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The first table shows how the same film looks using our 4 different processes. You can see that the difference can be significant for our San Jose customers.

The second table presents a case for scanning 8mm and Super 8 film at 2K resolution. In the past year we have done 20 comparisons. Contrary to popular belief, we do see a noticeable difference in quality between our Pro HD and Pro 2K process on 8mm and Super 8 film.

In general it is recommended that you scan at or above the resolution of the film. For 8mm and Super 8 that means scanning at HD or 2K.

8mm And Super 8 Film San Jose


SD Scan

  • This SD scan was performed with a SD frame by frame machine. The film is ran through a projector and captured using a camcorder.
  • If you compare this to the HD or Pro 2K scan you can see that this SD scan almost looks blurry.
  • In addition, you can see the blue color shift. This is very common on both 8mm and Super 8 film.


Pro HD Scan


Pro 2K Scan

  • This Pro 2K Scan (1556 lines) was performed with a professional 2K Datacine machine.
  • This example also includes our optional color correction restoration.
  • Compared to the Pro HD scan you can see more details and better color and skin tone.


Pro 4K Scan

  • This Pro 4K Scan (3112 lines) was performed with a professional 4K Datacine machine.
  • This example also includes our optional color correction restoration.
  • Most 8mm and Super 8 film will not benefit from a 4K scan. But you can go out to a 4K format like 4K-ProRes. This would allow you to create formats for your 4K/UHD TV.

 

Film Resolution


8mm 2K Scan

Resolution of Film


  • Determining resolution of film can be a very complicated and controversial task involving many variables.
  • The image to the left is a 2K scan (1556 lines from top to bottom) of 8mm film
  • At full frame it looks nice and clear and you don't see a lot of film grain or digital pixilation.


8mm 2K Scan

Film Grain

  • As you zoom in you can start to see the film grain (looks like little dots or bumps).
  • We've highlighted the smallest feature which is on the tip of this person's nose. This is about the size of the film grain.
  • Film grain is laid out in a random pattern.
  • Film grain is not laid out in a nice, neat pattern like digital pixels in a digital image.


8mm 2K Scan

Film Grain vs Digital Pixel

  • Here we are zoomed in enough on the 2K scanned image that you can see the digital pixels.
  • The red highlighted area is the smallest feature size which is about 1 grain of film.
  • In order to achieve a digital image as good as the film you would need to scan the film at 1/2 the size of the film grain or smaller. Here, the 2K scan is just enough to meet this requirement.

 

Professional films usually have access to the original camera negative in addition to work prints, answer prints, etc. It is always better to scan using the original camera negative.

San Jose Fun Facts: Including Oakland, San Francisco and other communities in the Bay Area, San Jose is part of the country's fourth-largest metropolis. But despite its size, San Jose is one of the country's safest, ranking #1 among big cities on Morgan Quitno's Safest Cities in America list three years in a row. San Jose, located in northern California in the Santa Clara Valley, is the third-largest city in the state (930,000) and the eleventh-largest in the nation. The oldest city in the state, San Jose was its one-time capital shortly after California became a US territory.

California Fun Facts: The state is also home to famous cultural institutions and national parks including: Hollywood, Disneyland, Yosemite National Park, Alcatraz, Angel Island and the Golden Gate Bridge. The first Spanish missionaries arrived in California in the 1700s, but California didn’t become a U.S. territory until 1847, as part of the treaty ending the Mexican-American War. Shortly thereafter, the discovery of gold at Sutter’s Mill in 1848 inspired a wave of settlers to head to the west coast in search of fortune.

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