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Duncan Brown

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Posts posted by Duncan Brown

  1. On 7/27/2023 at 6:01 AM, Duncan Brown said:

    What is it with these Eclair parts-you-never-see-for-sale-separately all showing up on ebay?  This time it's an NPR Kinoptik viewfinder in decent shape (no rubber eyecup) for $200 Buy It Now or Make Offer, located in Masschussetts:

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/115871609129

    Someone grab that before I do, just on priniciple!

    Duncan

    He dropped the price to $120 (with no Make Offer option any longer) so I snagged it.  No, I have no current need for it.  Though in my world you never know when a nice NPR with no viewfinder is going to drop into your lap (it has literally already happened once already), so Always Be Prepared!

    Duncan

  2. When looking for an Arri-S to c mount adapter, I figured out that while they rarely come up for sale on ebay, they do *eventually* always come up for sale on ebay.  For Arri-B to c, though, I finally gave up and just bought a brand new Fotodiox one.  It's pretty inexpensive, it works, what more can you ask?  

    (Well in my case I could ask for it to be physically smaller, as it would not fit in the pocket of my NPR when the c mount side of the turret was swung into place!  But other than that, it's a dandy piece of gear.)

    Anyway, just an alternative if nobody here comes up with a good used one for sale.

    Duncan

  3. Looks like a very well equipped ACL II, but not nearly enough details in the description or pictures (seller is no expert on these things) and clearly has no idea of the prevailing prices on these because that price is beyond dreaming.  But maybe he'll come down on price some day, maybe someone could talk him through determining if it's been S16 modified, etc.

    Located in Chapel Hill, NC

    https://www.ebay.com/itm/256170890547?hash=item3ba4f99533

    Duncan

  4. On 7/28/2023 at 12:33 PM, Cailin Tamplin said:

    I am an ACL 1 filmmaker in search of an upgrade. I recently DP'd a short film and found that the non-orientable viewfinder was a tough work around, and the director asked if I could get a video tap next time.

    I have entertained the idea of jumping to an SR2, but I want to see if I can keep it in the ACL family because I have 3 400' mags, Nikon and CA1 mounts w/ lenses and batteries. I love the camera!

    ACL 2 with a Heavy-Duty motor and Orientable viewfinder would be great, and if possible, a lead to where I could get a video tap.

    Thanks folks!

    And let's not forget Gregg's kit a few posts back (if it's still available... which if I had more money, it would not be ? )

    Duncan

  5. Just so I have this straight - for NPR, the latest Angenieux is the preferred finder... but for ACL, the latest Kinoptik is the better finder? 

    I know on the ACL, the Angenieux and Kinoptik use different mounts.  Is that the same case with the NPR?  Or do the two interchange directly in the NPR era? 

    Duncan

  6. That looks to me like they used a whole pile of big bright lights high up in the rafters.  I don't think they did much of anything to shape the light - it varies based on the shadows thrown by that weird set, so sometimes several lights are hitting a subject evenly, while other times it's only one or two, with shadows from the rest.  Recreating that with just one light would be a challenge.

    (I've always liked that video, but it sounds like several-years-later Eric Burdon's voice coming out of that baby-faced kid at the time!)

    Duncan

  7. 8 hours ago, Gregg MacPherson said:

    If you do get an ACL and are thinking about mounting early lenses, there is a very common ver of the factory TS/Arri-B mount that also takes Arri-S.

    I have not found those to be common.  In fact I haven't found one at all!  Someone sell me one.

    Duncan

  8. 9 hours ago, Skyler Carrico said:

    What's the difference between RX C mount lenses (for Bolex) and regular/non-RX lenses?

    I see this 10mm for sale on eBay with no mention of RX and this one that says RX, but I can't really see what's different about them. Which C Mount Switar lenses will work on an ACL?
     

    The Bolex split prism reflex viewing system (unlike, say, the ACL with its mirror/shutter arrangement) can do weird things to light that comes in at shallow angles, like with wide lenses at large apertures.  So the RX variations of lenses are designed to compensate for that.  There is no need for an RX lens on an ACL, leave those for the Bolex users.

