Blackmagic Forum

Wanted to see what other peoples thoughts were on this (also not sure where to post).

I was thinking that it would be really cool if Blackmagic created a desktop size 8mm film scanner that could do standard 8, super 8, and wide gate. When they bought Cintel and BM realeased their first film scanner for 35 and 16, I thought for sure this would happen, but no. Currently home or small business 8mm scanning options are very poor (wolverine 8mm scanner), or astronomically overpriced. Also sending it out to a place like Pro8mm is expensive and inherently involves you not doing it yourself or in the codecs you might actually want at the resolution you want.

I think a 4k sensor with a blue/red/green individual shot scanning system using the controls like the current BM film scanner would be great, except maybe change thunderbolt to usb3.1 to increase adoption or have both.

Obviously a scanner system with individual red,green,and blue shots of each frame is high end. Hell i would also want a wet gate option, since this is just me throwing out an idea, why not dream big. For the record I dont know if their main scanner does wet gate or individual rgb of each frame.

Have you every explored sending your footage to Gamma Ray Digital? http://www.gammaraydigital.com/services/SmallGaugeScanning

They use a LaserGraphics scaner that can do up to 5K and can give you 10 or 16 bit log/linear .DPX files or ProRes 4444 or 422 HQ.

Honestly, I don't think there's much of a chance of BlackMagic making a Super 8/8mm gate assembly for the Cintel Scanner (too small a market) and practically no chance of them making a wetgate option (regulatory nightmare).

There are only 2 options for wetgate fluid right now, perchlorethylene or Kodikia fluid, and both are classified as hazardous material with toxicity and flammability issues. Only ARRI and DFT are making modern wetgate scanners and you are talking well above six-figures for the cost of one of these machines.

Yeah wet gate is usually out.
I was just hoping for Blackmagic to make a small 8mm only (all 8mm sizes) 4k desktop machine thats operation is like the full size cintel scanner. The home options right now are terrible. Of course you can send it out, but I would prefer to not do that.

I would advise scanning 8mm @ no more than 2K and uprezing for 4K.

Even 2K is pretty drastic overkill for 8mm and you're just introducing noise @ 4K.

You could go the Kinograph[ route , but even that will set you back about 2K USD and no guarantee it will work to your satisfaction...

Very cool, will check that out.

Cintel Scanner 8mm Gate is a very urgent update!
I think that there is a much bigger number of customer for 8mm than for 16/35.
Please BMD consider a 8mm Gate very soon for the v2 scanner.
I would buy one in this case ... not so much ... but hey one more

thx
neix (wolfgang neugebauer)

It would indeed be cool, as there are hundreds of thousands of hours of S8 waiting to be digitized. The Rank Cintel offered an S8 gate, suggest that Blackmagic do the same!

jerichopix wrote:It would indeed be cool, as there are hundreds of thousands of hours of S8 waiting to be digitized. The Rank Cintel offered an S8 gate, suggest that Blackmagic do the same!

There was a Rank-Cintel Super 8 gate, but if memory serves it cost more than $50,000. (Might have even been $100,000 -- hard to remember.) And I think there were only two in LA and one in NYC. A very rare gate indeed. We rented the Super 8 Rank gate Fotokem had on occasion, and setup was fairly tricky and critical.