For sometime now, I have been trying to start a small company that converts 8mm film to dvd. I have a Canon XL1s camcorder, an 8mm film projector with speed control and a Sima Copy Kit. I edit the film using Adobe Premiere Pro 1.5. I use the lens that comes standard with the camera. My projector is a Bell and Howell which has a speed adjustment control that is not marked for seperate settings. I've never touched it. While I am aware that there are better ways to convert 8mm film to dvd, I only have this method at my disposal until I can afford to step up.

I'm hoping that one of you can tell me the absolute best settings for my camera to provide the clearest, flicker-free images for my clients. Currently, I have my camera on a tripod four feet away from the 8 inch by 10 inch opaque projection screen. I darken the room and set the camera dial in "A". (I tried using "easy recording mode" but found that the camera could not stay focused on the screened images very well.)When the projector is running film I reduce the size of the image on the screen slightly so I dont record the edges of the Sima projection screen. The switch on the lens is set to manual focus.

I am totally dissatisfied with the images I record and know that I probably dont have the shutter speed and other settings properly adjusted. Truthfully, I dont yet know what to change on the camera or projector. It is important to me to get this right. I am extremely new to this or any camcorder but realize that some of you have had experience with this. I would greatly appreciate any help you can provide.

Sincere thanks, Bryan Miller

You'll want to take Full "M" Manual Control of the camera to "lock" settings in so the "A" Automatic settings do not drift.

Frame Movie Mode
Shutter Speed 1/60 sec
Iris- Adjust until the whites are not blown out
(preferably turn Zebra pattern on to 90% and watch for hot areas)
Gain 0 or -3db if you can
Focus - Manual (Zoom in as tight as you can an focus on the grain of the surface) then zoom back out to fill the frame. Stay in Manual Focus.
White Balance- outdoor "Sun" setting, Daylight

If I recall correctly, the sharpest part of the lens is about 1/3 zoom in. Position the image accordingly.

These are off the top of my head.

Hope this helps,

__________________
Guy Cochran

DVcreators.net Training and Resources for DV creators - Producer - DV Gear Talk