What is the difference between 8mm and Super 8mm film?
8mm film was pioneered by Kodak and was introduced in 1932. 8mm film actually starts out as 16mm film on a 25-foot reel. When recording, one-half of the film width is exposed. After recording 25 feet, you would then take the film out, flip it over and expose the other half. After processing the film, it was split down the middle and the two resulting 8mm halves were spliced together, yielding a 50-foot reel. Because the flipping process was somewhat troublesome, a number of manufacturers introduced continuous 8mm film on 50-foot reels. Because of Kodak's influence in the industry, continuous 8mm did not catch on.

In April of 1965, Kodak came out with Super 8mm film. Super 8mm film comes as a 50-foot reel and does not entail flipping the film or cutting the film in half during the processing. The frame image for Super 8mm film was enlarged by 50% by using smaller vertical perforations. Kodak is still producing Super 8mm film today.


Why is it important for my film to be prepped and cleaned?
The first step in our conversion service is to carefully examine the film for any defects, such as torn sprocket holes, burns, or otherwise unusable footage. Any such sections of film are carefully repaired, or removed if necessary.

Next, all of your film is cleaned and conditioned by hand. This is one of the most important aspects of the conversion process. Dust, mildew, and other particles will cause significant reduction in image quality. We remove all contaminants in order to give you the cleanest, clearest picture possible!

In addition to giving you the best possible image, cleaning and prepping your film protects our sensitive, state-of-the-art equipment from any damage that could result from dirty or damaged film. It is absolutely necessary for your film to be cleaned and prepped prior to running it through any of our equipment.

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How do you capture the images from my movies?
We use state of the art equipment to give you the best possible results. The images on your movies are digitized through a process called "aerial image transfer". This means that the frames are transferred from lens to lens and never projected onto a screen for filming.

Our equipment also allows us to sync the shutter speeds between our equipment so that the final digitized product is "flicker-free." If you have seen other transferred movies, which appear to have a dominating light that constantly pulses on and off, then you know the value of a flicker-free transfer.

The quality of the final product is dependent on the use of superior equipment.  At Memory Keepers, we use high quality digital cameras to capture your precious memories.  Our expensive cameras boast three CCD imaging chips.  Each chip renders one million effective pixels.  This compares to, for example, a $1,200 digital camera available at Best Buy which contains only only one chip with only 700,000 effective pixels.  All imaging chips "read" images in terms of red, green and blue.  Our cameras have one dedicated chip for each color versus handling all three colors with one inferior chip.

At Memory Keepers, we transfer directly to DVD.  We fully utilize the 540 lines of resolution offered by a DVD.  Some competitors automatically go to VHS first, and then to DVD.  A VHS tape only holds 240 lines of resolution.  Therefore, the final DVD product can only contain 240 lines of resolution.


Can you improve the quality of the recording on my film?
Our equipment does attempt to improve your images through some of the automated functions inherent in our robust equipment.  We assure you that our conversion process will give you the absolute best final product.  However, recording flaws such as blurred images, poor lighting, debris on your old camera lens while recording, and improper camera handling cannot be reversed.


How do I place an order?
You can place your order at our location in downtown Naperville, Illinois OR you can ship your order to us at:

We recommend using a shipper such as FedEx or UPS so that you can track your shipment via a tracking number.  We recommend using a sturdy box and proper cushioning materials such as bubble wrap, styrofoam peanuts or simply scrunched up newspapers.  Please include how you would like your DVD's titled.  We accept Visa, Discover and MasterCard.  Please include your credit card information including your credit card number, expiration date and the billing address for the credit card.  Please include your phone number and an e-mail address so that we can contact you.

Simply  contact us with any additional questions. 

In what order will you put my movies onto the DVD?
If you are fortunate enough to have descriptions related to each roll of film and you would like to put them in chronological order, please clearly mark each roll with the appropriate number. Otherwise, your movies will appear in whatever order we process the reels.


How can I see the quality of your process before placing an order?
We know you will be very happy with the quality of our work. Stop on by at our store location and we can show you some sample footage or give us one 50-foot reel and we will provide a sample of our work to you on DVD.


How does Memory Keepers compare to others that offer a similar service?
At Memory Keepers, we value your memories like they are our own. We ask you to consider the following items should you compare our service to others:

• Your movies never leave our care, custody and control. We do the work ourselves and do not ship your film off to a transfer house on the West Coast.  Your movies will be expertly transferred by a mature and extremely competent technician.
  
  
• The quality of the final product is dependent on the use of superior equipment.  At Memory Keepers, we use high quality digital cameras to capture your precious memories.  Our expensive cameras boast three CCD imaging chips.  Each chip renders one million effective pixels.  This compares to, for example, a $1,200 digital camera available at Best Buy which contains only only one chip with only 700,000 effective pixels.  All imaging chips "read" images in terms of red, green and blue.  Our cameras have one dedicated chip for each color versus handling all three colors with one inferior chip.
  
  
•  At Memory Keepers, we transfer directly to DVD.  We fully utilize the 540 lines of resolution offered by a DVD.  Some competitors automatically go to VHS first, and then to DVD.  A VHS tape only holds 240 lines of resolution.  Therefore, the final DVD product can only contain 240 lines of resolution.