If you are like most people who loved to record their memories with the use of an 8mm camera, then you probably have loads of film that contain special moments in your life. Unfortunately, while your 8mm player can still play these old films whenever you want to relive your memories, damage happens every time you do so. The more you play these films, the more scratches and damage these can suffer.
You can convert your precious home movies and other old films by converting them to digital with the use of an 8mm film to digital converter. Why risk damaging and even losing these precious memories simply because these were recorded using old-fashioned technology? Before you play those films again, and before you take another stroll down memory lane with your 8mm films, why not convert them to digital so you can keep your memories safe?
What is the difference between an 8mm and a Super 8?
Aside from using 8mm to create memories, people also used what was called a Super 8. While these may seem like similar systems, they are actually two rather different films and use different equipment, both for recording and playing. The huge difference between the two includes the sprocket holes and the size of the frames on both. Super 8 films have smaller sprocket holes than the 8mm and bigger frames than the 8mm.
The Super 8 is actually an upgraded version of the 8mm, with the changes allowing for sharper pictures than the original format. This is because of the bigger frame size, which is also due to the smaller sprocket holes that allowed for more space for the frames.
If you’re unsure whether or not you have a Super 8 or an 8mm, you can tell by checking the holes that line the film. Smaller holes means you have a Super 8 and longer holes means you have an 8mm.
Converting 8mm Film to Digital Format
As mentioned earlier, if you want to preserve the memories you recorded in your 8mm film, you should consider converting these to digital format. You can do this by purchasing 8mm film to digital conversion equipment.
There are many for you to choose from when it comes to this particular task. For you to be able to expertly convert your old films to newer, digital formats, you need to get one of these converters and do it yourself.
Getting a converter and converting your old films yourself will definitely be a better choice than hiring someone to do this for you. Having your own converter will enable you to convert as many of your old 8mm films to digital without added expense on your part.
The Best 8mm Film Digital Converters in 2023
Before you buy the first converter you come across, you should first weigh the pros and cons of the many options that you have. To help you out, here are some of the top converters that you can find on the market these days.
Wolverine Digital Movie Maker Pro
Output format: MPEG-4 (MP4), 1080p
Supported operating systems: Windows, Mac and Linux
This is one of the options you have when it comes to converting your films to digital format. This 8mm film scanner can handle not only 8mm but also super 8 films. This means that if you have both formats in your collection, you can easily convert both types to digital.
Some of the key features of this scanner converter include the ability to convert both super 8 and 8mm to digital format. These films can be converted to MP4, which you can burn into a DVD, upload to online sources, or simply save on your computer. This stand-alone machine does not need to be hooked up to a computer to be used. Simply load your film, convert, and save directly to your SD/SDHC cards.
This converter comes with the following specifications:
- 53 Mega pixels 1/3″ CMOS image sensor
- Color 2.4″ LCD Display
- Auto/Manual control
- Auto white balance
- 1080P Resolution
- 20 frames frame rate
- Video scan method
- 8 mm and Super 8 roll film up to 9″ reels film type
- NTSC TV-OUT type
- No built-in memory
- SD/SDHC memory card
- DC 12V Power Supply
- USB 2.0 Interface
- Windows 7 and higher/Mac 10.7.3 and higher support system
- L269xW166xH114 mm/10.6×6.5×4.5 in dimensions
- 1410 g/3.1 lb weight
Also consider lower end model by Wolverine with 720P @30 FPS resolution:
8mm & Super 8 Reels to Digital Movie Maker Film Scanner Converter
Output format: MPEG-4 (MP4), 1080p
Supported operating systems: Windows, Mac and Linux
Another option you have for converting both your super 8 and 8mm films to digital format is this converter which simplifies the conversion method. You won’t have to worry about your films degrading with each viewing once you’ve changed these to MP4 format.
The key features of this scanner converter include the ability to convert your old films into digital format and save directly into an SD card. This scanner converter uses SD cards up to 32 GB, and can easily convert your colored as well as your black-and-white films to MP4.
You can hook this up to your computer for easy saving or you can simply hook this scanner up to your TV for easy watching. Don’t have a computer? You can also playback your old videos in digital format using the built-in LCD screen on the unit.
