pro8mm=ball and chain?

I had been looking for a solution for trying to get widescreen from a super 8 camera and was informed by some of your-very-helpful-selves about pro8mm and the conversions they do. These look like excellent camera conversions although still, the price for one of these is $3495!!! Now, even if I rustled up the cash for one of these (kids for medical experiments etc.) I came across this in their brochure...

"The Y-Front URSA Diamond flying spot scanner at Pro8mm has been custom modified to MAX8 1:58 scanning of Super8 so that the highest quality widescreen format transfer can be achieved. Max 8 is unique to Pro8mm and can only be accomplished with the Pro8mm Max 8 Camera and Pro8mm Max8 Digital Mastering."

So does that mean, using a purchased camera from them I would only ever be able to have the film processed and telecined by them? Is this a snag about any purchase to keep the business in-house? I could be wrong as I have limited knowledge of the technicalities involved here. Disappointing if it is.

Thanks.
 
It only makes sense that if they have a custom modification, that they have the custom matching gate for transferring.
 
It only makes sense that if they have a custom modification, that they have the custom matching gate for transferring.

Yes I see what your saying but at the same time is it not counter productive in regards to the sales of the cameras as most people that buy the camera would have to live in the area if they wanted regular processing/transferring? Have they sacrificed higher camera sales (potential global market) for exclusivity to processing/transferring?

And can it not just be transferred as 16:9 as the modification is now 16:9? Am I missing the big picture?(no pun intended):)
 
It's not that they have a monopoly on the idea - there's just very few people who do that.

Any other lab who wanted to provide 16:9 S8 could do so, if they wanted to. They couldn't call it Max-8, though... that's Pro8mm's branded name.

If there was a huge demand for it, probably more labs would do it. :)

You don't have to buy the whole camera from them, by the way. If you have your own 1014 or 4008s, they'll convert it. Costs less... though they are never exactly cheap.
 
You could use an anamorphic lens as discussed here and here.. :)

Interesting. Have any of you actually used an anamorphic lens?

Initially, I hadn't planned to project what I shoot (lack of projector being main cause). If I use an anamorphic lens and have it transferred to dv for post work on my computer would the 'stretching' be done in the lab or would I have to do it using a program?

Thanks for the advice guys.
 
Interesting. Have any of you actually used an anamorphic lens?

Initially, I hadn't planned to project what I shoot (lack of projector being main cause). If I use an anamorphic lens and have it transferred to dv for post work on my computer would the 'stretching' be done in the lab or would I have to do it using a program?

Thanks for the advice guys.

Almost certainly you would have to stretch it in post. But that's pretty easily accomplished with an NLE
 
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