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Heikki Repo

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  1. Heikki Repo
    Right, if main format is S16 these do stand out - so that's not really what I was suggesting. But for a lightweight production that needs to move fast, that has lots of light available and for which something that's close to 16mm is enough, V3 50D in super-8 might work. One has to do the tests, obviously.
  2. Heikki Repo
    I think super-8 as a lightweight alternative to 16mm is one possible use case (though one shouldn't exaggerate the similarities in quality). The following footage is not Logmar footage but instead was shot with a Max8 modified Beaulieu 4008 ZM and a Contax/Yashica Zeiss 50mm f1.7 on Vision3 50D. Scanstation 4K scan. The footage was graded, stabilized, scaled and grain reduction with high levels of sharpening was added. And here's the same one without sharpening: And finally, for comparison some Vision3 200T, same specs but no sharpening: https://youtu.be/VJpX8sCfs4U In this last one it really wasn't fun to watch without stabilizing. Shot at 50 fps, there was small but distracting jitter. I don't think most of those who are after super-8 look want that. There the new Gentoo should help.
  3. Heikki Repo
    I have the older one and it doesn't really cover S16. Corners are black in the footage. With zooming in in Resolve it works ok'ish, but it's not optimal. Still, if one is putting together a cheap Zeiss set for ACL including Contax/Yashica lenses, those older 8mm, 16mm and 25mm work great with them to cover the more difficult (and in still lenses non-existent) wide end.
  4. Heikki Repo
    ? Joking aside, one can't call "poor" anyone, who can afford to shoot even a couple of Kodak's S8 cartridges. However, my choice of words was to underline: all hobbyists or owner operators who complain about price of super-8 film/new cameras/processing here or on Facebook are not the intended audience of this camera. I'm not. And that's not an error on the camera makers side, actually it is much more sustainable strategy than trying to compete with the multitude of cheap and old high end cameras that have optical viewfinders, intervalometers, optical fade features and all those things that make the above mentioned crowd smile. This is a professional tool, for a small audience of professionals who need its features. It's like a high end electric minivan for 9 people: too expensive for most people and not that useful for them, but exactly the thing that professionals might find useful in their trade.
  5. Heikki Repo
    Producing high end, low quantity items is expensive. Post pandemic logistics issues raise costs and Russia's invasion in Ukraine is making everything more expensive, food and especially energy included. And most likely since the Rockhopper is in its early stages 25k was just a rough estimate that had to be revised to better reflect reality after details became clearer. Back in 1974 an Eclair ACL with two 400ft mags cost $9,500 USD new. According to inflation calculator, that would be $55,000 now...
  6. Heikki Repo
    One very important thing to notice: this camera is not intended for poor owner-operators, who want to shoot a cheap film format. This is for rentals companies who have customers with deep pockets and who want to have reliable tools for shooting the next music video for an A-list artist or a television series that wants to use super-8 for some shots (see HBO's new basketball series). For such users money is not such an issue, time and reliability are - and while those Beaulieus, Canons and Nizos serve really well poor artists, using them for a bigger budget production might be a bit too much of an adventure, at least if they could instead have a camera with a video tap, V-mount batteries, rigging features...
  7. Heikki Repo
    I have sent a question on this matter to Man-Sung's email address. Anyone in California or US who would like call Bob Allen? @Gregg MacPherson could you ask VP? I'd say this is not a matter of competition but rather of preserving knowledge, also considering the fact that their bread and butter comes from Arris and Aatons.
  8. Heikki Repo
    Agreed. I really think we should ask about this as many different ACL servicing techs, current and retired, as possible. Current ones to ask: - Les Bosher - Visual Products - Du-All Retired ones who have worked on ACLs: - Bob Allen (there are California phone numbers floating around online) - he worked many years on Eclairs at Optical Electro House - Man-Sung Son from Chicago
  9. Heikki Repo
    I went through old posts on these forums, and found this message by Bernie: 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....
  10. Heikki Repo
    One should avoid buying LED lights used, as the LEDs become dimmer over the time and might also get a color cast. In that sense lights that allow you to replace the actual light source (HMI, fluorescent, tungsten) are more preferable when buying used equipment. However, the issue with HMI and tungsten compared to LEDs is of course the heat and the size, which makes working with them slower. Many smaller teams prefer the newer high power LEDs for that reason (and no risk of UV or bulbs exploding). Still, something like flicker free 1.2kW HMI can be very useful to own if you can't rent one but you have the space to store it and team to set it up. And if you know how to use one without harming yourself or others... ? My suggestion is, before you go buying any expensive lights go make some project geographically closer to a rental company. Hire an experienced gaffer to take care of the lights. Learn from that person and observe what works for you. Ultimately, however, I'm tempted to say: don't start your project by buying stuff. I know that I'm being boring, since buying stuff is nice and fun while working on a script or planning a project is just tedious work, but that way you'll more likely end up with an actual finished project and not just with expensive toys sitting on your shelf. Furthermore, if you have a very good story in your documentary, it really doesn't matter that much how many K's the sensor has or if the skin tones are silky smooth Arri Alexa® stuff.
