How it works
How to tell a real transfer from a fast one.
This page is written so you can judge any lab, including us. Each stage below has one thing worth verifying and one answer that should worry you.
Intake
Ask: is every item logged individually and tracked? Worry if: your order is a box number rather than an inventory. A service that cannot tell you what it holds cannot tell you what went missing.
Inspection
Ask: is the film inspected and repaired before it runs? Worry if: nobody mentions splices. Old splices dry out and let go, and one failing inside a transport damages the film and wastes the pass. This is also where vinegar syndrome is caught; if a service has never raised it, they are not looking or not telling.
The scan itself
Ask: is each frame captured as a separate image? Worry if: the answer is vague, or mentions projection. Pointing a camera at a projected image is cheaper, and it produces flicker, lost frame edges and washed out highlights no correction fixes. Also ask what resolution is included at the base rate; true HD 1080p should be a floor.
Who does the work
Ask: does the scanning happen in your building, or is it sent out? Worry if: the answer is evasive. A service that forwards your film cannot tell you where it is, cannot quote a real queue, and has added handoffs to something that has no duplicate.
Return and turnaround.
Ask: do originals come back in the same shipment? Worry if: returning them costs extra, or is optional. Converting film does not consume it. Ask: what happens if a reel needs unexpected work? A confident exact date on unseen material is a promise made before anyone looked. We do not give one, and we would be sceptical of anyone who does.
Our own answers: logged and tracked, inspected and repaired first, frame by frame at true HD 1080p minimum up to 2K, scanned in our own building, originals returned in the same shipment, rush quoted per order.
Ask us the eight questions.
Then ask the other lab. Send a photo of one reel and a rough count and we will answer in writing, with no obligation.