This scanner converter comes with these specifications:
- USB 2.0 Interface
- Color 2.4” LCD Display
- Automatic / Manual Exposure Control
- Automatic White Balance
- 1080P (1440*1080 30frames per second) Resolution
- 30 Frames Per Second (FPS) Frame Rate
- Supports 5 inch and 3 inch Reel 8mm Roll film & Super 8 Roll film type
- L269 x W114 x H166mm Dimensions
- 1410g Weight
KODAK REELZ 8mm & Super 8 Films Digitizer
Output format: MPEG-4 (MP4), 1080p
Supported operating systems: Windows and Mac
With the name Kodak, you can be sure that you get quality products when it comes to film and video. Kodak brings its new scanner to compete with the market just like its 35mm film and slide scanner. Introducing the KODAK REELZ 8mm & Super 8 Films Digitizer!
This film scanner comes with the ability to scan 3”, 5” or 7” films. Unlike the previous scanners, the Reelz has a bigger 5-inch screen. On top of that, the buttons are easily found at the top so you can navigate this scanner thoroughly! Yes, the buttons are big and easy to operate. They surely brought the big guns in the film scanning market.
The Reelz’s 8.08-Megapixel Sensor is not that high compared to the scanners here but it can capture clear images. You can automatically or manually scan films with this scanner.
You can also hook this unit up to your computer to save your files directly and securely.
The specifications of this product is as follows:
- 8.08-megapixel sensor
- MPEG-4 (MP4) 1080p digital output
- 2 frames per second scanning speed
- 3”, 5” or 7” films supported
- Automatic or manual scanning
- 5” Onboard LCD Interface
- SD/SDHC memory card external memory
- USB (2.0) port and SD card slot interface
Magnasonic Super 8/8mm Film Scanner
Output format: MPEG-4 (MP4), 1080p
Supported operating systems: Windows and Mac
Another name that is considered an authority in film to digital conversion technology is the Magnasonic, which has quite a number of products that can do this particular task. This converter, the Magnasonic Super 8/8mm Film Scanner, is one of their top products since it supports a long list of formats that include 3”, 5”, and 7” Super 8/8mm reels.
If you’re looking to convert your 8mm and Super 8 films into a digital format, then this may be the scanner for you. This scanner has 3.5 MP lower than the Wolverine and Kodak but it delivers 1080p output resolution. You can scan 3”, 5”, and 7” Super 8/8mm reels and save it on external memory for up to 32GB. Take note that this has no built-in memory so you need to have SD card inserted to save your digitized videos.
You can use this converter even without a computer and there are no software downloads required either.
The specifications of this scanner are as follows:
- 1920 x 1080 digitized output
- 3.5 Megapixels scan quality
- 2 Frames per second scanning speed
- 20 FPS playback speed
- Auto & Manual Exposure
- Auto & Manual Color Balance
- 2.31” Color LCD Display
- View on PC (Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7/8/10) or Mac 10.7.3
- Supports 3”, 5”, and 7” Super 8/8mm reels
- Uses up to 32 GB SD/SDHC Card Reader
- 12V DC Power Source
- USB to computers and HDMI to TV interface options
Zonoz FS-Five Digital Film & Slide Scanner
Output format: JPEG
Supported operating systems: Windows and Mac
The last scanner on this list is the one made by Zonoz. This scanner is another converter that can save your old films and photos into digital format. Unfortunately, if you’re thinking of converting old 8mm and super 8 films into viewable movies, this is not the scanner to pick. Just like the Wolverine and Kodak scanners reviewed above, it only converts your old films and negatives into JPEG format.
If you’re okay with saving your films and movies in JPEG format, then you can opt for this scanner converter. It features an intuitive user interface, which makes using it easy, and large buttons that enable you to scan/capture then save or print with a single press.
This scanner converter also comes with a browse gallery function that allows you to view the images you’ve saved in the internal memory or on your SD card via the LCD screen.
The specifications of this product are as follows:
- Large 5-Inch Wide TFT LCD Screen Color Display
- Supports 35mm, 126 film, 110 film, Super 8, and 8mm film formats
- High Resolution 22MP Image Output
- Adjustable Brightness
- Mac & PC Compatible
- Supports up to 32GB memory card
- Stand Alone Scanner
- Uses Internal Memory or Optional SD Memory Card
- USB Power Adapter with Worldwide Voltage 110V/240V – Can be used anywhere such as USA/Canada
- USB Cable
Choosing the Right Scanner Converter for Your Needs
The five aforementioned scanner and printer options are all great, but before you choose one, there are a few things to consider. To be able to pick the right one for your needs, you have to list down the pros and cons of each product you are considering. Some of the things you need to list down include the following:
Number of formats it supports
If you have a wide variety of old films that you want to convert and preserve in digital format, you should look for a converter that supports many different film options. Some of the scanner converters that are mentioned above support multiple formats that include 135, 35mm slides, Super 8 film, and 8mm film.
