Boris Belay

So much confusing information guys ! The simple answer is : ALL Macro-Switar 26/1,1 lenses have a preset aperture design AND are RX specified. And they are great lenses that do cover the Super 16 frame. Voilà !

Because of the large depth of field on a wide angle like the 10mm, it's best to check the focus at closer distances too, like 20 or 30 cm. This will tell you whether your distance scale is accurate.

Hi Richard, The Vario-Switar 100 POE has a constant aperture (max f : 1,9), which means there is no light loss whether zoomed in or out (one of the design features of a lot of cinema zoom lenses over cheaper photo lenses). If anything, you may want to expose your film 1/2 of an f stop slower to compensate for light loss of the optical elements (for some reason Kern does not give T stops which account for that) and for the ageing of the lens. Film will be able to handle this very slight over exposure in any case.

Thanks Jean-Louis. I should also add that you should be thinking not twice but three times before removing the prism from the mechanism plate, or even just loosening its screws. the ground glass is glued to it, so that is where the viewfinder image is formed. In other words, if it's not placed within extremely stringent measurements, the viewfinder image will be off and most of your shots will be out of focus. The idea to mark its position on the mechanism plate before loosening it may seem good, but without a lot of further testing with film afterwards, you're likely to be just off for those difficult low light shots at wide opening (and shallow depth of field), whereas all looked good ad wider opening or with wide angle lenses... Tinkerers, beware ! The point is not to scare film-makers from touching their gear and to say that only factory-trained technicians should open up a camera (in fact, nobody has been trained by Eclair for at least 25 years, when the company closed), but to realise that if you decide to do any service by yourself, you should be well informed, well equipped, and well endowed (I mean : with a steady hand, a good head, and a lot of patience, of course!), and you should be very critical with your own work and test, test, test before shooting anything important. In fact, it's by opening an ACL that you realize the engineering genius that went into designing such a small camera 40 years ago. It's not just that the rotating mirror was replaced with the ACL's swinging arm mechanism (making for a smaller overall size), but also that the whole mechanism of the camera fits on that single mechanism plate : motor shaft, claw mechanism, shutter and drive, spindle mirror, viewing prism and ground glass, magazine drive shaft, and of course, the picture gate -- in other words, the whole heart of the camera (and that's why you need to proceed with more caution than Tony shows in this video when you work on that incredible mechanism plate...). An amazing camera indeed -- love it, open it, but don't botch it !

Hey guys, watch this video for your entertainment, but proceed with caution... Tony seems to have started 'servicing' ACLs last year and he hasn't bothered to look around for serious information about the cameras... Several things are downright wrong in what he says, like : a) a shorted bloop light would not cause flicker, it would burn out the film continuously ; B) you don't set the timing on the camera from the rear drive axle, because you need to see precisely where the shutter is with respect to both the claw and the mirror, instead, you do so by loosening the shutter (without removing the set screws completely) ; c) you don't need to remove the filter or filter holder to remove the main mechanism plate, and in fact, you don't even need to remove the motor if you're careful and you know what you're doing.... Also, you can tell he's not serious about servicing cameras just by looking at the workbench and the tools he uses. I'm not being pedantic, it's extremely important since Eclair screws are very special, with a specific pitch, so you don't want to use crappy tools and break the screw head. If you're going to open an Eclair camera, start by going to the tool shop and buying a set of good quality screwdrivers (flat ones, Eclair didn't use Philips screws) in all the sizes beginning with 1.5mm. And many things about the explanations are just not clear or downright misleading. The ACL he is opening up is not a regular model. Many things have been modified, including an important fact : once you have removed the two bits of back covering, there is normaly yet one more screw that holds the mechanism plate to the body. This is important, since you should be able to run the camera without its back covers when you service it, so that plate has to be set firmly into the body. And what about the claims that 99% of rattling noises on ACLs come from a bent shutter ; that the best motor for the ACL is the CP model ; that an ACL is not made to run over 25 fps -- come on ! I could go on to mention another number of approximations and confusions, but the point is : before you post a video or some other bit of information about something as specific (and more importantly, as dear to their owners) as a 16mm movie camera, please, please do your homework ! Some of us spend years just gathering up original technical information to make it available on sites like eclair16.com (I wrote a history of the evolution of the ACL on the site, just to debunk all the wrong information that was floating around the internet thanks to overnight 'specialists'), so it's really annoying to see all that work being undone by another guy's desire to be the next Eclair technician in Hollywood, now that the people with proper training are disappearing. And I'm not saying that just because I'm a snotty French ;-)

