Equipment Needed to Transfer 8mm Film to VHS
Transferring 8mm film to VHS or another modern format is the perfect answer for filmmakers on a budget or anyone trying to preserve their family films against decomposition. With a few simple pieces of equipment and some practice, you can save time, money and your film.
Basics
To transfer your 8mm film to VHS, you will need two pieces of equipment: an 8mm projector to create the image from your film, and a VHS camera to record the image. You can find these items at garage sales, used photography stores and on the Internet. They don't cost very much and almost always pay for themselves in the long run. If possible, always test used equipment before purchasing. Also, you can easily transfer your 8mm film to MiniDV, DVD or another digital format by using a digital camcorder instead an analog VHS camera.
Setting Up the Projector
Find a suitable dark place to do your transfer. You can project your footage onto a white wall or projector screen, but make sure you have enough room to place the camera close to the projector. Place your 8mm projector 5 or 10 feet from wall or screen. Turn off the lights and run some of the film through the projector to make sure everything works and the bulb is bright enough to project a good image. Make sure the image is in focus. If your 8mm film has audio, make sure your projector has the capability of playing back the soundtrack and an appropriate line out to connect to your recorder.
Setting Up the Camera
Place the VHS camera in a fixed position so the projected image fills the frame of the camera. You may have to move either the camera or projector to ensure that the image fills the frame perfectly and is not distorted or at an angle. Always place the camera as close to the projector as possible to ensure that they are on the same axis in relation to the projected image. If possible, place the camera directly behind and above the projector. Always make sure the image is in focus and properly exposed in the camera's eyepiece or video preview. If recording onto a VCR, connect the camera and make a test recording to make sure the projected image is being recorded onto the cassette. If your 8mm film has a soundtrack, connect the projector to your camera or VCR.
Advanced Equipment
You can also perform the transfer process with a machine called a telecine, which is how professional transfer houses do it. This machine basically performs the same process as described above but projects directly into the camera or onto a prism that the camera is permanently framed on. If you are transferring a large amount of footage, it may make sense to find a used 8mm telecine machine on the Internet.
Warning
The most common problems people run into when transferring footage from one medium to another are focus and framing. Both the projector and camera must be perfectly in focus to achieve the highest-quality transfer. Likewise, the framing on the camera of the projected image must be perfect.
Sometimes people transferring moving images from one medium to another encounter what are called scan lines. These are black bars that move down the screen--you may have seen them if you have ever pointed your camcorder at the television screen. They occur when an image is displayed at a different frame rate than the rate it is being recorded. For example, 8mm film is usually played at 18 or 24 frames per second, while National Television Systems Committee (NTSC) camcorders record at about 30 frames per second. If you see scan lines while transferring footage, adjust your camera's scan rate until the lines disappear.
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