Mod a Workprinter as a Optical Printer?

[woods01]

Just theorizing whether it'd be possible to mod a Workprinter to sync it with a camera to make blowups or dupes, sort of a poor man's JK Printer. There's quite a few camera's with a flash sync input so perhaps the microswitch could be adapted to send a signal to a camera that way. Just an crazy idea...

-on that note if anyone has a JK optical printer collecting dust send me a PM.

[aj]

The flash sync on S8 cameras is an output and not an input...

This setup was discussed before.

If the Workprinter closes its switch long enough it could be that it could control a ciné camera which is in single frame mode. The Workprinter would then be connected as electrical remote control. The camera needs to keep up with the speed of the Workprinter. You may wear out the camera really quick if you want to reproduce really long ends of film. Single frame on consumer cameras was more intended to produce occasional animations or register opening flowers and such.

[woods01]

The flash sync on S8 cameras is an output and not an input...

Rats, it seemed to obvious of an idea.

But if a Workprinter runs at 8fps then how would that cause excessive wear on a camera? Many cameras with single frame mode have a 9fps function or intravolmeters.

[granfer]

It's not necessary to use a "Workprinter"... virtually ANY projector can be used with any camera that can be externally driven by motor or hand crank. That's essentially what an Optical Printer is!
See this http://filmcamblog.blogspot.com/ Scroll down to "Bolex Projector drives Bolex Camera. Just a little ingenuity, some simple engineering....... and some experimenting with exposure etc.

There's a gentleman in Italy who will produce missing 16mm footage for you from the DVD version of the film... he "Optical Prints" using a monitor and camera.

[aj]

Running slow at 9 fps in continious mode is quite different from running it in single frame firing the remote control/solenoid 8 time per second. If you stress this solenoid that strong it will wear because of the number of times it is activated and possibly it will get hot too. So it will work for a clip of few hundred frames but I expect it will not last for 50ft of S8 which is some 3500 frames. Maybe the Leicina, Canon, Nikon do but even these are 30 years old.

Shooting from a computer screen is even more different. It was discussed here too. Here you could run the camera at slow speed and use the flash-sync to control the next-button of media-player like software. The computer needs to keep up with the camera thus to get the frames at 9 fps or something like that.

[woods01]

That blog looks terrific, thanks for the link!

I mention the Workprinter because its a common tool that already has modification and software that I imagined might be able to adapted to send a signal to a film camera instead of a digital. But I'm starting to understand the limits of the solenoids in these cameras. Maybe the 1 to 3 fps range is more realistic but I guess at that speed manually using a frame advance knob would be just as fast and not require so many of hours building hardware.

[Konton]

The JK Optical Printer is really slow. Maybe 1 frame every 2 seconds. It's got everything to make sure you have a locked position to capture the frame while it's in the gate. Not just locking down the camera and recording slight adjustments, but film frame is locked into position as well.

I have a 104 Optical Printer. I just got it out of storage two weeks ago. Unfortunately my wife just got her drivers license and back into it, breaking one of my pressure gauges that are used for slight adjustments. I was annoyed till I saw they cost like $5.

Sorry, had to rant there. I think someone was interested in buying this from me. It's got a Super 8 and Super 16 gate. I always planned to get the 400ft take up magazine for the DS8 film, but never did. Such is life.

[sciolist]

I think someone was interested in buying this from me. It's got a Super 8 and Super 16 gate.

I've sent you a PM.

[Patrick]

Here's an idea. Suppose you do convert a super 8 workprinter into an optical printer....just add a 16mm camera like a Bolex H16 for the image capture. Basically a super 8 to 16mm blowup in your own living room.

[woods01]

I also sent you a PM about the JK. Maybe you can have the first bidding war on a JK printer in over a decade! Except it will be a reverse bidding war with each bidder bidding less as each new Kodak press release announces the cancellation of DS8 and more film stocks!

Jokes aside, my local film co-op is seriously interested in buying a used JK Printer be it yours or another persons. Anyone with a dust collecting JK please send me a PM! They're also looking for Cramer film processor.

[richard p. t.]

I made an optical copying setup using a home made 'workprinter' projector. The projector is one I used to use with Cinecap for super 8 telecine work. There was a microswitch closing on every movement of the projector claw. This microswitch was connected via a simple electronic delay to a mouse for frame by frame capture. I was able to plug the microswitch cable into a different delay I made and then in to a Nalcom FTL super 8. The Nalcom had two things necessary for making a diy frame by frame optical printer: it has an electronic shutter release socket rather than requiring the use of a cable release, and it has the capacity to use a bellows extension tube such that filming off the gate is possible. It worked quite well. It needed more light than needed for telecine operation. I was always aware that exposing 3600 single frames for one roll of super 8 is quite a lot in rapid succession. Still, I used to shoot a lot of super 8 in single frame mode anyway.
So short answer is, yes, you could use a workprinter as a diy optical printer so long as you have access to an appropriate camera with an electronically operable single frame function.

[Konton]

I have a Nalcom. Sadly I don't think it works quite right. But I'd love to try to hook it up to my K104 JK Optical Printer.



I actually prefer using the Bolex DS8. Sadly the cover plate is missing and I could never find a new one. I ended up just putting a piece of tape over it, but I'd rather have a 400' mag. Anyway know where I can get a 400' DS8 Mag? Just curious.

I missed that PM BTW.

[aj]

Considering the demonstrated service standard and availability of spare parts at Bolex in another thread ( viewtopic.php?f=1&t=21633) you have likely best chances at Bolex Switserland themselves...

[sciolist]

Sadly the cover plate is missing and I could never find a new one. . . . Anyway know where I can get a 400' DS8 Mag?

The saddle cover plates do appear from time-to-time at eBay. You might try Chambless (http://www.chamblesscineequip.com/) if none comes up at eBay. I'm not sure there's any difference between a Bolex magazine for regular 16 and one for DS8. The trick would be getting the Bolex MM magazine motor to run with the printer motor.

Are you selling the printer? If so, what price do you want for it?

[Konton]

Thanks about the DS8. I saw this on Ebay, but I have no idea if it would fit:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... K:MEWAX:IT

Jakko said he would have given me one for free if he had it around. I was looking at the documentation he had on the 400' magazines and it seemed like you would need one of his motors for a standard magazine for it to work right.

I was thinking there must be a way to modify an old Beaulieu S 2008 if you just wanted to use carts. I think they have a 1:1 drive shaft that you can connect to directly from where you have the pilotone option.

I decided to get the whole setup running last night just to see if it would work. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHsa4E9GYVE

Yes, I guess it is time to sell. I'll PM those curious.