Gregg MacPherson

Tokyo Vice...a young American journalist (with fluent Japanese) finding his feet at a big Tokyo paper, exploring the criminal underworld. The juxtaposition of cultures is interesting, and it looked good.

The Old Man...with Jeff Bridges as maverick old spook in hiding, his gradually unfolding history in Afghanistan. Bridges is amazing, the character qualities are very finely realized. Not super actiony or complex, but the old spook can still scrap and kill to save himself.....

Hey Aapo, Plenty of ACLs have the PL mount and AZSpectrum video tap. Actually, an ACL kitted with PL, Arri-S and Arri-B mounts would be really useful if one had access to some old lenses. Schneider and Cook Kinetal for N16 were Arri-S. MkI Zeiss superspeeds (S16) were Arri-B, and some MKII also. If you could find a private owner who will rent maybe it's cheap. There are some good threads on the forum about lenses for 16/S16. I'm not sure which prime lenses Tyler is referring to with those focal lengths above. There are about nine Kinetals and the (MKII) Zeiss superspeeds go 9.5,12,16,25,50. My feeling is that using primes helps culture a logical visual language on a narrative, and you can achieve that even with a tiny inexperienced crew, if the director or photographer is up for it. Good luck with developing the electronics projects, Gregg.

Hey Dom, It would pay to leave the entire quote intact. Otherwise, a sustaining member has a big edit window and can remove or gloss over some gaffe or display of ignorance. (cue sarcasm and alarm) I'm just waiting for the moment where we are schooled on how to service cameras wearing our white cotton gloves. A logical, if absurd progression. Apparently some expert, referring to his 20 something years of experience in the industry, told us that we should be loading or mags and threading, wearing white cotton gloves...Oh...that was Tyler... Gregg.

Nicholas! Bravo! Welcome to the tiny club of souls who've had the nerve or common sense to call this vacuous nonsense out. Gregg

Thanks David. I'm out of date and need to catch up on these new technologies.

Could metal 3D printers make these parts? The design would then be closer to parts machined from metal. I heard there were aluminium printers, but I think there is stainless steel medium too now. A shame that potentially interesting ideas are on the Marketplace thread, where they are harder to find and will quickly get lost downstream.

There must still be people interested in doing this. Slow Motion Digital in LA say they "convert to 2-Perf: ARRI III, ARRI BL, and MovieCam"......

Paul Scaglione on ACL sintered bushes/lubrication..2 Gregg's email to Paul 25/May/2022....2 Hi Paul, Many thanks for that reply. Excellent! I posted it on the forum. I might have a couple of short follow up questions. Using vacuum to replenish the bushes after removing some parts that won't like the oil sounds do-able, but I don't know enough to re-fit some things, the ground glass for example. So I might restrict myself to cautiously spot lubricating what's accessible, as you describe. - I'm guessing that when applying oil at the juncture between shaft and bush it is just one tiny drop? - Do the bushes absorb freely through their flange surfaces if more is applied? Or is that avoided? Regards, Gregg. Paul's email to Gregg 25/May/2022....2 Again Gregg added some paragraph breaks. Some [edits] also, just so. HI Gregg, Yeah... If using the vacuum chamber approach, the viewing optics could take a bath in the process as well unless A) Removed and once removed are a bitch to get back in alignment so B) The best way to avoid disaster would be to set assembly into a cup upright with just the moving parts in the oil bath and the optics above. After drawing it down [applying vacuum], you should invert the assembly over a pan to drain the excess oil out of the voids either side of the cross shaft next to the mirror drive and gently flush the viewing screen & prism (if needed) with a paint-safe solvent such as 91% isopropyl alcohol to get all the oil off the ground glass & prism as well as the reflex mirror letting it drain off in to the pan. You would just have to be careful not to accidentally get any [alcohol] in the cross shaft or any moving parts in the process. You could probably mask off a couple places with painter's tape just to be sure. Do not use electronic or any spray cleaner as it most times comes out of the can very cold and can separate or destroy optics!!! If spot-lubricating, the bushings will soak light oil in and oil should be added fairly generously; a couple drops/ea. That will help for sure and last for a year or more but would not "load" them the same as if vacuumed down in an oil bath. Ideally some disassembly would allow more access to those bushings however the pins that hold everything in place are tiny/tapered and nearly impossible to know the proper orientation of shaft -to- pinned part unless you very carefully scratch mating marks into both before disassembly which is where the wise restraint kicks in; Back to spot-lubing... When spot-lubricating, the hardest place to feel like you are getting oil where it need to be is the cross shaft end bushings (especially at the motor end) as the bushings are fairly buried within. If you can pretty generously shoot some oil into the areas either side of the beveled gear for the reflex mirror drive it should puddle along the casting inside void and get to those bearings with a bit of tipping the assembly side to side. Any way you approach it, observance, planning and careful execution can work well to get oil where it can help and avoid getting it where is doesn't. Hope all this helps! Best, Paul Scaglione Sr. Technician/Designer Visual Products Inc.

