on its own. br>One final piece of advice: the movie will sway slightly over time, but not significantly. If you don't want to see frame lines, use the Frame Adjust feature to zoom in one or two more stops by using the W function (zooms in or out). It reduces the size of the image slightly, but it also allows the frame to move around. Another cool feature is that you can zoom out all the way and digitize the entire frame with sprocket holes, which is a cool effect; alternatively, you could use a black framed matte in post to ensure you see as much of the frame as possible. br>br>Best of luck! With the exception of seeing downtown Las Vegas back in the day, or a brief clip of a house I used to live in as a boy, seeing friends and family in their moments in time (especially those who are no longer with us--) is the only thing that holds up over time. I have a pile of footage on scenery and landscape taken by my father and grandfather, and with the exception of seeing downtown Las Vegas back in the day, or a brief clip of a house I used to live in as a boy But keep in mind that Jesus, the ONLY savior of all, promises that those who confess/admit their sins and believe and trust in him for salvation will see fellow believers again in heaven! Take a look at his God-inspired writing. To learn more, read the Bible's "breathed love letter to you. " ) I wish you nothing but the best.

Enoch McCarty

| Jun 17, 2021

I'm an 8mm and super 8 film collector who, like many others, has more film in my study than is good for me (at least, that's what she said). br>br>After reading all of the reviews for the Wolverine first-generation MovieMaker, I decided to take the plunge and purchase the Pro when it became available on Amazon. To summarize, the internet consensus was that version 1 (a) was OK at conversions but not great, (b) could only handle 5" reels, (c) did not do well with old splices, (d) earlier versions were prone to overheating, (e) were not recommended for rewinding due to a small motor, (e) only took video in 720p, and (f) converted everything to 30fps. br>br>Here are my thoughts after about 5 days of evaluating Moviemaker Pro:br>(a) Resolution- Better: Yes, 1080p video can be used. That should suffice for the majority of the footage I have, and there is a certain allure to having non-professional footage. The video is excellent. br>br>(b) Sharpness and exposure- Adequate: It has a feature that allows you to adjust the exposure. There is, however, an auto-response option at each setting. "Adjust" the darker frames up, or the lighter frames down, depending on how much exposure you can see. As a result, there are a lot of compression artifacts in dark frames, as well as back-to-back back-to-back back-to-back back-to-back back-to-back back-to-back In scenes with a medium level of brightness, back-and-forth exposure hunting is useful. However, it appeals to me as a whole. The majority of the video I have doesn't justify 1080p, but it's simple enough to crunch the artefacts out in dark scenes (which will leave them dark, but that's the nature of the source object). br> Another feature is automatic white balance, which seemed to change the color tone when the camera zoomed in on an object. For example, in a "golden hour" evening scene, a building was orange from the setting sun as long as the sky covered half the frame, but as the scene zoomed in, it became less orange. This isn't the way movies work. br>br>(c) File Size – Excellent: My math consistently came up with a 9. 47- 48 Mbits per second, or about 71 Mbits per second. MBytes per minute: 00 MBytes This performs admirably in well-lit areas. Scenes of light outdoor scenes during the day. br>br>(d) The path of the film- Good: On the source side, there is a single knob for the film to go under, followed by a light bed with a slide-off cover (where thick splices get stuck), and finally a single claw mechanism for film advancement. The film can then be zig-zagged using four knobs. zigzag around the room The bottom two have a different texture than the top two. My old splices used to break here (on occasion). However, this is required to ensure that the take-out order is completed. To ensure that frames are positioned consistently, up reel tension is reduced to a bare minimum. I experimented with various knob combinations, and they all made the video tremble to varying degrees. (f) Acceptable frame rate: br>br>(g) Acceptable frame rate: br>br>(h) Acceptable frame rate: br>br> A frame rate of 20 frames per second is clearly superior to 30 frames per second, and I can see the logic in selecting a value between 18 and 24, preferably 18 frames per second. about 10 faster changes the action, but only slightly, and if you are post processing, that is easy to manage. It would have been slightly better if they had gone with 18, but as I previously stated, 20 is acceptable, especially if you don't want to learn how to use a video editing app. br>br>Finally, a couple of things to considerbr>1. There were a few instances where the processor froze, but the film advancer continued to work until the machine was turned off, in addition to the inevitable splice-stuck and splice-broke. My assumption is that the electronics are sensitive to small surges, which could be caused by the heat pump turning on in the winter. So far, nothing has happened since I moved the MovieMaker to the Uninterrupted Power Supply I own. 2. br>br>1. br>br>br>br>br>br Maintain a low level of sharpness, as others have suggested. This helps to avoid unnatural edges and can be done in post-production if necessary. 3. br>br>4. br>br>5. br>br>6. I've had a few more issues with 8mm film than I have with super 8, which I blame on the fact that 8mm is older. In fact, some of the Super 8 footage from the mid-'80s that I have is from that era. Because of better cameras and technique, the 1980s are quite beautiful. 4. br>br> To capture the sprocket holes and have adjoining frames at the top and bottom of the image, I prefer zooming out. This captures the rest of the image outside of the "standard" area, which is especially useful for 8mm cameras. This is also useful if the frames' positions drift from reel to reel over the course of a long session. The "W" parameter is set to 1 (zero being the most zoomed-out). Again, post-processing for the footage I'm interested in is part of my workflow, and it's a great way to remind us of the source material's true nature in casual viewing. br>br>Thank you, and I hope you enjoy your footage. This is what someone thought was important to capture at one point in time, and spent a lot of time, effort, learning, and money to do so. Birthdays, weddings, vacations, Christmas, Thanksgiving, family visits, road trips, service deployments, drag races, cruises, and backyard picnics are just a few of the events that people look forward to. There's nothing missing. It's fantastic, and I owe it to Wolverine to create it.

Janiyah Glass

| Oct 15, 2021