MovieStuff Retroscan Universal Mark I / 8mm Super 8 16mm Film Scanner / Complete Breakdown
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2020
- #Moviestuff #RetroscanUniversal #FilmScanner
It's time for a complete breakdown of my favorite piece of film equipment, my Moviestuff Retroscan Universal Mark I Film Scanner. I've had it for a little over a year now and figured now was a good time to show it off a little.
I hope you enjoy!
Please don't forget to Like, Subscribe & leave me a Comment! Thanks!
#MovieFilmScanning #8mmFilmScanner #Super8FilmScanner #16mmFilmScanner #MovieStuffRetroScanUniversalMarkI - Фільми й анімація
Thorough presentation. Anxious to see the Mark II. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Jeff!
Very detailed presentation , thank you
Nicely done!
That's one heck of a machine there
Very helpful. Thank you. I am at a university and am assisting our archivist with films that have not been digitized. I'm convinced that this is the way to go.
Thanks so much, Nick! MovieStuff really does produce good quality stuff.
Nick if you buy a MkII I've got a friend who can help with improvements to make it proper quality. The only thing you can't do yourself is the gates, those will be a 3rd-party commercial product, in my estimation making it a proper quality scanner adds about 40% to the cost. But really if you have the budget just buy the Lasergraphics Archivist as it's much less work and well worth the additional cost.
Ahhh, that was great.Just the thing to have if you shoot film. Art class in schools should have one.
Thanks Michael, and you're right about that!
This was very helpful as I make a decision on what make and model to purchase
Thanks so much, Tom!!
Very detailed presentation step by step
Thank you!!
Hi ! I like the way you take your time and go into all the details that make differences. O almost bought a Wolverine but ended up glad I did not.I have a lot of films shot in various parts of the world whiich I still enjoy. I did not want to go into big expenses, so I went into the inexpensive and basic way that many people have tried and dod not like.which ,of course, is shooting off the screen. Now I took special care in setting up and it can make a big difference.
To avoid or at least reduce tremendously ugly parallax errors, I set my camera way behing the projector and zoom in. I have made a screen no bigger than about 7 inches wide. I also paint😂ed black outlines and let my image overlap very slightly. Then, of course, I can make some editing through the computer. I love removing the small but still visible cement lines (even though they are almost invisible when projected. I have used Hanel and Bolex splicers and they have held up very well over the past 50 years.
Thank you, Roland!!
I've seen some really decent results from home telecine before, so I applaud you for getting it done no matter what. Great idea with the painted black lines by the way!!
excellent presentation. Very thorough. I saw one on Ebay over the summer from NJ and almost bought it. Hard to find used equipment like this and I am not at the captiol investment of 10k for the Mark II .... I'll still dabbling with DIY but maybe I'll get one some day ... again, great job.
Thanks so much! I really love this little machine, and like you, not at the $$ level for the Mark II. I'm going to keep dreaming and maybe one day it'll just show up :)
Maybe Santa could bring you the 2K machine. This would be way over my pay grade in many ways but you are way to good with it, that’s just what you do. Keep it up...
Thanks Pop!!
I’ve used Moviestuff equipment for more than 15 years. Rock solid performance. I now have the audio capture unit and do both 8 and 16mm sound.
Totally agree, Greg, very solid machine. Do you use the RetroSync Sound Module? I'm toying with the idea of getting one but was wondering if it's worth the investment. Do you get any "flutter" sounds in the audio capture after running the projector into it? I know it's a bit more involved, just wondering about the audio quality. Thanks!
@@Filmboy24 no flutter that my poor old ears can detect. I've done both super8 and 16mm films with it. it's not cheap, and I don't have enough business to justify it, but what the heck, it's only money.
@@gregcdss1 HAHA, you think just like I do (oh, and my ears are awful too!). I really have no need for it as I only have a handful of sound films, but I just want it!! Hehe
Thanks for the info!
@@Filmboy24 If you're interested in farming out the audio capture work, let me know. I'm retired and bored.
@@gregcdss1, will definitely keep that in mind, thanks!
Very interesting video and great job for a 1st try. I watched your scan full screen. I've gotten some scans on my Wolverine Pro that were very close if the original film was near perfect and I got lucky in the software editing. But too I realize the UA-cam video publishing process, etc.. Nice purchase! I'm saving up my shekels.
I was hoping you wouldn't notice the quality, Dale 🤣. I've learned so much about this scanner since this video, namely, not to export in the most compressed format possible, followed by not disabling resample, then rendering in an equally compressed format. I have their new model (Mark II) on order now, rest assured, I'll know it inside and out before I post a video breakdown of that one!!