Re the lubrication of the sintered bushes, I did ask Paul Scaglione at VP and he gave some good info. It's on the Eclair ACL, Sintered Bronze Bushes thread... https://cinematography.com/index.php?/forums/topic/91741-eclair-acl-sintered-bronze-bushes-lubrication/

@ Duncan. There's no footage from my lens. I did see it on a lens projector, but can't remember the vignetting thing, maybe I wasn't looking for it. Through the viewfinder, vignetting is just visible inside the outermost frame marking, just touching the 1.85 marks. But there is a faint brightness fall off right in the corner. Apart from the fall off, I supose one could figure out what was clipping the frame and machine some off. Not me, and I never heard of it done. I'm not familiar with the older 8mm version, and hadn't heard that it covers S16. Maybe check the fall off in the corners.

Paul Scaglione on ACL sintered bushes/lubrication....1 I wrote to Paul Scaglione at Visual Products. He was very helpful and is fine if I share his insights here. Thanks Paul..! From my email to Paul 25/May/2022....1 ...confusion in the Eclair community about the lubrication of the ACL sintered bronze bushes. Popular knowledge, in line with the owners manual, is that these bushes are never lubricated. Ideas on this may vary, and different techs may have different protocols. (then pointed him to this thread) Can you share any insights into this? - When you do a full overhaul of a movement, is it completely disassembled? - Do you have a way of re-impregnating the bushes? - If so, is the method and the lubricant used a secret? Paul's email to me 25/May/2022...1 I've made some paragraph breaks and added a pause with ... a couple of times. Hi Gregg, I read your thread and all inclusive is correct...however, rarely if at all any more is any Eclair movement completely (or even partially for that matter) disassembled due to the time required/cost involved. More often each reachable bushing is spot-lubricated with a light mineral oil such as Arcopac Oil 90 which is a very light mineral oil (actual sewing machine oil) that can wick in to the shafts/bushings and further wick in to the sintered bronze bearings to then release over time. ArcoPac is hard to find these days however any light mineral oil can work. I would avoid parafin-based oils as they may not play nice over time therefore here is an easily obtainable fine mineral oil with applicator: https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-SPOUT-Sewing-Machine-Oiler-118ml/dp/B00BYCKTW2/ref=asc_df_B00BYCKTW2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=194007750414&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=15756312311447143080&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015294&hvtargid=pla-311553017405&psc=1 Back in the day, the movements would be partially or completely disassembled and placed in a vacuum chamber in a light mineral oil bath over-night to "charge" the bearings...however all bushings & shafts, no matter what machine create a wear pattern (wear in) just as the inside of any combustion engine crankshaft & associated bearings would and therefore are better off left where they lay and fresh lubricant introduced as if disturbed can bind and get noisier over time from new wear patterns being established. If one has access to a vacuum pump & chamber and can completely immerse the movement and associated shafts (still mounted to the aperture plate and any lubricating point access screws removed) in a good light mineral oil and pull down to say 25" mercury for 2-3hrs, the oxygen will be drawn out of the microscopic cavities in the sintered bronze bushings as well as the open cavities in between and replaced by any oil introduced however most don't have access to that and the few technicians in the world still doing work on analogue cameras that may have a chamber more than likely don't have the time available to do the work for what most are willing to pay for it on an ACL... All that being said, if the inside of any Eclair can be spot-lubricated say once a year with any visible debris being surgically removed, it should last as long as it did prior to now. Note: Pull-down claw guides and pinions as well as reflex mirror links (ball & sockets) can benefit from some fresh light grease such as Jet Lube Arctic which I have come to love over the last 20 years using in place of many specialized greases of different consistencies that seem to feel great at first then fade quickly into chalk, paste or goo... It can also be found on Amazon (pretty much like everything these days...): https://www.amazon.com/Jet-Lube-35050-Extreme-Temperature-Cartridge/dp/B000LG8DLG Many points inside the ACL are very precisely adjusted for gear lash or pressure, clearance, claw stroke & penetration, shutter timing, reflex mirror swing & timing, etc. and should not be disturbed by anyone other than an understanding and experienced technician... therefore spot-lubricating with good greases/oils can go a long way to maintain these cameras for a very long time. Having been a camera tech for 38 years has taught me a lot including cautious enthusiasm and wise restraint... Good luck! Paul Scaglione Sr. Technician/Designer Visual Products Inc.

Just listed it on eBay at USD1100. https://www.ebay.com/itm/155008641298?hash=item24173c2912:g:NGsAAOSwNm5iO~S1

Heikki brought up some ideas from Bernie O. in the Techs Who Service ACLs thread. I'll just quote Bernie here...you can link to the source from Heiki's post. I couldn't master that quick enough. On 9/23/2006 at 2:23 AM, Bernie Doherty said: "...Eclair installed "self-lubricating" bearings in all of their cameras, which theoretically should never need to be lubed, but that just ain't so. They dry out rather quickly and do require attention at least once every two or three years...."

