Super 8 movie film to DVD. Help!

Folks, I have a couple of drawers full of 50' reels (and 35mm slides) taken of my family when we were all growing up. I'd like to put them all on DVD. A local firm will do it for $.15 /ft. (or $7.50/reel) which is too much dinero, and, besides, there is no editing.

Can anyone out there advise me if there is a better, more economical way of accomplishing this task while I take time off from fishing? Thanks. Tim

Your options are limited. 

1.) Pay someone to do it.  You might be able to find someone online who offers a cheaper rate.
2.) Make a DIY telecine http://homepage.mac.com/onsuper8/diytelecine/.  Evidently it will cost you about $150 to make.
3.) Project the super 8 onto a screen and film it with a digital video camera.  This would probably work, but the results would be far inferior to options #1 or #2.
 
If you opt for #2 or #3 you'll still have to convert your digital video file to DVD and there are a variety of software options out there for that.

7.50 a reel doesn't sound that bad at all.....

Once it is digital you can edit it all you like.

MolBasser

You probably don't want a stranger to edit your memories...whats important to you might be not look memorable to a tech.  Editing is fairly ez once its digital, especially on a mac.  I need to do the same thing.

One thing you REALLY have to be careful about is the film breaking when it is that old. Back in '79 I went to Mexico with my Spanish class and we made a movie of our adventures. We professionally edited it. About 10 years later a friend and I met up with our Spanish teacher and got the reel. We had it professionally transferred to VHS. During the process the film broke several times because it was so brittle. It was kind of pricey too. I know I could have saved a ton of cash if I switched to Geiko ( So sorry, I couldn't resist )
Because of all the breaks in the film the quality of the VHS is pretty poor but it definitely keeps the memories alive and still gives me a HUGE smile when I watch it. That is what it is ultimately all about.
If I were you I would play it on a screen and use a camcorder; at least for your first try. If you don't have one I am sure one of your friends does. It would cost next to nothing. If you don't like the way it turns out then opt for another alternative.