Conversion format
You also need to consider the format that it converts your old films into. If your 8mm and Super 8 films cannot be converted into a viewable movie format like MP4, you might want to find one that does this. Most of the multi-format supporting platforms only convert these films into images or into JPEG format. This means you cannot view these as movies but rather only as pictures.
Price
This is another consideration you have to take when buying an 8mm film to digital converter. A lot of the products you see listed here are sold on Amazon at lower than $400, with the lowest priced product at $169. Unfortunately, the lower priced converters are those that can only change your film into pictures and not into digital film versions. If you want 8mm film to digital conversion equipment that converts your old movies into digital movies that you can view on your PC, the more expensive options are your ideal choices here.
Ease of Use
Another thing that you have to consider is how easy these scanners can be used. Some of these can be somewhat complicated, with the need to change film inserts for each film type. The easiest to use are those that are considered plug and play. Also included in the ease-of-use category is how you save your images and videos. All of these products pass this particular test since these can all save your images and videos directly on SD cards without the need to be hooked up to a computer or for software to be downloaded.
Add-ons
Some of these scanner converters come in a package that includes printers that allow you to immediately have a physical copy of the images you are saving. Scanners also come with multiple cables that you can hook up to your TV, computer, and other devices that you can use with it. Some of the best options you have when it comes to these products are those that come with free SD cards, free printers, and even free cleaning brushes and cloths.
What’s next?
At the end of the day, what you choose to purchase for your conversion needs is dependent on what formats you have and what kind of conversion you are looking for. If you want your 8mm films and Super 8 films to be converted into a digital video format, then the latter three products mentioned here are not the right ones for you. You are better off choosing between the first two scanner-converters listed here.
If you’re looking to simply saving everything you have into digital format, regardless of whether it’s in picture form or video form, then the latter three options will work well for you. These last three are capable of converting a wide variety of films into clear and crisp images that you can save on your computer, upload online, or print for display in frames and picture albums.
If what you want or need isn’t in this list, you can always browse Amazon or other online stores for some of their recommended 8mm film to digital converter products. There are a lot of these to be found online and these include converters that are more expensive and only support one or two formats. Listed above are the more budget friendly options that have lots of great consumer reviews and are easy to use.
The Bottom Line
Suffice to say, converting your old 8mm and Super 8 films into digital format, no matter what product you use to do this, is a good idea. Not only do you preserve your memories in a format that is clearer, crisper, and easier to access, but you also stop damaging your old films with constant use.
After you convert your old films into the new digital format, you can either choose to upload these on video sharing platforms online or burn DVDs that you can give to family members. You can also choose to simply save these on your computer for future use.
In the long run, you end up saving a lot of money by converting your old films yourself rather than having a professional service do this for you. You don’t have to pay top dollar for each foot of film that is converted since you can do this yourself easily with the equipment that you can buy for under $500.
you need to mention if they also do sound or not, very important, how do you conveniently leave that out???? none of them do sound 🙂
What machine will do both Super 8mm and SOUND?
Excellent point Mark …. A converter useless if the sound from the movie can’t be reproduced simultaneously!
(1) Seriously, only *2* of the converters listed are for converting film to video. The other 3 products make an image of a single frame. I highly doubt anyone has the time or patience to make images for each frame of a film, one-by-one, and then string all those JPG images into a video file. (I hope software is available to do the second task.)
(2) Like Mark and Thomas said: Sound, Sound Sound. I researched the film converters on Amazon about a month ago and didn’t find any that included sound.
Yesterday, I read on the web a history of Canon cameras. Their first attempt at a sound camera coupled a silent film camera with a tape recorder. In addition to recording the sound of what was being recorded, the tape recorder also recorded inaudible audio blips containing frame numbers supplied by the camera. To project a sound film required coupling a projector with the tape recorder; the projector could use the frame number blips from the recorder to speed up or slow down the projection speed to get the film and sound in sync.
I don’t know the format of the sound tracks on film. You could project a sound film and simultaneously record the audio to your computer. Then, add the audio to the video. I don’t know if there are any informational blips in the audio that software could key off to synchronize the frames with the audio. (Of course, there might be a good possibility that the entire audio is already in sync with the film if the video has the same frame rate as the projector.)
