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Post #247273

Author
Puggo - Jar Jar's Yoda
Parent topic
Info: Anyone Got A Spare 1300 Bucks? Star Wars 16mm on ebay...
Link to post in topic
https://originaltrilogy.com/post/id/247273/action/topic#247273
Date created
22-Sep-2006, 4:18 PM
I have a 16mm Workprinter-16. After reading the messages in this thread, I get the impression that such a scan might not be up to the standards people here want. With it, I can only scan at the resolution of a good DV camera (I'm using a Sony TRV-900 camcorder as the camera - you don't actually need to have tape in the camera because the image just gets sent straight to the computer). But it is telecine, frame-by-frame, and the results therefore are easy to edit. I bought it because I was spending a lot of money on 16mm scans at duplication houses... the Workprinter gets WAY better results than any of the transfers I paid to have done (mind you, I never paid for a rank transfer). I use it a lot, so if someone had a good print and if there was any interest in such a scan, I might be interested too.

It's true that it's silent. That's because it runs at 6fps. I capture the audio separately and synch it up later. It can be tedious but it's a lot less difficult than the cleaning would be. In my experience, the biggest problem with the Workprinters is grain. Whereas a rank transfer smooths out grain and scratches with the water immersion, the workprinter just shines a light on the film and the projector scans it. So although the picture is very sharp (presuming you get a good focus), the sharpness can also manifest as more grain, depending on the type of filmstock used. I've had scans turn out gorgeous, and others turn out pretty grainy.

A month ago I did a scan of a 1952 color film of a drum and bugle corps. Watching it on a friend's big screen TV, the colors leap off the screen - really amazing, it looks like it was filmed yesterday. I also have a scan of a table tennis exhibition from 1972, and it looks like an 8mm home movie. Obviously, your mileage may vary.