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Matt Stevens

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Everything posted by Matt Stevens

  1. I've bought and sold two projectors over the years, neither of which worked out. Both chewed up my film. And with Kodak's color reversal out of the equation I'll be shooting mostly negative so...
  2. I have no doubt Mr. Willard is an outstanding technician. That's why I sent him my camera. I had spoken to people who stated he was slow, but that he was the best. Unfortunately he seems to have taken in too many cameras and is now in over his head. He is also the rudest person I have ever dealt with in this industry (and I've dealt with the folks at Pro8mm). Numerous camera owners have contacted me since I first went public begging me for help (in talking to him). I won't get into details but I feel for these people. That being said, I do have my camera back. He did not charge me for the repair. I have tested one cartridge and the problem (the auto fade engaging) did not rear its ugly head. I will shoot another cartridge tomorrow. I won't know if the camera is truly correct until I shoot, process, scan and that takes time. But I am hopeful. My advice to Mr. Willard (an idea given to me by someone else who had a bad experience) is to hire an assistant to help him catch up and contact each and every camera owner he has ignored for the last year. That poor basterd in Hungary deserves to hear from Mr. Willard. Get caught up, stop taking on new orders and slowly take care of these repairs. A man as skilled as Mr. Willard may in fact be the last hope for many Super8 camera owners. Just remember he has no one to blame but himself for his predicament. I hope he can find a way to fix this mess. Who else out there can fix or service these cameras? Pro8 is outrageously expensive. So that leaves Duall in NYC and they don't handle many models. The future of Super8 looks bleak. This is just depressing.
  3. Well, the market continues to shrink as a number of places that developed or transferred reversal have closed shop. In particular, places that offered inexpensive transfer/scans ($25 a roll or less) with no minimum have ceased to exist. As you may know I received my camera back from Willard Engineering after much wrangling and will have to do some tests. I shot one cartridge of Tri-X already and will shoot another this weekend. But these are test rolls. I just need to see if the camera is working properly. I do not have access to a projector so I will need them transferred. Any recommendations? Other than cvsprofessionals (who may no longer be in business) the places I see have minimum requirements or want you to buy a hard drive. It cannot be anywhere that has minimum time or roll requirement. 100ft wouldn't come close to making that worthwhile. Thanks in advance.
  4. Kevin, I did in fact receive my camera. It's been a long haul. I'll know if the problem is fixed once I test some cartridges and get them processed and scanned. That's the thing. It's not like I will know right away. And apparently Mr. Willard has sometimes sent cameras back to people with the light meter reset incorrectly. He doesn't take into account light loss through the view-finder and therefore he ends up having the camera under-expose by a full stop. That's something I hope has not happened with my camera because it was spot on perfect when I sent it to him.
  5. Oh look, it's someone making his very first post. Everything I have posted is factual and clearly others are experiencing similar issues. Some cannot get Mr. Willard to answer them at all after months and months. As for my camera, I tested one cartridge and it went perfectly. I am hoping to test another cartridge this weekend (work is getting in the way).
  6. I'm not exactly rich. Owning two or more top level 8mm cameras is not exactly practical for me. My Canon arrived last week. I tested a cartridge over the weekend and it went fine. I'll test another this week then send them off for processing and scanning. Fingers crossed.
  7. My camera is in the mail to me. I will report back once I have it and then again after I use it and then again after I get the film processed and scanned.
  8. Well, I'll update this, despite nobody reading this section of the forum. My camera is in the mail to me. I will report back once I have it and then again after I use it and then again after I get the film processed and scanned.
  9. Bill, I had never even heard of this section. I was completely unaware. And considering how few posts there are here it's pretty clear this is a dark closet no one enters. I wouldn't call my situation an escapade. It's been anything but exciting or adventurous. It's been stressful and infuriating. it costs me jobs. It's had a serious impact on my life. Escapade just doesn't fit.
  10. When I was last in NYC Pac-Lab was still in biz, but I've no idea if they do mail order.
  11. Considering the subject matter and the need to reach out to two separate groups of people, it's fully justified. And if you have read any part of what's been going on, you would understand. Many have already thanked me.
  12. Mr. Willard has informed me that he will be mailing me my camera by June 1st. Fingers crossed.
  13. I was told that my camera would be mailed back to me on June 1st. We shall see. By the way, mods... I don't appreciate this thread being moved to an area of the forum no one reads. Anyone who has been paying attention to this thread will now be unaware of where it is or what's happening because it was moved out of the general forum. Despite my being the thread starter I was not even notified of the move and thought someone had deleted it.
  14. I wouldn't have cared had he communicated with me. It was the weeks of no communication and ignored phone calls, texts and emails begging him for answers that pushed me over the edge. As of right now Mr. Willard is being responsive and working hard on the camera. he has been for a few weeks now so I am grateful for that. All i want is my camera repaired so I am praying he can do it.
  15. Not yet. Mr. Willard is working on it. We are in contact and the problem seems to be a real p*sser. It requires taking the camera completely apart to get to it. Such is life.
  16. The higher end 8mm cameras have seen their going rate crash the last year. The Canon 1014 XL-S has taken a beating. The Nikon R10 not far behind it. They are being dumped on eBay constantly.
  17. In case you hadn't put two and two together, I am bending over backwards to be diplomatic.
  18. Just an update: Mr. Willard and I spoke today. He has been ill and unable to work on cameras due to his health. He has improved and promised to fix my camera this weekend. I take him at his word and want everyone to know it looks like this situation will be resolved. Once the camera arrives I will update you all.
  19. Just an update: Mr. Willard and I spoke today. He has been ill and unable to work on cameras due to his health. He has improved and promised to fix my camera this weekend. I take him at his word and want everyone to know it looks like this situation will be resolved. Once the camera arrives I will update you all.
  20. That may be true, but it's a royal pain. Adding complexity and work into the equation is enough to force many people into going all digital. Should i just buy a Digital Bolex? Other cameras are coming out thi year as well. I WANT BADLY to continue shooting Super8 and snag the Logmar, but I cannot take a multi-thousand dollar risk. I would urge the team behind that camera to contact Kodak and try to work out a partnership to ensure some longevity. It would be greatly reassuring to all of us.
  21. I had planned on purchasing the new Super8 camera, but now I am not so sure. Spending thousands of dollars on a format that may be doomed within months or a year or two is not very smart.
  22. I'm kind of going public now, Brian, so I hope it doesn't tick him off. I won't get into what was said just yet because I am hoping for a positive resolution. I'm also going to call Doug at Spectra on Monday and try to find out a bit more.
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