Google
"digitise 8mm film"
and you will gets quite a few names of places that do it for you for a fee.
I had some done, with mixed results - primarily based on the quality of the original image quality and physical condition of the film.
You will most likely have to supply a hard drive to store the new files on. If you get the movie converted to a video DVD you may end up with another set of technical challenges.
You could of course point the video camera at a projected image of the film on a screen (keystone correction needed) or point it at the film in the gate of the projector
Thanks Derek. The fees I've seen though are very expensive as I've got fifty years worth of Super 8. I did buy a gadget at a car boot sale about five years ago and decide to try it out on Sunday. Having looked at it and decided it couldn't work I tried it anyway and I was right, its rubbish. The problem is that whilst our eyes see a continuous image on a screen, in reality its not actually there at least half of the time. What is needed is something that will synchronise each frame on the film with each frame on the video, and then 'project' the video at 16 or 18 frames per second. I know its possible because I had my wedding film converted to VHS about twenty years ago.
Eric, Re your 50years of family history.
Perhaps the only way is to re-edit the films to show the real family events. Converting film of Niagara Falls is not important however converting film of the family at Niagara Falls is the important issue. So chop out the scenery and buildings shots to get the key people related shots and then pay money to get that converted.
You may then consider the hassle of re-editing the film is not worth the effort to save a few pounds and get the lot converted.
Before you send off 50 years of film for conversion send of short films to try out the various conversion companies to test for quality.
Ah Derek, if only! In those dim and distant days of yore, when a film cost an expensive thirty shillings, or twenty five if you bought an Ilford 4 pack, we intrepid cameramen very rarely took scenes of stationary objects; we had to do our editing as we filmed. Initially, because the cameras were clockwork and would not take a scene of greater than twelve seconds, but also because a film lasted a mere four minutes, then an even mereer three and a quarter minutes for Super 8. But more importantly, we are Mac users, capable of scaling the lofty heights, and we relish the sheer challenge of it.
Eric Jervis 