Cine film to digital - Super 8, Standard 8mm, 16mm and 9.5mm transfers

Your old cine reels scanned frame by frame in HD or 2K and delivered as digital files or on DVD. Super 8 and Standard 8mm priced per reel below; 16mm and 9.5mm quoted individually. Post your reels from anywhere in the UK or drop them off in London W1.

Cine film reel size guide — 50ft, 200ft and 400ft Super 8mm and Standard 8mm reels with running times

Old Kodachrome Super 8mm and Standard 8mm cine film boxes and reels ready for scanning to digital files

Cine film transfer prices

Prices are per reel and include scanning to the digital file format of your choice, delivered by WeTransfer.

50ft roll (3"/7cm), 3 to 4 minutes £35 per reel 1–2 reels, £25 each
200ft roll (5"/13cm), 12 to 15 minutes £65 per reel 1–2 reels £55 each
400ft roll (7"/18cm), 25 to 30 minutes £85 per reel 1–2 reels £75 each
16mm and 9.5mm cine film - priced per reel, please contact us for a quote

Which cine film do I have?

Most home cine film in the UK is 8mm, but there are two kinds and they are scanned differently, so it helps to know which you have. Hold a strip up to the light and look at the sprocket holes along the edge.

If you are not sure, send us a photo of the reel and the box and we will tell you exactly what it is. Reels with no box, no label or a home-made label are completely normal - we identify them when they arrive.

Standard 8mm (also called Regular 8 or Double 8): large square sprocket holes, common from the 1930s to the mid 1960s, often on small metal or plastic reels
Super 8: smaller rectangular sprocket holes, sold from 1965 in plastic cartridges, the most common home movie film of the 1970s and 1980s
16mm: twice the width of 8mm, used by schools, businesses and keen amateurs, often with an optical or magnetic soundtrack
9.5mm: the vintage Pathe format with a single sprocket hole in the centre of the film between frames, popular in Britain from the 1920s to the 1950s
Sound film: a thin brown or gold magnetic stripe along one edge means the film has sound, which we capture along with the picture

How we scan your cine film

Every reel is scanned frame by frame in HD as standard, or in 2K if you want the highest quality for a large screen or future editing. A frame-by-frame scanner photographs each individual frame of film rather than filming a projected image on a screen, so there is no flicker, no hot spot in the middle of the picture and no loss of the edges of the frame. Because the film moves gently through the scanner without a projector claw pulling on it, brittle old film is not put under strain.

Before scanning we clean each reel to lift off dust and fingerprints, repair any broken or dried-out splices, and re-spool film that has come loose (there is no charge ifthere are a few breaks, however there will be a charge if there are more than 4). Faded colours are corrected where possible and the finished film is speed-corrected so people walk at a normal pace rather than the sped-up look you may remember from the projector. Standard 8mm and Super 8 are normally run at 16 or 18 frames per second and we match that.

HD scanning as standard, 2K available on request
Frame-by-frame capture - never filmed off a screen
Film cleaned, splices repaired - up to 4 breaks
Colour and exposure corrected, correct playback speed
Sound stripes captured where present
Your original reels are always returned to you

What you get back and how long it takes

Your films come back as MP4 files by WeTransfer, ready to watch on a phone, TV or computer and to share with family. If you would rather have a disc we can copy them to DVD, or put everything on a USB stick or hard drive. Editors and archivists can ask for ProRes or uncompressed files instead - see our file formats guide for the options.

Turnaround is normally around 10 working days from the day your reels arrive, although this can change with our workload and we will confirm the date when we quote. If you need your films sooner, for a birthday, anniversary funeral, ask about our FastTrack service and we will prioritise your order.

Several reels can be joined into one continuous film in date order, and if you would like titles, music or the footage cut down into a shorter film we also offer an editing service.

Professional transfer of your Super 8mm cine film to digital

Preserve your memories with our professional Super 8mm film transfer service. We specialise in scanning old cine film to any digital file format of your choice, ensuring every film reel is handled with care and scanned with precision. We accept orders from anywhere in the UK - send your reels to us using an insured, tracked postal service, or arrange to drop them off at our London W1 office.