As always, thanks for watching, Dale!!
@@Filmboy24
LOL, the Mark II makes you my official idol.
@@dalehammond1704 🤪
Amazing the stuff you were saying.
I actually put a 500gb solid state drive in my desktop computer.
And no I don't store anything on it either except for Windows 10 and a couple of programs that's about it.
Let's move on shall we ?
Mike, you did a really, really good job explaining the Mark I. I am doing the same as you did, saving my money up for the Mark II. It will be a while yet, but I have so many 50 foot rolls shot back in the 1950s, and plenty of 400' reels all 8mm and some super 8mm. I get nervous every day as they could be lost forever. Does this also do 35mm slides (transparencies?) Great job! I just subscribed.
Thank you, I really appreciate it!
This particular model (Mark I), did originally have a slide gate option, which looked pretty cool. You just pushed the slide in and the camera captured a photo. Unfortunately, I missed out on it as they no longer make anything for this model. I wish I had one, it looks like it would be so much quicker than flatbed scanning them.
I also don't think the Mark II unit has the provision for slides at all.
Really nice video Mike. I'd like to make a couple of points - the supplied light in the Universal MkII isn't very good but you can replace it for a much better light without too much effort and it will give you far better results (the MkI I don't know how easy that will be as its a completely different form factor). The camera currently supplied is a 2K Flir Chameleon3, you'll get better results from a Blackfly S choose the 2.5K one or the 3.2K one or 2K if you really want to stick with 2K. The camera is certainly not "near 3K" at all, that's complete BS marketing. It's a CFA camera (with a Bayer filter) so it's really more like 1.3K true resolution, I can show you this with calibration film. You're also better off ditching the Moviestuff software and capturing with Flir's Spinview straight to 16-bit raw as you'll get better captures yes even with the existing camera.
Wow, thanks so much for all the info!! Are you able to simply replace the camera without much modification? I do understand it would have to be correctly wired and mounted but just wondering if there are other modifications that have to be made. Thanks again!
@@Filmboy24 I'll shoot you an email.
I'd appreciate any information on those options.
Give him a break Chris. Some of us need the "fluff". Good job, Mike!
Mmmmm.....Fluff!!!!
@@Filmboy24: You should of done a better job then this, When you recorded your computer screen you should of had mirrored it on to a tv or something in order that we could have learned to see what you were doing clearer, When you were explaining to us about how to Fast Forward and Rewind the film, when you have place the firm to the appropriate position then I got confused, If I need to rewind or Fast Forward, where should I connect the film? And how tight or lose should I make it and to make to make things a lot easy can I leave it Rewinding/Fast Forward without having the need to touch the wheel? If I would want to make a DVD out of a 16mm Film, can I leave this playing all night and leave it go, then when It is all been said and done then I would turn it off.
Thanks for watching, glad you enjoyed and learned!
@@DanielBrosman08211986 Be more polite when you review my friend. Your language is coarse and you sound like an ingrate.
I'm more than happy with 1080
Wow something tells me that's the machine used on my Las Vegas footage.
2K BABY
It's supposed to arrive tomorrow
Yessir-ee it was!
Awesome stuff Mike.
Do you ever use some freeware called Format Factory ?
I use it mainly for audio.
Example WAV to MP3
But it also does video several different formats.
It's a nice piece of software.
Mad Kuhn
I'm not really mad
Thanks for this. It's interesting to see a walk through. Do all the "rollers" on the front roll (turn) or are some of them stationery?
Hey Roger, the 2 silver colored rollers are stationary and the 4 brass ones do roll.
Love your videos! Have you thought about making chapters in the timeline with time stamps? Would make these longer videos much easier to navigate
Thanks, Dave!!!
In all honesty, I hadn't thought about it until you brought it up. Makes a lot of sense, especially since I have a tendency to ramble on, haha.
I'm going to look into it now, thanks again!
@@Filmboy24 No problem! I do it on my videos for my courses, it makes it much easier for students to navigate. But it's a bit time consuming sometimes
I looked into the price of this hardware... way too much for me :( I've been doing VHS home movie capture / upscaling using QTGMC and AviSynth for a while, so this appealed to me. Maybe if I ran it as a side business I could justify the cost, but 10k for the MK II is nuts. I'll stick to shining it on a bedsheet for now :D
@@DaveChurchill No doubt about the price, I'm at less than half of that for the Mark i unit and can do 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm at up to 2K. It'll be a long time until (probably never) I can afford a Mark II.
Beautiful scanner! Do you offer scanning/processing services?
Thanks, Brian! I've done quite a bit of scanning for people but I don't really process other's films (not quite confident enough yet).
