Restoring or converting 16mm home movies from the 50s & 60s

[ashling]

I have a few boxes of 16mm home movies ... some in pretty good condition. I am interested in converting them to CD. Can anyone give me some leads (pardon the pun) on inexpensive ways to do this?

Also, I have a 1950s (40s?) era Apollo 16mm movie projector that I would like to restore. Even if it never runs another film, it is a work of art.

[RadiationTherapy]

1. My understanding is that it is challenging to scan film.

There are expensive feeder/scanners, but I have never used one and would be worried about damage. Your best bet is to project it in as high quality as possible (small for color and focus) and use a modern camera/tripod to record the results. I have several from the 50s and 60s digitized, but they were converted to VHS (by projecting and recording) in the 80s.

[cyberswede]

2. I've done this

I was hesitant to send the film away for conversion, so I played the movies using the original projector and movie screen, and video taped them with a high-quality camera onto Mini DV.

Afterward, I captured and processed the video with Final Cut (into .mov format) and then created regular DVDs (that can be played on either a computer or a regular DVD player) with iDVD, so I could make chapters, etc. It worked like a charm, :)

I made copies for all my siblings for x-mas, and we watched some of the movies on x-mas eve when we were all together - it was great - inspired a lot of reminiscing & funny stories.

[ashling]

3. That's kind of what I was thinking

I may have to find another means of projection, however ... if I can't get this thing to work.

[freshwest]

4. I know you can convert other media to digital with elgato. I converted 30 years of tapes this year.

[ashling]

5. I got the projector to work

it is in amazing shape for being nearly 60 years old. A lot better shape than I;m in. that's for sure

[cyberswede]

6. Cool!

I love my old projector - the sound it makes just takes me back to when I was little and my dad would show movies in the basement. :)

If you ever need a replacement bulb, you might try bulbman.com (I ordered one from them, which burned out the second time I fired up the projector - they sent me a free replacement).

[ashling]

7. It was really in amazing condition

just had to get rid of some cobwebs. The bulb came on the first time I tried ... the motor took cleaning . I want to try and retrofit another type of bulb. This one gets so hot. I'm sure that I could find something that would be cooler and just as bright.
here is a link to the exact projector on ebay:
http://www.icollector.com/Apollo-Sound-16mm-Movie-Projector-Vintage-1930s-In-Box_i10128122

I haven't run film through it yet, but I did look at a frame of a movie my parents made in Mexico city in 1950 (maybe 49)

I have to do some more work on it . . . which will wait until payday to buy some things

[many a good man]

8. Try to get a telecine transfer box

There are many different designs, but basically you shoot your projector image into a little box with mirrors on one side and point your video camera into the box on another side. Fancy ones have A/V output, but you might be able to find the simple old fashion kind, which is just a box with two mirrors and some lenses.