Focus - Frames Going In and Out Of Focus This indicates that the film is NOT flat while running over the gate. I've noticed that sometimes the film will bounce up and down over the gate or will not lie flat while going over the gate. When the film is bouncing, it is also running in a jerky motion.
Cause - Solution
Two issues cause this type of problem:
1) Make sure that the source hub is NOT tight on the film reel. It should be tighten and then just slightly loosened. If it is tight it will cause a jerky flow of the film.
2) The film tension clip is too loose and not applying enough tension. This clip is designed to hold the film down and apply enough tension to the film so that it will "pull" flat as it goes over the gate. The take-up reel will pull the film along and the tension clip will apply a bit of pressure on the film so that it drags and therefore lies flat over the gate. This clip is usually the problem.
For adjusting the tension clip....check the bottom of the instructions here: http://moviestuff.tv/retro_8_setup.html
Missing frames
This could be due to:
- Found that the spring clip holding the film edge (sprocket side) down was loose. There was in fact a 1mm gap between the film and the spring. This caused the film to drift and the software threw away frames.
- SOLUTION: Remove film from Retro unit and re-tension the spring according to the instructions on the website.
- Broken or missing sprockets. The current software will throw out the frames that it cannot find a sprocket for. However, this will change as the algorithm for the sprocket id is changing with the faster units.
- If the "exposure" knob is set too dark or too bright and the software cannot id the sprocket as the brightest point, the frame may be skipped.
Trouble Shooting Tip
The Retro software can be put into analysis mode using the keys <ctrl><shft><alt><A> (all at once). You must be in the capture window and the calibration and setup buttons must be deactive. A letter 'A' will appear in the capture window and the film will appear. When running the film the capture window will show the capture reticle and a green dot will show near the sprocket hole and a red dot will show on the edge of the sprocket hole.
You can be in 'A' mode and "START" and "STOP" the capture and the entire stream will b captured, including the non-captured frames. This is great to send for analysis.
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