By the way...OMG!!! Is that you on the bike? I couldn't look away!
Brian there are companies that can do professional quality scans at the same price as the "home movies to DVD" places.
Hi Sir I love your review regard 8mm films scanners such as Wolvorine and Moviestuff and I have One and you are right some issue Wolvorine Pro 8mm film scanner
Thank you, Chander!! Yes, the Wolverine models are certainly known to have a few issues :(
Hello, The differece between Super-8 and Single-8 is, that the Single-8 has a thinner filmbase. The format was invented by Fuji in early 1970.
A Happy new Year from Stig Österberg in Dalsbruk, Finland.
Thank you, Stig!! I discovered that very thing when processing a roll of single 8 not too long ago. Talk about a big thickness difference!
Happy New Year to you as well!!
i see that it's a pretty good build machine and also with many options on analogue formats and video file formats. those are the good points, in my opinion. on the other hand, i can't notice big differences on the finished scanned film. I notice "white balance" problems on, for example, 36:13 ..but it could be a problem of the original flim, rather than the scan process... anyway i'm just judging by what i see on this youtube clip.
can you say there is a big difference between the finished video file from this machine (compressed or uncompressed) and an MP4 done with the Wolverine scanner? Thanks.. great video and interesting stuff on your channel
Thanks so much for watching and commenting, I appreciate it.
If I'm being totally honest, I've learned so much more since I made this video. From my render settings to capturing to focus and on and on. The one thing I'm really trying to learn is both color correcting (whites/blacks) and color grading (everything else).
When you combine the UA-cam compression with the fact that I'm rendering an 18 FPS film with my 30 FPS video, as well as my continuous learning curve, I'd say my results with the RetroScan have vastly improved since I posted this video. Operating the RetroScan is night and day different from operating the Wolverine units. The Wolverines are essentially turn on and capture. That's not the case with the RetroScan, there is much more to it. You will get 10 different looks with 10 different operators.
Again, I really appreciate your input!
@@Filmboy24 Thanks for your answer. So, you do think there is a big difference between retroscan and wolverine scan results... ?
@@EstudiosAQB, My pleasure.
Yes, I think there's a huge difference, however, you have to be ready to learn the RetroScan and it doesn't happen overnight. There's still times when I forget to do something (and I use mine almost daily), or times when I might scan a roll of film 2-3 times to learn the best settings for a project.
One thing to note, the RetroScan is certainly not perfect, nor is it the highest quality film scanner, but it fits into it's price range nicely. It's perfect for a do-it-yourselfer like me, that shoots and processes a ton of film. I do think there's might be room in the market for a $1,500 - $3,000 unit, but I question what more it could provide over the pretty poor compression of a Wolverine.
@@Filmboy24 I wish I could get a Retroscan, but think i'll go for a Wolverine, though I know I will hate that it scans directly to Mp4, but right now I don't have the money for the Retroscan. I'll save money for it, anyway, and I hope it came an used unit on Ebay soon. Thanks for your replies
@@EstudiosAQB, I think you'll be relatively happy with the results you get from a Wolverine, especially at that price.
Best of luck to you.
Hello, great presentation, can you help me with advice on whether I can buy the software only and use it with a machine made by me. Unfortunately, I can't find one for the money I can afford. Is there any other software that digitizes like this frame by frame. thank you and send greetings
Hi Emil, thanks for watching! Unfortunately, I know very little about capture software for DIY scanners. There's a great forum (Kinograph) that was founded by a guy that's designing an open source film scanner. There is a ton of great information on it that you may find useful. Here's the link:
forums.kinograph.cc/
Very interested in purchases this model or the mark II. You mentioned you got it off an auction site. Would you mind sharing which one or even how to go about finding something like this? Love your content. Thanks!
Thank you, Ryan!! I bought my RetroScan Mark I on Ebay a little over 3 years ago. About a year later, I ordered the 2K upgrade kit direct from MovieStuff, then shortly thereafter, a RetroSync Sound Module from them as well. Coincidentally, I have the new RetroScan Mark II 4K on order now.
These older Mark I units pop up on Ebay from time to time and MovieStuff now also builds a new 2K unit (much less expensive than the Mark II), in addition to their Mark II.
@@Filmboy24 thanks for the info! …When ordering from Movie stuff how long did it take to get to you? I did some research and heard people had ordered something and it took over a year to finally get to them…Curious if you had a similar experience or if the turn around time was quicker?! Thanks again
@@ryanjahn659 My pleasure!! Well, the 2K upgrade kit I ordered took around 2-3 months to receive (which was advertised). The RetroSync unit took a little longer (3-4 months I believe). I have to say that I fall within your current research for the Mark II that I ordered, though Roger has kept in constant contact with updates so far.