(3) If the converter limits the size of the movie reels (e.g., 5″), you can jury rig a set-up with a projector holding the larger reel. A commenter on Amazon explained and showed this work-around. Although I suppose you could work something up with a metal coat hanger on which a movie reel could freely unreel.
Thank you for your inputs. I appreciate it. My research let me dig to some forums and so far I haven’t found anything viable to scan sounds through these scanners. This is also my roadblock to find the right scanner to scan sounds. Albeit, if that would be available, that would cost more dollars in its value. But I believe it’ll be worth it.
I have a Sony Handycam 8 mm camera. Can I just plug my Handycam camera in to a DVD recorder hit record.? I have sound on my cam recorder I have it hooked up to the TV I would like to convert 2 DVDs for Christmas present
Hi Diana,
I believe you can do that. However I don’t know the quality of sound it would produce.
The reviews are for 8mm film. Your handycam 8mm is video magnetic tape.
I bought a brand new Wolverine Moviemaker Pro. I will spare you my details but, in short, I plan to throw it in the trash. I hate to say it is garbage but it is. It misaligns the film every 5 mins or so. I want to buy another product that converts film to digital but I am now concerned about the quality of these machines. Can anyone suggest one that does a good job? Speed doesn’t matter but unattended conversion matters a lot. This Wolverine locks up often and therefore can’t be unattended. I am done with it. Just looking for suggestions. Thanks
hello, I bought a magnasonic fs81, same problems you mentioned. It says it can handle 7″ reels (which I have) but consistently stopped , skipped, and scratched my perfect film. I too am looking for a replacement as this one is going back to amazon. But if you take a close look at all that are available you’ll see that basically they are identical ; houseings, film guides, ports on the back of the unit, everything. It is my belief that these unit s are all coming from the same factory with different names and maybe some color variations on the houseings. so where from here? I’m waiting for one of these suppliers to say why theirs is different, but don’t expect much.
I have the Wolverine Moviemaker Pro, same experience as above, film does not stay aligned, plan to return to via Amazon. Looking for a replacement.
It’s kind of funny to see the picture of the Super 8 film package next to 8mm videotape. A totally different product. 8mm and Super 8mm film were products from the 50s 60s and 70s. 8mm videotape didn’t come into existence for quite some time after that.
For those commenting about no SOUND on the machines for Super 8 and 8mm converter, I don’t believe that super 8 and 8mm cameras produced sound. I believe 16mm cameras did but the super 8 and 8 mm camera my father had did not have a microphone on or capabilities of sound recording. The 8mm “tape” displayed is a completely different format that came out in the 90’s.
We had a sound super 8 cine camera and cine projector, also with sound.
The 8mm existed even back in the 1930’s. I got a B/W double 8 (=8mm) film from 1937. 😉
Very few super 8 and 8mm films included sound. If you want to sound you should play the film through your sound projector and record the sound separately. Digital runs at a different speed than film. So you need to use 3rd party software to change the speed. Otherwise people will move extra fast.
Most Super8 cameras were silent but in tne mid-70s some were recording on a magnetic stripe glued on the film base. The stripe could also be added on silent film to record a music track after editing. There was also a Fuji system with separate silent camera and 1/4 inch tape sound recorder along with a special synced projector, all controled with sound pulses. Also available was the Super8 Sound recorder using a 8mm wide magnetic tape with sprocket holes, the same size than super8 film, also to be synced with the camera or projector by a pulse system. The only way to recover the sound track on a super8 film is to play it on a sound projector and record the sound digitally. After this you have to use a movie editng software to add the sound to the movie.However, since the projector speed is not fully stable, the sound will not sync perfectly to your mp4 movie. You will have to manually stretch or shrink the sound track in the timeline one shot at a time, to fit the movie pace, this may be a long process depending on the precision you wish to get. A professionnal video editing software may be needed for bests results.
I have a Chinon Sound 7500 projector from about 1978. It s a 8mm projector that, as the name implies has “sound” with the movie. It also has the capacity to overdub the sound on the tape for adding commentary.
Diana, what you need is a device called Roxio Video Capture usb and download the program. Program is free to use for basic version.
