Wolverine Pro $400 vs $7000 Tobin Cinema System HD 8mm Film Transfer Comparison Video

In this video the Wolverine HD vs Tobin Cinema System HD 8mm Film Transfer equipment with a head to head on quality and speed of transfer.
The quality on the Wolverine is sufficient, colors could be better but it’s ok for $400. One thing to note is this film reel was prepped for imperfections such as broken film, damaged sprocket holes and cleaned before transfer, which is essential for the wolverine especially because it does not work well at all with spliced or damaged sprocket holes.
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[@chironpictures]

Why didn't you put the actual captured examples into the edit of this video instead of just filming the screen of a Macbook? It would be have been a real selling point for your business to see the actual original captures.

[@gotmemories]

Most of my videos are single take & direct upload to KZbin, I don’t have enough time in the day to edit myself and trying to find somebody reliable to do a good job is hard to come by. All my content could be polished up a lot more I know but the point usually gets across to most people.

[@Age2003]

@@gotmemories Thanks for the review and the insight! IF you ever need someone reliable and good with video to do some post work, feel free to get in touch.

[@bronwin3638]

I tried to digitize my 8mm using a Wolverine and it was a nightmare. Many times when the video was stopped and restarted during the recording process back in the 1960's (not spliced), it would change the tracking slightly. This would cause a "split screen" look where the bottom of the video to be up on top. I'd stop the recording, reverse it to where it changed, reframe it, then start with a new recording (to be combined during editing). It took hours to do a small reel and to edit/combine the footage. The spliced parts were even more time consuming, often causing the film to come off the track. The final project was still jumpy and very grainy. They were no where near the quality I received back from Got Memories. Don't waste your money on these machines. Send them to a company like Got Memories to do them professionally.

[@gotmemories]

You nailed it! They are a waste of money and TIME!

[@NYVoice]

Before scanning anything, I blow out those dust spots. A quality scan is important. But old film is old film. I prefer a slow gradual scan to avoid splitting. I use Adobe After Effects and, if used right, does a credible job. I liked your post here. Very informative.

[@gotmemories]

Thanks!

[@smiths7317]

I would take proper pre-caution with the Wolverine, and when doing transfers usually don't bother with the take up reel, and let it fill up a box so won't get stretched or damaged from tension/accumulator. It's also easier to re-wind this way too along with doing longer film transfers!. Shame costs arm 'n' leg with no proper built-in software to correct for it. I used 3rd party video editing software to correct everything which takes a lot of times,patience, and more time for rendering.

[@gotmemories]

I’d rather clean public toilets than transfer film using a Wolverine. Kudos to anyone that’s actually taking those units seriously!

[@dancoffey8412]

I have used the Wolverine unit to transfer old - really old - 8 mm film and I find it acceptable. However, it is unfortunate that it does not have a way to pull the single uncompressed frames off so that they could be compiled into a video. The MP4 algorithm and chip take the progressive image and compress it before it leaves the chip, thus preventing a workaround. Too bad. Also, the playback speed for the frame rate needs to be corrected to correspond to the original film rate. Since the main focus is to compare the video quality it seems fair. I think the other unit did a pretty good job of capturing better color, but that is usually corrected post.

[@gotmemories]

👍

[@MegaAfterschool]

I Have one Wolverine i like it. what i do is do Color Correct & Change the Frames in Pr works good.

[@gotmemories]

Right on

[@NYVoice]

Same here. I have a Wolverine Pro. It can be tedious (don't leave the room, keep an eye on it) but it does a decent job.

[@dancoffey8412]

@@NYVoice Yes, you do need to watch old film in any transfer environment. That stuff needs to be carefully cleaned and watched like a hawk.

[@donsouthwick5191]

I tend to enjoy the hands-on aspect of the process to a point and if overwhelmed by the volume will then go with the help of a professional lab. Your high end transfer machines show impressive results. I'll try the Kodak transfer rig I recently bought and most likely invest in a new computer and post production software. You're right though, most people don't have time or patience to stick with such a tedious project. Life pulls us in many directions, hopefully we can stay true to our creativity or our love of family history. I'll no doubt be seeking your help in the future for your quality service.

[@steves7896]

If a film has only been ran roughly 1 to 5 times and spent it's entire life, even decades, in a film can, in a clean house, in an arid region of the country, what's the potential that it would need to be cleaned?

[@gotmemories]

Should be fine!

So doesn't Tobin have a built-in camera? Does it need an external camera? Or is this some special Tobin model?

[@gotmemories]

Built in

[@theripplewrestlinginvestor01]

that is awesome! Can I ask why does it go so slow? You would think that it would go fast in real time.

[@gotmemories]

It’s essentially a plastic toy for novice users. It’s cheap, a fast version is going to require more design and robust engineering and parts and cost goes way up. It’s at a price point that attracts people looking to solve their problem but then once they receive it, realize it’s way more involved than thought. I bet you 95% of people never complete their project. I transfer so many movies from people that have already bought the unit. I even have calls from people who’s family members bought one years ago and never transferred anything and passed away, never viewing or sharing their project with family before moving on. Honestly the avg film transfer order is $600, so people spend $400 on a unit and for an extra $200 someone does it for them and better quality. Makes no sense!

[@uncled39]

​@@gotmemoriesyou can do hundreds of films for 400, but hundreds of films by a professional would cost thousands

[@oleggritsev]

I bought "Lasergraphic" for my lab. I think it is the best. Isnt it?

[@gotmemories]

They’re great!

[@Bigtex124]

Send it to Phil and git r done.

[@gotmemories]

Amen!