Thanks!!! Now what is your solution for transferring VHS with sound??
Transferring VHS is much easier than this, I do them all the time. I use the Roxio USB dongle that connects your VCR to your computer.
What's your opinion of the Film-Digital kits, which are Bauer projectors adapted so one can stick it a macro lens onto your favorite DSLR and video record whatever is being projected at 18fps? I assume that a frame-by-frame scanner is better, but how much better is it? Both are out of my price range, but the MovieStuff seems way more expensive than the Bauer/retrofit solution with a BYO-camera setup. Thoughts?
I think all of it is totally dependent on what your plan is for the film. If it's a professional shoot and the highest quality possible is key, then it should be scanned by a professional. If you're like me and it's usually just for fun and the goal is to get a visually appealing image, where the average person would never know the difference, then I think a telecine like the Film-Digital Kits is great. I was working on something very similar prior to finding my RetroScan Universal (I now use their Mark II 4K unit), that used an Eiki projector and 4K video camera. There's a guy on UA-cam that built one and I thought his results were great. The advantage of a frame by frame is simply that, every single frame is captured separately, and thus is editable separately. There's no blending of frames at all, so it's transferred exactly as it's shot.
Oh dear what went wrong with the transfer onwards from 35:58. Was the original film so badly over exposed or was the machine auto exposure blowing out the whites? Otherwise the best description I have seen of this machine. Thanks
Yes, the film was really pretty bad. In hindsight, I guess I should have spent more time picking a suitable film. Also remember, unless you're using a Wolverine, scanning really is an art form, one that I have yet to perfect.
@@Filmboy24 But at least you can see the difference between the RetroScan and the Wolverine in terms of quality.
@@etenebrislux Absolutely!!
In the earlier part of your video, you said, "Don't judge me". Well...I am going to do that! Did you hear that buddy?
You are GREAT!
Now put that in your smipe and poke it.
Oh Yeah?
Yeah! So...
...If'n yuz don lack it, notiz tha mistletoe hangun frum tha bottum of me cote when I left tha rum!
So there! LOL
Hahaha, Thanks, Pat!
Any way you can post a final result video with frame resampling turned off? When you pause, you can see some frames overlapping, especially during movement. I know it's 18fps, but resampling isn't necessary.
Hey Ken, I was hoping no one would notice that ;) Back when I made this video, I wasn't fully aware of the issues with resampling but have since straightened it out. If you look at any of my videos in the last couple of months, with films shown, they're rendered sans resampling.
How do you balance not blowing out the highlights and keeping the shadows bright enough when the film has dark areas.
It can be very tricky, but sometimes I’ll scan a film twice if it’s all over the place. I can then edit the two scans together in post.
Seriously I have a question? I notice on the recorded video, that there is a light bar at the top and bottom of the screen. Does the RetroScan not have a way to adjust that out?
I'm thinking you're talking about the overscan? The bar at the top is actually the bottom of the previous frame and the bar at the bottom is the top of the next frame. It's really just a "trendy" way of showing the entire film frame, though I'm hardly trendy. Yes, it can be easily edited out or simply scanned more zoomed in.
@@Filmboy24 Thank you kind Sir.
Hi Mike,
I have a Retro-8 and downloaded the original software I used on my old computer but when downloaded it on my new Windows 10 it doesn't work. What software do you use and where can I get an update if needed?
Michael
Hey Michael, I use the RetroScan Universal and it uses different software from the Retro-8. You may need to contact Roger directly at MovieStuff but I'm pretty sure yours uses this: www.moviestuff.tv/retroscan_hd_software.html
This unit was so expensive that I built my own DIY Telecine using a projector and recording directly into the film gate using 4K as my recording option. However during post production I format it to HD 1080 P.
That's awesome!! I'm a huge fan of DIY stuff!
I just wish this Wolverine thing would have at least THIS amount of quality. Because this here is what i'd call the lowest entry level quality people should be ok with and not any lower.
Found You,
I Love my Old One till it was stolen
Where did you purchase your Retroscan?
I picked mine up on Ebay (they pop up occasionally, but check often because they go quick). I purchased the 2K upgrade kit directly from MovieStuff.
What would cause the take up reel to not move? Set to movie on the back.
Make sure you don't have the switch next to the camera set to "Still". This is probably the most common reason.
Thanks was the motor roger sent me a new one already! @@Filmboy24
Moviestuff should make the option of recording directly to a SSD or USB without the need of a computer.
Does the RetroScan capture sound?
