Winait 5"&3" Reel 8mm & Super8 Roll Film Digital Film Video Scanner

So far I've only tried Standard 8 and run a dozen 3" and 5" reels of 'home movie' quality films through the machine. Amusingly, my best results have been with 7" reels set up on a makeshift cardboard frame, (thin cardboard box with holes either side!) with a 'biro' through the spool centre and a springy piece of plastic to 'bend' the feed path so as to avoid jerking the film with spool inertia. The output I simply let fall into a large clean cardboard box in lieu of a driven take-up spool which once again avoids any jerking of the film. A filled 7" reel of film fills a 1 foot square base box to about a foot deep - it's not as bad as it sounds and has avoided all the jittery captures I sometimes had when using the machine's own take up reel and guides. At worst, rewind using the biro if you don't have any other equipment - it's not as tedious as is sounds!Note that this unit DOES time-out after about a minute of blank leader, or the end of the film and having stopped, it will switch itself off shortly after that with the last half inch of film still hanging safely in the gate beyond the claw if left unattended - you do not have to search for the loose end in that cardboard box!!! A full 7" reel will take over 5 hours to digitise, so you WILL be leaving this to click away un-attended :-)Video results are good enough to satisfy the family and probably anyone but purists and if it's the only way you'll ever see the family footage again without huge expense and potential loss in transit, then go for it. With perfect geometry, no colour fringing and brilliant whites, it beats the old 'video capture of the projector screen techniques' hands down!The optical focus of my unit is spot on (didn't have to remove covers, break seal and re-adjust!). As to output quality, I'm sure there could have been slightly more detail available without the intense video compression artefacts. Think of JPG pictures compressed down to say 50Kb, that's about what you see as a video stream with added random 'movement' noise. I'd say the compression 'noise' is perhaps slightly worse than the original graininess of the "projected" version. Video compares with MJPEGs taken with 10 year old 3M pixel 'still' cameras.Software version in my unit is 20170310-DN08-EN. Via the menu, adjustments are available for X-Y positioning and W zoom size of the frame capture, just be aware that whilst exposure EV is settable +/- 2 stops in 0.5 increments, contrast is dynamic from mid-range grey, just like TV in the 405 line days, there's no black level clamp. Aspect ratio of Standard 8mm was 1.36:1 and this device outputs MP4 at 1440x1080 (round) pixels, i.e. 1.333:1 or 4:3 so it will slightly crop the frame sides before it crops top and bottom as you zoom in to your preference. Subjectively, the family aren't worried at all by the defects, colours from old 'Kodachrome' are vibrant and the auto-contrast and chroma work just fine for us even in our modern HD world ;-)Regards the 30fps, I simply use the Virtualdub software, version 1.10.4 here, it's small and free! It reads mp4 format, so just set the output frame rate to your choice and re-encode with the (included) X264vfw compressor. You won't notice any degradation in the process. 'Virtualdub' also includes a two pass 'de-shaker' filter which I find fabulous at removing camera shake (and 'gating' jitter). You'll be amazed ;-)Note that the plastic used in the moulded film gate channel is quite soft and spring pressure is only applied to the outer edges of the film face. I'm starting to see slight wear already. If any dirt or grit from the film gets in, it grinds between the soft plastic and the film emulsion, sticks in the plastic and will scratch the emulsion, but you'll only find out NEXT time you pass the film through. Keep the film clean!In summary, I'm pleased that I took the plunge and bought one after reading cynically through many helpful reviews last year of the Wolverine version released in USA. It may not be perfect but it seems the only one on the market at this price level. And if you find rare treasures in the archives, only then will you bother with professional digitising services :-) Hope this helps

I have previously transferred films in std definition and then HD by camera-projection methods (at 16 2/3fps using a variable speed projector) - but using a dedicated telecine is so much better and easier: I first came across this actual manufactuer's product a couple of years ago as a 720P model (with 1080 only available in japan as far as I could tell.Having waited and found the 1080P version available, I have now been using it for a week to re-transfer films dating from 1942 (colour and monochrome) Std8 to later Super8mm, with very watchable results which appear to be getting the best out of the film - obviously showing grain and scratches where they exist, but not obviously 'losing' any detail, and with no apparent exposure or flicker problems. No excessive Kodak Red.- natural colour as original. Obviously moving the completed file transfers to an editing program would allow a clean 'top and tail' of the transfers - which naturally start on 'leader' and end after the film runs out... (it does not stop automatically - so although the reels-size limit is 5", an overloaded or longer reel will continue transferring until you press the OK button again - the reel size setting appears to be more to preset the transfer-duration (countdown) guide for the benefit of th e user. Filenumber is incremented automatically - and the 'date' advances - but there is no real-time clock (or means of setting it). If the video output - to a larger screen but in std def - is used then the inbuiilt display is switched off - therefore I have been using it totally standalone. Different films/cameras may require reframing and this is easily done (for which the external monitor MAY be a benefit initially) Shot-by-shot colour correction would be best done AFTER transfer in an editing program - but overall adjustment is provided if required.The transfer takes place at 2fps - and the software then effectively uses a microscope camera (HD 1080P in this model) to photograph the frame, and then move it on by stepper motor. The take-up reel motor then tales up the slack.THE FILE IS FLAGGED AS 20fps - and so will play back at his rate on suitable software (or the telecine itself) at that speed - which is certainly 'acceptable' as a compomise between 16, 16 2/3, 18, 24 or 25fps possible originals. 'Free s/w' was provided to change the frame rate setting - but I have not been successful with saving from this (Win 7 Pro 64bit - so that is still ongoing - other free fps s/w is available - but many of these try to change the resolution too ! - best left to your editing software when cleaning up the ends or joining reels together....The 'DOWN SIDES': With no motor on the supply spool, rewinding involves swapping the reels (180 turn on old metal reels!) and using the 'Fast Forward' option with the film not passing through the gate, to do it for you ... alternatively 'bulk users' might have a separate spool-winding set up. 2 adapters are provided for Super 8mm hubs - but nowhere to store them when not in use 8-( .Switching between Super and Std 8 is a simple slide switch which relocates the gate slightly and triggers the other size settings to be used. ONCE OUT OF WARRANTY (or this conversion will do that anyway!).... I see no reason why the take up reel motor should not be relocated by a competent person to a box mounted on the side allowing for 7" (or larger?) reels - and equally for the unpowered supply reel on the left - in fact this could then be given its own motor, switch and variable speed controller /power supply to offer rewinds of larger reels. (Although I have not yet done this modification, I HAVE left the transfer running for several hours past the end of the 5" reel - and the file continued to be recorded as if a film was still running [ Approx 1GB for a 200ft reel ] - therefore I verify the countdown does not stop a film transfer at 0. ). Obviously, those with sound-striped films will need to do their sound transfer separately, and use editing software the match them back together. JAMS?: a couple caused by (as predicted in the manual) some tape splices which were 'over width' and 1 old join came apart .... far fewer problems than when running through a projector at 16fps or more ! - this is why they recommend 'attended transfer' as the film is a valuable, irreplacable archive: any 'jam' can have the gate opened, and/or be pulled through without interruption - to be removed in editing - or, by pressing OK to stop - and continuing the recording (automatically with the next filenumber) by pressing OK again.....