Seeking lab to convert French 9mm film to anything current

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SkySea - 22 Apr 2007 23:38 GMT

I have a few 9mm films that are of French manufacture, ca. 1930 that
I'd like to have converted to anything current so we could view them
(family films). Does anyone know of any conversion companies that can
handle such a format?

The cans are steel cylinders crimped shut. The cylinders are 5cm in
diameter and 1.5cm thick, and have a bite taken out of a section of
edge to access the film inside (makes it look like a small-mouthed
PacMan). The hub has a squared hole, presumably to mesh with an
external winding mechanism. There's a brand name of "Pathex" embossed
on the cannister.

Please e-mail me with any info, or if it would help you to have a
photo of the cannister.

TIA -
=============
- Dale Gombert (SkySea at aol.com)
122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
http://flavorj.com/~skysea

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j. fabian - 23 Apr 2007 23:14 GMT

> I have a few 9mm films that are of French manufacture, ca. 1930 that
> I'd like to have converted to anything current so we could view them
> (family films). Does anyone know of any conversion companies that can
> handle such a format?

<snip>

> Please e-mail me with any info, or if it would help you to have a
> photo of the cannister.
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> 122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
> http://flavorj.com/~skysea

Do you mean Pathe "Baby" 9.5mm film?
9.5mm film can be recognised from the single sprocket hole punched
centrally between frames.

If so then a major digital telecine company in Los Angeles should be
able to accommodate you. Maybe. If not then I would look in Paris,
France or Mumbai, India (home of Bollywood) as they might have better
access to obscure French equipment. Expect to pay handsomely.

As an alternative you _might_ be able to find a Pathe Baby 9.5mm
projector on eBay and convert it yourself with a camcorder.

Hope this helps

jf

Signature

well, it looked good on paper

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Derek Gee - 24 Apr 2007 03:13 GMT

>> I have a few 9mm films that are of French manufacture, ca. 1930 that
>> I'd like to have converted to anything current so we could view them
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
>
> jf

The only place I know of in the US that does 9.5mm transfers is:

http://www.colorlab.com

There are several other places overseas, but since you indicated you are
in the US, I figured you would probably rather use a US based facility.

Derek

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SkySea - 25 Apr 2007 06:37 GMT

This is fantastic -

Thank you, J. and Derek.

I have never known what the proper term for this film is, but Pathe
"Baby" 9.5mm sure sounds like it describes it well. At least now I
have a name for the format. I see from Derek's suggested web site that
a 9.5mm conversion is available. And looking for a projector is a good
idea too. Especially at the conversion prices (but I'll bet this is
time-consuming to do).

Hope exists! Now to figure out how much I'm willing and able to spend
on this...

>Derek Gee wrote:
>The only place I know of in the US that does 9.5mm transfers is:
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>
>Derek

>> j. fabian wrote:
>>
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>>
>> jf

=============
- Dale Gombert (SkySea at aol.com)
122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
http://flavorj.com/~skysea

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mail@filmrescue.com - 09 May 2007 23:32 GMT

> I have a few 9mm films that are of French manufacture, ca. 1930 that
> I'd like to have converted to anything current so we could view them
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> - Dale Gombert (SkySea at aol.com)
> 122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WAhttp://flavorj.com/~skysea

We can also do this work though color lab, depending on the condition
of your film may be the better choice. Color lab has one of the very
top end transfers in North America and they also do film restoration
so if the film is not in great shape then definitely...they're the way
to go. We have a very good transfer but 9.5 is only a recent edition
to our services and we're having a bit of a difficult time getting
supplies such as reels and splice tape. If you were willing to wait a
while for it then you might want to consider us. We're a good deal
less expensive.

All the best
Greg Miller
Film Rescue International

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SkySea - 18 May 2007 04:43 GMT

>We can also do this work though color lab, depending on the condition
>of your film may be the better choice. Color lab has one of the very
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
>Greg Miller
>Film Rescue International

I can wait. It's been.... 70? years. It can be a few more. Feel free
to contact me via e-mail when you're ready. The films seem to be in
decent shape.

=============
- Dale Gombert (SkySea at aol.com)
122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
http://flavorj.com/~skysea

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JLW - 09 Dec 2009 00:38 GMT

If you want best quality, you can send to Sydney, Australia. There is a
company called DVD Infinity that scans each frame across separately in either
standard definition or high definition.

See www.dvdinfinity.com.au

Regards

>I have a few 9mm films that are of French manufacture, ca. 1930 that
>I'd like to have converted to anything current so we could view them
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
>122.38W, 47.58N, W. Seattle, WA
>http://flavorj.com/~skysea

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