Using advanced frame-by-frame scanning technology, we deliver the highest quality digital files, ready for viewing or sharing. Once your transfer is complete, your digital files will be securely sent to you via WeTransfer. Should you need the files edited together, we also offer an editing service. Trust us to give your treasured footage a new lease of life.

If you want to transfer any old cine standard 8mm or super 8mm, then please contact us for a quote.

50ft roll (3"/7cm) — 3 to 4 minutes of footage
200ft roll (5"/13cm) — 12 to 15 minutes of footage
400ft roll (7"/18cm) — 25 to 30 minutes of footage
Super 8mm and Standard 8mm transferred to digital file or DVD
16mm and 9.5mm cine film scanned by arrangement - contact us for prices

Our film scanning service

At Copy My Tapes we offer a professional film scanning service to help individuals and businesses preserve their old home movies and cine films. Using professional film scanning equipment, we are able to scan both super 8mm and standard 8mm films to digital files or DVDs, allowing you to watch and share your memories.

Our team has the expertise to carefully handle your films and ensure that the scanning process is done to the highest quality. With our film scanning service, you can enjoy your old home movies for years to come without worrying about the risks of handling and playing fragile film reels. Whether you have a few short clips or hours of footage, we can help you digitise your films and keep your memories safe.

Please contact us for more info and prices, including video to DVD.

Transfer and copy specialists

Call 0207 430 1811 or email CopyMyTapes@gmail.com

Frequently asked questions

How do I tell Super 8 from Standard 8mm?: Look at the sprocket holes along the edge of the film. Standard 8mm has large square holes, Super 8 has small rectangular ones. Super 8 was sold in plastic cartridges from 1965 onwards; Standard 8mm is older and usually on small reels. If in doubt, send us a photo and we will identify it for you.
Can you scan 16mm and 9.5mm film?: Yes. We transfer 16mm and the vintage 9.5mm Pathe format as well as 8mm. Prices for these are different from our 8mm rates, so please contact us with the reel sizes and we will quote.
What resolution do you scan at?: HD as standard, frame by frame. If you would like the highest quality, for example for a large TV or for future editing, we can scan at 2K resolution instead - just ask when you book.
How long does cine film transfer take?: Around 10 working days from the day your reels arrive. This can change depending on our workload, so we confirm the date when we quote. If you need your films sooner, ask about our FastTrack service.
Do I get my reels back?: Always. Your original films are cleaned, re-spooled and returned to you with your digital files or DVDs.
Can you join several reels into one film?: Yes. We can put your reels together in date order as one continuous film, and add titles or music if you would like. Larger edits are handled by our editing service.
Does cine film have sound?: Most home cine film is silent. If your film has a thin brown or gold magnetic stripe along the edge it was recorded with sound, and we capture that along with the picture. Some 16mm film has an optical soundtrack, which we can also transfer.
My film smells of vinegar or is brittle - can it still be scanned?: Usually, yes. A vinegar smell means the film base is starting to break down, so it should be scanned sooner rather than later. Brittle or warped film is handled gently on our scanner rather than a projector. Send us a photo and we will advise before you post it.

Photographs and slides transferred to digital files

Our 35mm slide scanning and negative transfer service uses professional equipment to keep every bit of photographic detail. We can scan your old photos and supply high-quality JPEG's or TIFF's you can view, email and print.

Home Video Editing Service — Turn Old Tapes into Watchable Films

Hours of raw wedding, holiday and family footage cut into a short film people actually want to watch. We edit from your tapes, existing files or our own transfers - with titles, music, chapters and the dull parts removed. UK-wide service from our London W1 studio.

Video Tapes to Any File Format - MP4, ProRes, MOV and DVD Explained

Every tape and cine film we transfer can be delivered in the file format you need - to share online, for your own editing projects, or simply to store safely on a computer or hard drive. This page explains the options so you can choose with confidence.

Price list

Guide prices for every service. Larger collections and mixed formats are quoted individually.

What to do now?

Getting your tapes transferred is straightforward. Here is exactly what happens, from the first phone call to your memories coming back on a USB stick.

Send us a message, call 0207 430 1811 or email CopyMyTapes@gmail.com. We usually reply the same working day.