Zuma

Thanks for the info it sounds like a the same foam stuff (apologies to the techies) might be in the 512XL. Maybe turning the manual knob pressurises foam stuff to control aperture. I'll keep digging on this one and post something if I find anything useful. Ciao Z

Thanks for the seandean tip bro. Re this aperture business if you can't fix aperture in position manually is there any reason to think it might work properly in EE mode? Ciao Z

Yes, David I take your point about the notion of 'thanking successful dictators'. I guess what I'm trying to say in my comment about Castro giving his life to Cuba recalls the idealism and and optimism that accompanied the overthrow of the corrupt Batista regime. The kind of idealism and committment that was evident in the early Castro and its favorite revoultionary son Che Guevara. Che who died young and did not see or participate in Castro's counter revolutionary purges and a litany of subsequent evils is today revered by many while Castro is for the most part reviled. C/F Walter Salles ace film Motorcycle Diaries For me it is not enough to paint Castro as evil incarnate. Perhaps he personifies the maxim that absolute power eventually corrupts absolutely, but lets not pretend that Castro's dream of a socialist Shangri Lar was always a fraudulent sham - a dictatorship with no human values at its core- led by a man who siezed power merely so he could pick fights on the world stage and harm and oppress his people until his dying day- that's plain silly. For me Castro is nothing like hatemonger's Hitler and Mussilini. Surely they are beyond redemption and belong in the garbage bin of human history. Castro on the other hand, while deeply flawed, is like some kind of tragic Shakespearean villain who in trying to do great good arguably does great harm and ultimately winds up betraying the dreams and ideals of the revolution he led 50 years ago. Regards Zuma aka Andy Norton.

Just been lent a pair of Canon 512 XL models to look at with option to purchase but although cosmetically A1 I think they might both be duds. Would appreciate any feedback on the following. One camera has a small fungal spot on the lens. Its match-head size and looks like a bug. Anyone know the extent to which this kind of flaw would actually influence the end quality of filming? The other Canon seemed perfect until I tried setting the aperture manually. The meter moves when the manual adjustment knob is engaged and turned but it wont stay in any position I set. It goes back to start of meter scale ie 1.2 When I peer down the lens the aperture mechanism clearly closes as fade out postion on the meter is reached but it will not stay closed- it just opens up again by itself when you stop turning the setting knob. Has any one encountered this situation before? Am I missing something? Welcome any advice/suggestions. Cheers Zuma...

I'm not a socialist but it seems to me that Castro has give most of his life to Cuba. How many of our world leaders could make a similar claim for their country. Now I'm damn sure Castro isn't a saint and he probably loves being the boss just like Bush but he's not Satan either and any sober assesement of his tenure as leader bears this out. In Australia, the mass media has always treated Casto in one of two ways- firstly as a fanatical tyrant and more recently as an eccentric crotchety old fool. Neither I suspect are anything like the real man so maybe we shouldn't be too quick to condemn him just because he thumbs his nose at us once in awhile. Interestingly there was a noticeable if fleeting shift in awareness to all things Cuban when Wender's Buena Vista Social Club had its run here. Apart from this film I can't remember Cuba ever getting any positive exposure here. Just finally on the subject of : "Is it a fake photo"? Well its like any other political statement eminating from on high - open to various interpretations. So is he in heaven, or is he in hell ? An old Aussie saying "Suffer in your jocks" might go someway to explaining the Cuban strategy behind the release of the pic. Regards Z

Thanks for the info & pics Gianni. I enquired about the condition of the eyecup on the Nizo. Reply from seller was: "What eyecup". So your guide to making one from a plastic bottle will come in handy immediately it seems. I can have the Canon for $50 (Australian) but the seller wants around $120 AUD for the Nizo. Seller is friend of a friend so I'm as certain as you can be that they are in GWO. Fair deal you think? When you say you're into wide angle could you give me an example of how this applies to your filming? I'm fairly green when it comes to the technical aspects of filming. Also could I ask what cameras you like to use and why? By the way I'm not much of a Star Trek fan but I actually saw that episode where Kirk used the Nizo! It was long before I knew anything at all about 8mm cameras and I was sure it was something rigged up by the prop guys. It looked like someone had stuffed a torch in an old 8 track cartridge player and screwed a handle on the bottom. And now I'm thinking of buying one. Aint life strange?

I think you'll find that the Canon 518 that you have is not an auto zoom model. On the top right side (as you hold the 518 auto zoom for shooting) there are 2 black buttons for Telephoto & Wide-angle. The 518 with the folding handle does not appear to have the auto zoom facility. I think the correct name for the camera you have is a Canon Zoom 518 super 8. If this is the case look on the bright side less to go wrong. Here are some pictures so you can compare the 2 models. Firstly your model http://snipurl.com/uycm Secondly the Auto zoom http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Canon_Auto_Zoom_518 Ciao zuma

I have been offered both these cameras S80 & 512XL supposedly in good working order would any one care to comment on the pros and cons of each. I'm just getting started as an 8mm filmaker so I would appreciate the feedback as a guide before purchase. Cheers Zuma...

Here is a link to an XL-S manual if it helps. http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Garage/...on_514xl-s.html

I see what you mean re the feed arm collars I'll be running with super so they can stay put. On the subject of reframing image - there is a knob directly below gate which I guess is for frame adjustment as you indicated however there is another knob on the right hand corner directly below the lens which obviously does something although I can't tell what. Any clues? I bought the unit without reels - have some coming soon via post so I haven't had a chance to run a film through it yet. My partner has some unseen 8mm reels that belonged to her grandfather which could be interesting. Finally as you point out the super and standard gates are grey and black respectively. Great to get this kind of informed advice when your fairly new to the 8mm caper. You obviously know quite a bit about this kind of projector - are they a fairly good unit generally speaking?

Here is link to the manual - http://urlsnip.com/913514

Hi and many thanks for the speedy info on the Eumig - smaller knobs and smaller gate which I assume are for the standard 8 are inside as you indicated. I managed to pull the installed gate out - bit fiddly like you said but once I knew it was meant to come out there was no stopping me! Do you know if any further adjustment is required for switching between super and standard guages. Cheers & thanks again Zuma.

Pardon my ignorance guys but does the Canon 518 SV mentioned above need to have a cartridge in it to measure light in Auto mode? I have an SV I haven't used yet and presumed the light meter was shot because although the indicator moves when the filming trigger is engaged the meter always reads the same. It seems to works fine on manual. The earlier 518 metered on auto without a cartridge. Anyone shed any (ahem) light on this subject? Cheers zuma...

Hi to all. Can anyone help me re Eumig's Mark 8 (Wien type) projector. Bought one just recently without a manual and although my research indicates it plays super 8 and standard 8 I can't tell how you move between these functions as there is no switch that I can see on the unit. Any clues? Also would appreciate if anyone can point me to an online manual for this unit, preferably free, as most sellers seem to want extortionate prices for photocopies etc of hard to get ones. I was sent a PDF of the manual above by an terrific 8mm fan in Holland but its in Dutch(!) so I'm struggling to make any headway with it. Would appreciate any help - ciao from zuma...