Hi Arnold, unfortunately, not right out of the box. MovieStuff does make an accompanying device, the RetroSync module that allows you to capture audio separately, using a projector, then sync up with the video capture in post. It's a pretty neat solution, just another step.
I agree people are like that. They think you just press a button and it all magically happens no.
It doesn't work like that.
Those darn - I don't want to say idiots.
Ohhh shucks.
I know people who don't like to learn.
Man that TORX
Me off.
Kuhn
What "Post" editing Software do you use?
I use Vegas Pro 18. I've been using it for years and I'm very comfortable with it now.
@@Filmboy24 Thanks... I'll check into that
It would be nice to transfer digital to Super 8 film.
Does anyone know where I can purchase a Mark-I unit? It seems that they have all disappeared, and I don't need as much as would justify the costs of the Mark-II. Seriously, I need pointed in the right direction. HELP!!!
They can be tough to track down but they do pop up on Ebay from time to time. Another good place to look would be on the Facebook group "Moviestuff Retroscan Universal Users". I've seen several members looking to sell their Mark I units, as they were looking to buy the Mark II.
Looking for movie transfers and found your Chanel. Pretty cool thanks.
The scanner is awesome, but it doesn’t do sound either, or ? Like the sound from the original super 8. ???
Thanks for sharing and greetings from Germany
Hi Francisco, yes, this is such a great little film scanner but you are correct, it will not scan the magnetic audio track on super 8 film. There are ways to extract it using a movie projector but it's definitely not optimal.
Thanks for watching!!
@@Filmboy24 is there a professional way to do it all @once. I have many Super 8 movies. And wouldn’t like to loose them.
Thanks again for sharing and answering. And of course for your Chanel. It’s really cool. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Why not use a hand winder to rewind?
You certainly can.
I paid for a RetroScan unit from MovieStuff and am still waiting for my unit going on for almost six months. Has anyone else had that issue?
Yep, but much longer 😒
How much is a used machine like this one?
They do pop up on eBay from time to time. I would say they’re somewhere between $3,500 a $5,000 depending on what’s included.
Fuller. Like Fuller Brush
Never Mind I'm going to go get a little coffee now excuse me.
Ohhh yep
Just looked on the website at the price list. I almost fell off my chair.
😂 Definitely not for the faint of heart!
How can I get one?
Well, that's a good question. This particular model was discontinued by MovieStuff about a year ago in favor of their upgraded Mark II unit. These do pop up occasionally on Ebay, you just have to keep an eye out, as they don't last long.
@@Filmboy24 Thanks! I am catching the film bug. Not sick enough to spend that kind of money on gear, but maybe one day!
These blow the wolverines out of the water I would imagine?
No comparison at all, insane difference.
Great video! I have one of these machines for sale if anyone is interested.
Thank you!!
Is this machine still for sale?
This company has filed for bankruptcy leaving many hundreds of customers out of pocket thousands of dollars. I am one of these. Ordered 2 Mk ll scanners late 21. Got one. As we were foreign customers (Australia) we were the lowest priority. From what I have heard we were one of the first stung by this fraud.
Such a sad state of affairs for a lot of innocent people. I waited 22 months for my Mark II 4K and happened to (luckily) receive it just a couple of months before his closure.
Sorry Mike
I didn't like this one
too much.
I must be honest
I loved it
KK
I wont to buy please
Unfortunately, the company discontinued this model :(
Blind
Is that with a capital B
Would you be interested in selling ?
I think at this point, with MovieStuff now out of business, I may hang onto it for a while as a backup to my new one.
@@Filmboy24YOU GOT A NEW ONE ? I haven't heard anyone in the past years say that. What do you know about Kinetta Scanners Out of Alabama ? Thanks Tedd
@@teddlear970 I was one of the lucky few that received the MovieStuff RetroScan 4K scanner just prior to their closure. I've heard pretty decent stuff about the Kinetta but honestly, I'd look at Filmfabriek.
@@Filmboy24$17,000 cheapest. $40,000 best. Not for me. How about you? If Kinetta is in that range I can stop.
@@Filmboy24Could you help me find a 2K camera set up ? Or maybe what I could use as a substitute ? I know you have the answer. Thanks Tedd
So much fluff, please get to the point. This scanner is very cool but you are taking forever to get to the point
Thanks so much for watching, glad you liked it and learned from it!!
@@Filmboy24😂
There's a bar at the bottom of the video you can move to fast forward. It's called the Y-Z bar. Either use that or go to the video settings and set playback speed to 2x
I know you don't care because you are so uncaring.
I actually live 17 miles from where Thomas Edison was born.
In fact I'm going to send you a video of Milan Ohio where he was born
Haha, oh Keith...you know me so well already!