    Duncan

  9. 2 hours ago, aapo lettinen said:

    do you know which kind of filling the soundproofing mag door covers have, is there something which could melt away in such temperatures?

    The ones I've had to reglue have seemed more fibrous/natural than plastic/chemical so I guess there's hope.

    Duncan

  10. 4 hours ago, Fabian Schreyer said:

    Just to add some information: One observation of mine is that the original ARRI crystal sync motor seems to be the only one that has this feature where it always stops in the viewing position.

    Well that would be handy!  As I discovered with some Eclair motors this trick depends on you putting the motor on the body with the parts in the right orientation, then it just always puts it back there.  I'll have to test my model 504 and see if it does that, if I assemble it properly - hadn't even thought of that, thanks for the heads up!

    Duncan

  11. I know of no third party trigger handles with the pin up the center.

    Arri made a trigger handle as a separate piece, where you can use it without either of the braces.  You do see those for sale more often (not always for reasonable prices.)  And then it's the same base handle parts, but with a longer threaded piece and pin, for being able to reach through the platforms on the two braces and still thread into the camera.

    Duncan

    • Thanks 1
  12. 5 hours ago, Uli Meyer said:

    It has crossed my mind, I just wouldn't know what to ask for it. Over the past two years I've added lots of accessories and a complete set of top condition b-mount lenses. Had a battery belt and seperate v-mount plate regulated to 12Volt. It's a difficult decision to make.

    I'm guessing you could get pretty much whatever you ask for it (certainly way outside my budget!)  I just hope it goes to someone who will shoot with it, rather than someone who wants to put it in a case as a trophy "look at me, I own this super-rare camera."

    Duncan

  13. There is the simple original one that is a metal bar with a big "C" shape on the end.  It's surprisingly usable, despite looking like Tiny Tim's crutch turned sideways.  It just kind of works, putting the loads on your body in ways that keep the camera stable without a lot of effort.  If you can try one before buying it, I wouldn't rule it out just because it looks so dumb.

    There is the more complex original one, with a proper padded shoulder brace and a body brace and some articulated pieces in between.  That starts to look more like a Steadicam rig, and is similarly over-equipped with adjustments.  But quite usable.

    In both cases the key is to get it all adjusted just right to fit your body and comfort level.  Oh, and I recommend in both cases getting the version with the trigger handle - it screws into the tripod socket on the camera to hold it to the bracket, but then also actuates the 16ST shutter control via a pin up through the socket.  Unlike the original side trigger switch for the camera this one is "press on to run, let go to stop" - it doesn't lock on.

    If I get a moment I might post my usual sort of forensic-level photos of both of these, as I own both.

    Duncan

    • Thanks 1
  14. OK I had some time so I documented this a little better.  The first picture shows the state I have seen a lot of Angenieux zooms in - crank missing, but screws put back in place.  The next two pictures show the screws and crank separately, then the last one shows it all bolted in place.  You pull the crank out to engage it with the gear (but it slips on purpose when you get to the end of travel) and push it in to let it dangle freely without any connection to the gear.  

    The screws appear to be M2x4.5mm with a thread pitch of 0.4mm and oval head.

    I'll be interested to hear if you find it useful.  Apparently most people don't, which is why they're never on the lenses.

    Duncan

    angenieux_12_120_crank_01.jpg

    angenieux_12_120_crank_02.jpg

    angenieux_12_120_crank_03.jpg

    angenieux_12_120_crank_04.jpg

  15. On the front of the zoom control (toward the big end of the lens) it has gear teeth on it.  The gear teeth on the crank hub mesh with those.  The crank unit should have a curve to it that matches the curve of the body of the lens (the fixed barrel) just in front of the zoom control.

    There should be a set of three holes in kind of a wide triangle configuration, through-holes in the crank unit, and threaded holes in the lens barrel.  Those line up, and the screws go through the crank unit and into the lens barrel to cinch them together.  I've seen many of those lenses where the screws are in the body even though the crank isn't there.  If you're lucky, that's the case with yours.  If not, you'll have to figure out the kind of screws needed and source some.  If you need help with that, post back here, I can take pictures of some of the screws to show you the head shape, and I have a thread pitch gauge I can use to tell you what the specs are.

    Duncan

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