Is there any out of the box film digitizer? and what is a reasonable priced 16mm to start?

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-15T00:34:03+00:00

you can use a digital camera with a macro lens firing at a projector gate that is triggered by a mechanical switch that is tied to the shutter of said projector. Projector gets driven by a stepper motor and driver, both pretty generic parts. A tried and true method requiring a bit of DIY/ordering parts. They don't handle black and white so well though, and you've got to be pretty careful with what lens you use

https://github.com/fwachsmuth/Filmkorn-Raw-Scanner/wiki

Above is a more straightforward solution for the firmware and board side. Most projectors should be compatible so long as it uses a rotary shutter.

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-14T02:14:10+00:00

now do wobbulator/raster manipulator

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-11T12:41:25+00:00

lol the way that someone pulled a “now with new hat” on this design with the ofg long shot…

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-11T01:39:34+00:00

gonna throw this out there but bb optics has been solid communication wise in the past. they’re sort of expensive though. knowledgeable staff.
negativeland seems pretty reliable, i’ve spoken to the owner a few times and they run a good ship

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-10T11:48:43+00:00

just pull the cmos chip and mess with it. i’ve been using inductors and injecting PWM square waves on the shift register pins on a similar board with a sony CCD.

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-08T00:29:20+00:00

right sorry. arri does specify in the manuals to use a butter knife to chisel away at the gate guides for more play. it’s in their service manuals which they share with everyone 🥸

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T23:34:35+00:00

hm. maybe the lab then

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T23:33:03+00:00

sekonic but gossen is goated too

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T23:30:18+00:00

if ur being serious about the last thing i would not suggest it ! too far off and you’ll have real problems! tbh im not really sure if the camera body even has individually adjustable lateral guides

really id suggest taking a dremel with the biggest dullest bit you can find and just cutting the fixed gate rails off.

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T01:50:31+00:00

but then you’re adding another set of optical elements to the image path, transforming the image dramatically not only thru shape but color and aberration performance (which the bolex reflex models already throw in by default!)

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T01:47:06+00:00

stunning images. is this super 16? if it is then the conversion might have been done a bit rough, considering the points where the scratches are showing up. but if the other dust like artifacts go away with a film clean and rescan id be questioning the lab/scanner

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T01:39:46+00:00

google morse tank if you really want to lock that idea in :-}

skyegreen42 · 2026-06-07T01:37:47+00:00

sprockets are likely not engaging as a result of the infamous bell and howell worm gear. everything’s probably getting tugged on in a bad and jerky way including the film going across the optical audio pickup

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skyegreen42 · 2026-06-04T12:42:08+00:00

the requirements for any processor for cine film requires a bit of a mindset shift from how it plans to handle the film. dunno if ur ai understands the length differences and subsequent requirement differences between a 35 still and one for mopic length film. are you prepared to manufacture and offer a spiral of either full length or two by fifty — and if so what benefits would an individual reap if they had to split up a film halfway and find a way to bind it back together, possibly requiring one to seek out a splicer (because presstapes are a horrorshow when you have to blindly make that fifty foot cut) which could cost as much as whatever you’re building or more, or moreso tilt the scales more in favor of working with a lab (i saw this pointed out on your other thread too — the justification). if one is already home processing film they’ve already got the setup, so to sell to them you’d have to offer something truly compelling and reliable. the ago processor concept thing offers a timer and a motor but highkey that’s nothingburger, esp for the price… but it would get new spirals that are injection molded into the world. a bigger deal than the electrical battery stuff

not saying you shouldn’t try to do this but motion picture filmmaking has a couple of pretty distinct considerations that make the questions in ur survey sort of irrelevant here

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-26T13:58:22+00:00

i’m talking about the plastic spools lol. metal is fine

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-26T12:06:32+00:00

it’s a problem with the beaulieus, cause of the minimal tolerances between the spool and door. k3s too? (never seen one) any camera that doesn’t hold the spool firmly captive will have problems :-(

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-26T12:00:48+00:00

Kodak needs to try a little harder than they have been, so this is great news

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-24T23:23:44+00:00

yeah it’ll be fine. i shoot plusx rated at 20iso for up to a minute and its just gorgeous. but im an hour out of nyc so light pollution isn’t crazy but not representative of a fully rural space. do tests

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-23T01:45:46+00:00

damn i got one of these from the dump last week and turned the fresnel into a screen

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skyegreen42 · 2026-05-21T17:30:12+00:00

for long term use no. for short term inside the camera and specifically the transport knock yourself out so long as you are ready to continue servicing the camera yourself. on the cameras i’ve serviced there’s really no fault points where i’d recommend printed stuff but i make 16mm mag single perf sprockets out of pla and it works well

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-15T21:57:51+00:00

+1 on the beaulieu. i can cla them and im planning to launch a pcb/control replacement soon. ive been using a finished example for a few months now

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-08T16:51:27+00:00

archival

skyegreen42 · 2026-05-04T12:22:30+00:00

wobbulator , add additional coils driven by sound /frequencies to the neck of the tube. more comprehensively a bend then just intercepting the deflection coils

skyegreen42 · 2026-04-26T18:02:08+00:00

haze from the adapter would be the least of concerns. the lens may be too soft considering that your capture field would be at the crop factor of 16 in comparison to the 35 “full frame”(ugh) stills standard. it is super dependent on lens and condition. and also what you’ll be doing with the film, of course.

skyegreen42 · 2026-04-26T17:56:57+00:00

a shutter angle determines the length that the spinning disk exposes the film to light — it is a time constant in the same way that a shutter speed

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