The device comes with cables and it no bigger than pack of cigarettes.
https://www.roxio.com/en/products/easy-vhs-to-dvd/standard/
I have a Wolverine converter I purchases thru Hammacher Schlemmer. I have it for about 2 years now. Here is what you need to know:
It’s not made to work 8 hours a day, but if you are handy you can prolong its life and make it work just fine. I have converted over 100 3 inch reels with this machine. The most important thing is to lubricate the cam mechanism that moves the film. You have to open up the unit, take a metal plate off the gear box and use a foaming lubricant to grease the gears and the cam. Be careful when doing this, especially when re-assembling not to pinch any wires on the cabinet. The next thing is that the take up reel clutch is way too tight. This tends to make the film jump a tiny bit while it converts the still frame. Since it pulls a tiny bit, the resulting film converted is very jumpy. I just let the film spill onto the floor eliminating any jumping. Then I carefully let the machine rewind back onto the reel.
The next concern is that the resulting video is a standard MPEG4 file, but it will play at 30 frames per second, NOT the 18-20 frames that you need. To fix that you MUST resample the video at 18 to 20 FPS. I use Adobe Premier to slow the movies down by 66% of 30 FPS, resulting in a 20 FPS film/video. It looks very normal at that speed. By following the above points, this machine actually does a very good job conversion.
I bought a new Wolverine Moviemaker Pro and had the same problem with misalignment on some films. By accident I found that it is the receiving reel pulling the film that causes much of this. On films that I’m struggling to stay aligned I tried letting the film go through without going onto a receiving reel…..fixed the problem! Now this does mean that you end up with a lot of bundled film to tidy up but it is a fix. The approach I took is to stop the film every so often and manually roll onto a blank reel. At the end use software to join each of the digital files. Not ideal but it does work!
I bought the $299 version rather than the $399 Wolverine. I had the same problem with the film. The cog that pulls the film though one frame at a time occasionally would stop pulling. What you end up with is the same frame being captured over and over again till you get the film moving. I was very disappointed with the machine and planned to upgrade to the Wolverine until I looked at the two side by side. They are the same machine. You would think in this day and age they could come up with a better process. By the way, my dad had a 16mm projector with sound. He told me that Kodak cut the 16mm film in half to make the 8mm film for silent movies
these wolverine type systems can scratch film and you won’t know it until it’s too late. The best way to get your scanned properly and safely is by a professional
I have 8mm super 8 home movies with sound that I made with a super8 sound camera. they used to make boxes to convert to digital by directing a projector into one side picked up by a video camera on the other, with a wheel that had a cut out to try and match the frames per second to the video camera scan rate. this sometimes nearly worked. Now we have Wolverine’s gismos without sound that match scan rate differences silently. So, I’m told we now have to use software to try and sync sound tracts after image conversion. Is there no hope for a better way?
I used a Fuji 8mm Camera with sound back in the late 1970s/early 1980s. It required Fuji film and the sound strip on it worked great on the Fuji projector. I have not found anything capable of converting them that includes sound. However, I recently found there is one company offering that service. I haven’t used them yet but I intend to unless I find a better alternative. They charge $20 per 50 feet of film (3″ reel). This will cost me almost $400 but since I would not use the converter again, I think it might be a better alternative.
In the post I just sent I intended to leave the info on the company offering that service (converting sound 8mm to mp4)
https://www.reeltransfers.com/collections/popular-services
are there places that can repair movie projectors? Have a Chinon sound 5100 that won’t play, I believe some minor parts are worn out. So I can’t play any films on that machine and record the sound onto a tape player.
I have had a very good experience with the Wolverine Movie Maker Pro. I have successfully scanned dozens of hours of very old (1960s!) 8mm and Super 8 film family movies. These reels of film were stored in an old file box on the shelf of a closet for decades. The output are MPEG-4 1080P @ 20FPS. The results have been very satisfactory!
That is exactly what the top scanners do, scan each individual frame, then string them together to make a video. That is how they were able to improve the quality. Each frame is scanned into the machine, compiled, and written on a memory card as an MP4.
This is what I use to convert my cine films, it works a treat and you also can record the sound through your camcorder.
Optex TELEVIDEO Producer VS612 Telecine Slide to Video Converter
mY Sony 8mm digital video cameras have 1304 or Firewire output that I download into iMovie onto a Mac (an older laptop with Firewire) or thru an external hard drive with both USB-A and Firewire outputs.
In iMovie I can slow down the frame rate.
Hello forum
My reply is following from Rich’s message earlier regarding conversion of dozens of hours of old (60’s and 70’s) in colour but no sound.
This is a project I would like to do myself, in my own time, and would obviously want to ensure the best outcome. However the best equipment seems to be to be around £450 m, which I cannot part with. Also, once the long task is done, the equipment will no longer be needed.
Is there a way I can rent/borrow, share ourchase someone’s equipment? I am London based.
Thank you for your thoughts and suggestions
Rui