  11. Heikki Repo
    Every computer system has its pros and cons. All choices have their tradeoffs. The new Macs are excellent as long as your use case fits within the sweet spot of the use it was designed for. Try to do something more specialized that doesn't fit within it, and you'll face issues. If you are looking for a quiet, cool computer that can be used for working with video codecs supported by Apple & software optimized for it and you are working alone, you'll very likely be happy with the Apple's new ARM armed computers.
  12. Heikki Repo
    From that page: "A brand new colour cine film, available in 8mm, 16mm, 35mm, and 65mm. At the core of our new film lies a unique chemical formula based on the wonderful and legendary Agfa stock last used in the Oscar winning film ‘Out of Africa’. Famous for their greens, desaturated shadows and enhanced grains, these are all aspects that we are embracing for our new addition."
  13. Heikki Repo
    No inside info here, but at least now they have started selling film to photographers and on the same page they mention that soon they'll take preorders for color motion picture film: https://www.orwo.shop/
  14. Heikki Repo
    Beautiful!
  15. Heikki Repo
    I sent him my camera to be modified in February, he answered very promptly and notified me when he had received it in March. I'm not expecting it to be finished any time soon, on the contrary, it might take several months. That's not an estimate from Les (I didn't even ask for one) but rather based on what I have heard from others who had recently their cameras modified. I also was in touch with him regarding a camera that is being sold on this forum and received an answer the next day. That happened this week. Even back in 2013 when I had another camera of mine modified by him Les was every now and then on vacation and semi-retired. Now it's 2022 and the amount of work has most likely gotten bigger since 2013 due to the resurgence of film. Your mileage may vary, just some things to keep in mind.
  16. Heikki Repo
    I sent him an email last night and got the reply three hours ago. So yes, Les does read email. I think if he's not answering fast, he must be busy enough with other work. Considering that this camera has been sitting finished on his table for two years now I can understand if he prioritizes answering questions that might help him close the business on this one ?
  17. Heikki Repo
    I contacted Les, who confirmed this camera and deal is for real. Here's a photo I received from Les, I added watermark: The camera modifications haven't been paid for yet, so when arranging the payment with Samuel, my recommendation would be to coordinate with Les so that every party to the deal can feel secure about the deal.
  18. Heikki Repo
    Do you have any up to date photos? Or is the camera still, after two years, in Wales at Les Bosher?
  19. Heikki Repo
    The NPR in those photos does not have a PL mount.
  20. Heikki Repo
    Nowadays in fact there are more options available for DS-8, even Kodak color negative, but I guess that the main attraction with Kaccemas is Fomapan due to its price :)
  21. Heikki Repo
    I haven't really heard anything bad about Bernie's work. Bernie was also one of the ACL techs who was trained by Eclair. That being said, in the end everyone has their own way of doing things and then there are the human chemistry issues. Not everyone can stand everyone, unfortunately. Furthermore, as everyone makes a mistake every now and then and the tech circles are small, one can guess that those who are in the business are bound to have to fix each others' mistakes (when not fixing the mistakes they themselves have made!). I really wouldn't dwell on those sentiments too much. If your camera has worked great thus far after Bernie's servicing, let those results testify for themselves.
  22. Heikki Repo
    And for all newbies who might be reading this, please note that the film to be split must be DS-8, that is 16mm wide film but with super-8 perforations. One can't use just any 16mm wide film in these cartridges, even double 8mm film is incompatible.
  23. Heikki Repo
    He does. A friend of mine had him make an EF adapter in 2020, but it took months. Being able to contact Les is a matter of timing and luck. I asked him about an ACL S16 conversion in February and got very prompt responses.
  24. Heikki Repo
    Sorry, most likely I had picked that up somewhere online in the last past few years and when replying, didn't have time to go for the manual to verify. That's the reason for the question mark - I started doubting if that could be true, considering what Duncan had previously written of the electronics. Since I haven't shot high speed footage with my ACL under such conditions where the lack of crystal speed would become a problem, that erroneus idea of them not being crystal speeds had taken root ("surely my ACL can't be so good and modern as I previously thought").
  25. Heikki Repo
    I have mirror parking, but mine is not the ACL2 motor - i.e. the one that has the recessed inching knob.
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