Nick Norton

Hey man, thanks for the nice words. Footage turned out because of the people here, especially Saul and Adrian and all of their help, cause without that this would have been a very different camera test. I remember shooting pretty much wide open at 75fps... i might have been underexposing a little (light meter probably told me around f1.8 - f2, and i was shooting at t2.3 The other stuff was shot... maybe even close to 5.6, but i think i shot 2.8 in the shadows.... guess i can't really do a great job at remembering. Alpha Cine processed the film, Frame Discreet transferred it. ...oh, and by the way Hunter, that is indeed texas. where are you living these days? -nicholas

Thanks everyone for all the replies. Much appreciated. -nicholas

I've never heard of any image quality difference between the different magazines. You're probably better off with the 200' magazines anyway, because in case you don't have the heavy duty motor the 400' mags may give you some trouble. As for the sync alarm, i'm guessing you are talking about the orange light on the motor. The light will be lit up when you start to run the motor before the camera gets up to speed. Once you are synced to your chosen frame rate, the light will shut off. As for the green and red light on the side of the camera body, green is good and if it blinks red you are in trouble. I've never heard of the gels causing any damage to anything on the camera whatsoever. However, if you choose to use the gels make sure to keep them VERY clean and do not get any fingerprints on them for they are impossible to remove. -nicholas

This situation/problem would occur whether the filters were gels or glass, correct? -nicholas

A mattebox is certainly something i plan on getting, but right now it just isn't possible. If i got the ACL Mattebox from Les Bosher, would this be able to work on different cameras? Thanks- nicholas

www.onthereeal.com/cameratest.html Just wanted to post my first camera test in case anyone in the future wanted to get a look at footage shot with the Eclair ACL. 100' Vision3 500T Angenieux 10-150 24, 50 and 75fps Not sure why it flickers on some of the slow motion shots. Sending my camera away tomorrow to Bernie at super16 for a complete overhaul. (or at least just to fix my motor) -nicholas

Still in an effort to gather all of the necessary supplies for situations i'm sure to face while shooting with my Eclair ACL. Filters are one issue i'm having trouble deciding on. I do not have enough money to purchase a mattebox at the moment, so i'm trying to decide between round screw-on filters and gelatin filters. I figured gelatins would be cheaper, but it looks like on filmtools they can be 30-60 bucks a piece! Knowing these won't last nearly as long as a glass filter i'm leaning towards glass. And as for optical quality, if i am shooting with an Angenieux zoom... would it make sense to just buy the cheapest ones i find? (still Tiffen or B+W, just not the really nice ones) Thanks- Nicholas

Didn't want to post another topic since i have already posted so many... I'm having a real difficulty with figuring out how the different lens mounts are supposed to work on the Eclair ACL. I have the Eclair CA mount right now, but am i supposed to remove this to find a C mount behind it? I don't want to damage my camera trying to remove the mount without knowing the proper way to do so. Any help would be appreciated- Nicholas

Is there anything wrong with pick n pluck foam? I'm looking for a case for my ACL now that i need to send it out for an overhaul. I'd like to place the camera in the case standing up, in a top-loaded case. Any suggestions? Thanks- Nicholas

Pretty sure mine has both. I definitely have the xlr on my eclair, and i'm pretty sure i have the other connection right below it. Is there any known advantage of either connection? Thanks- nicholas

This cable is said to be a power cable for the ACL. It has a 4-pin xlr on one end, but the other end i have never seen before. Is the odd connector for specific battery packs? Thanks- Nicholas

So, while shooting the other day my Eclair ACL motor suddenly stopped running. The green light would still turn on when the camera was turned on, but nothing would happen when i tried to run the motor. I figured my battery had run out (hadn't needed to recharge it yet since i got it) and waited the long 16 hours for the battery to charge. However, after charging the battery the camera will turn on, but when i try to run the motor it runs but it is not up to speed and you can hear a strange clicking sound. This is when the dreaded red light begins to blink on the side of the camera. Tried another magazine, so it isn't a film jam. Perhaps i recharged the battery incorrectly and need a new one? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks- nicholas

What do you guys typically use as a starting point on the camera when measuring your focus distance? Thanks- Nicholas

Although i would absolutely love to simply attain the most sacred, historical pieces of film equipment to place in a hardbound album, this question actually relates to a very specific film i would like to make which requires the use of such a remote to accomplish my vision. Thanks for your help though- Nicholas

Best. Thread. Ever.

That sounds like a great idea. Would you recommend just buying a long 4 pin XLR to 4 pin XLR cable? Thanks- Nicholas

Does anyone know of a remote switch to run the Eclair ACL? Are there any 16mm cameras that you can easily find a remote switch for? (To clarify: Something to operate the shutter while away from the camera) Thanks- Nicholas

Congrats on getting the ACL Ray! I only received mine a few weeks ago, but am really excited about the camera. I'd love to give you some tips from what i have experienced with the ACL, but i'm not sure how familiar you are with 16mm. Have you shot 16mm film before on a different set-up? -nicholas

Thanks a ton boris! -nicholas

My Spectra IV never leaves my side. ...literally. it is attached to my battery belt.

I have a couple more questions about my eclair acl. Where is the low battery indicator? I'm worried this might be broken, and i don't want to completely drain my battery which would damage it. How does the exposure indicator function? I was told my camera had some sort of internal light meter but i have no idea where it is displayed or how it works. Thank you for your patience- nicholas ps. shot my first roll last night, hope to have something to show you soon.

Thank you, all of the responses were extremely helpful. -nicholas

Does anyone else have anything to say on the various editions of the manual? Definetly go for the 9th? (I'll be focusing on shooting 16mm) Thanks- nicholas

So i have put some leader through my 200ft. eclair acl magazine and have the science down fairly well. However, by loading it with too much slack or not enough (loops near the film gate too big or too small) i have learned the great importance in getting the loops the right size. I am now fairly good at this, but i've been doing it all in broad daylight! I can't really imagine doing this successfully in a changing bag where i can't see anything. Do you other eclair owners have a trick or advice on how to do this correctly? Thanks- nicholas

I just finished watching Sherman's March by Ross McElwee and was astonished in his ability to shoot his own material (on what i am guessing is a 16mm camera) and also recording his own audio. At times you could see reflections of him holding the camera in one hand, and the microphone in the other. (an audio recorder strapped across his chest) However, there were other scenes in which he is zooming, focusing, etc. and i found no possible way he could have been doing this while simutaneously holding a microphone in one hand. Does anyone know how he might have accomplished this, or have any practical tips on how one might accomplish this? (while shooting film, of course) Thanks- nicholas