Volker, if that mag is good to go its a great price. May be worth putting something on the Marketplace subforum also. I had a quick look at how Google search responds to "eclair acl 400' mags for sale" and Cine Marketplace on this forum was at the top. Hopefully that is not a result peculiar to just me.... Google may be responding to traffic volume, behaviour, or it may be language: marketplace vs flea market. Can we circle back later to the issue of using unmodified mags for S16. You're not the first to succeed with that. Lets do it then, in a dedicated thread... Gregg

SOLD

Heikki...Thursday at 10:08 AM "Now then, Bernie used to tell many of his customers that their ACLs were "bone dry". I'm pretty certain Bernie didn't fully disassemble those ACLs, so that would mean he lubed them in some other way...." We can't ask Bernie now about this, but maybe he talked to someone about it. It would be useful to know what exact lubrication practices the different technicians had for these cameras. My guess is that inappropriate protocols exercised by an otherwise well qualified tech may be just as harmful as when exercised by the inexperienced. If we are lost without adequate knowledge, I don't think it gives a blanket reassurance that overlubricating or using inappropriate lubricants is OK. Quite the opposite. Retired techs who have worked on the cameras may share some thoughts. Opinions may vary. This may be a tough knot to untangle.

Thanks, I saw that one. Zeiss are about the same price for 50 pc. We'll see what shipping is. Am i right to choose 8mm screw length? I suppose I can remove a screw on each lens and see if the end clearance for the screw is consistent. Gregg

I found some old parts drawings for the 8mm distagon (Arri-B), and some of the 35mm format lenses with PL mount (thanks Tom Jensen). The small cheese head screws are DIN920, and the PL mounts show screws with 8mm length. One can see the end clearance available. But no drawings for the 16mm format superspeeds. My 6mm length sample screws from the 50mm planar PL mount may not be correct. Their length of thread engagement is only 2mm. Searching for "m2-0.4x6mm din920" showed that Aspen Fasteners sold 500 for $293 Zeis in Germany have almost enough, but plenty with length of 8mm (these were the cheapest, available in packs of 50, and have a nice 2mm unthreaded grip length ). Duclose have stock. Cheers, Gregg.

I have some PL mounts I bought from Slomo Digital and I want to check the fit and find the screws. It's for a Zeiss 8mm-T2.1 and a set of 5 MKII (S16) superspeeds. I have a 50mm-T1.3 MKII Zeiss with factory PL mount here for reference. Do you have to buy the screws from Zeiss or somewhere like P+S Technik. I read on a forum (somewhere) that someone ordered from P+S T and got the wrong screws...I'm wondering if the screws are to a DIN or similar standard and easy to find once specified as such. They are almost the same as DIN84, but the cheese head diameter (dk) is 3.8mm for DIN84 and 2.8mm for the original screws with the factory PL mount. Prob'ly not relevant, but I noted that the screws for the Arri-B mount on the 8mm are length (l)=5mm, while the superspeeds have l=4mm. The screws from the factory PL mount on the 50mm I'll list dimensions here. I'm just going to ignore the manufactured tolerance for now. M2, so nominal d=2mm. Pitch=0.4mm. Length l=6mm. Cheese head diameter dk=2.8mm...(sample screw from Slomo had dk=3.0mm.) Cheese head height k=1.3mm. Slot width n=0.5mm (just giving DIN84) Slot depth t=0.6mm (DIN84) One of the screws had 2mm of unthreaded shank, the rest were fully threaded. Thanks for any ideas. Gregg.

There is a wave front of expensive technology for professional users. One can hide just behind that, where powerful desktop servers go for cheap. My Z800 is 10 years old now, so has drifted from the inflection point on the curve, but is still a real beast...specs on a previous thread.. https://cinematography.com/index.php?/forums/topic/80876-hp-z800-as-cheap-workstation-for-post/

I don't know much about NPR, but the pressure plate system on the right looks like the same concept used on the SR and the later ACL. There are four little posts that hold the main pressure plate at a distance from the plane of the gate, while the central pressure plate provides film contact at the gate only. So the film slides through a precise gap with pressure and contact just at the gate. I think this design minimises the loaded contact area on the film, so seems the best type for S16 to me. The design/engineering of the SR version is really nice looking. The Eclair versions look a bit less sophisticated. On the ACL mags with central pressure plate, the spring pressure on the main plate is higher than that of the earlier single piece pressure plate. The spring pressure on the centre part is much less. Is it the same for the NPR A/B mags? Do you have them there to check?

The vertical part looks like the "non orientable" Angenieux, or am I wrong. The swivel/diopter thumb screws and camera mount are recognisable. There must be added or modified optical elements, probably in the extended tube. My vote is that this was for ACL. For left eye operators. There must have been enough demand. The big Kinoptik finder can reach the left eye. I thought the "fully orientable" Ang could too. You would know Duncan.

I finally had some contact with eBay, gave my sob story about my seller limits (3 items and $200 total per month), and they fixed it (now 100 items and $5000 per month). Yippiekaiyay etc... SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD

Hey Nathaniel, Can you put up some pics of the camera port adapter(s) you have and the rear of the lens showing the mount. Someone will look. Not sure why you want DTAP connection on the battery. What's the connector on the camera, and the batteries you have. If DTAP's for a special charger etc, just make up an adapter cable. Gregg.