Hi again Gregg, I do have the British maintenance manual ;-) PM me and I will see if I have waht you need. But basically, figuring out these mags is straightforward enough if you're mechanically minded. Best, Boris

Hi Evan, The HD motor should work on the ACL I, all you need is the large mounting plate. You will not get automatic mirror parking (even if it's an HD motor that has that function) since that's part of the electronics in the base, but the motor should run fine. Don't pay an arm and a leg for the large mounting plate, I probably have a couple laying around that I could sell for not much if necessary. Enjoy your camera ! Boris

Hi again, Gregg, I would go with an Aaton or Arri one, because of the optical quality, but above all because these extensions basically all do the same (optically deport a focus point a given distance), so you don't need to reinvent the wheel. The only thing you'd have to worry about is modifying the end of the Kinoptik VF (removing the eyepiece holder, including the iris that closes it) as well as the mounting on whichever extension you opt for. Easier said than done, but at least the difficult (optical) part of the job is done for you ;-) Cheers, B.

Hi Gregg, As far as I know, Clive Tobin did not adapt his Milliframe controler to the ACL II's outboard synch circuit. His short-lived ACL motor does accept the Milliframe, though. But it's a very rare item and not a very ergonomic design. So basically, the only accessory that works with an unmodified ACL II (with its MIPIL pilotable motor) is the extremely rare Eclair BOTEX accessory, which synchronizes the phase of a video signal to the motor's electronics to avoid the roll bar effect. (If anyone is interested, I know where to locate one, btw). On the other hand, AZ Spectrum does offer a modification of the ACL II (and maybe some earlier versions of the camera) so that it accepts the whole set of Arri outboard control accessories (those made for the 70's and 80's Arri cameras with Fischer 11 pin plug input). I have tried one of these modifications, and I can attest that it's quite functional : the speed variator works even for ramping speed while filming, the 3-digit precision speed controler also works. It's not a cheap modification, but it truly modernizes the camera. Cheers, B.

Hi Guillaume, Indeed, it could be a battery problem, or a film-loading problem, or also a problem with old stock (the film was not stored properly and is sticky, for example)... So test with a fresh battery and with fresh film. If the problem continues and you are not confident about opening up the camera, send me a message and we can talk about it. I'm not far from Paris : Bruxelles. Salut, B.

Hi Alain, I don't know who he is either, but I can tell you that that page on eclair16.com was culled from the old Eclair Super-16 website and not checked over. A number of techies on there are now retired or have moved on. I've helped with the site before... maybe I should get back to it ! ;-) B.

Hi Gregg, The quick answer to that question is that most adapters to mount Arri Bayo lenses don't accept Arri St lenses, but a few do... Mostly Eclair TS mounts for Arri St lenses that were later adapted to also mount Arri B lenses. So, most likely, you will have to get both kinds (Arri St and Arri Bayo), unless a technician like Les Boscher builds one that does both for you. The good news is that the ACL's mounting system is so flexible that you have 3 ways to mount Arri (St or Bayo) lenses on your camera : 1. a C-mount to Arri adapter (cheapest, least sturdy/precise), most likely only made for Arri St 2. a CA-mount to Arri lens adapter that fits into the ACL's CA adapter (quite sturdy, but multiplying adapters is not the best idea in terms of accurate flange depth), which were made for either Arri St or Arri Bayo. Look for the copper version of these for an ACL. Don't get the black anodized kind : they do not fit into the ACL CA adpater (or check with the seller that it does), as they were designed for the NPR and Cameflex native CA mount, which is deeper than the ACL's. (As a matter of fact, be aware that not all CA lenses fit into the ACL CA adapter for the same reason!) 3. A proper TS (ACL adapter thread mount) to Arri adapter : the sturdiest and most precise option. Again, most are for either one Arri lens type or the other, but a few are for both. As for the mounting principle, as far as I can tell, all Arri Bayo adapters work on the principle of friction... which is the principle behind bayonette mounts, no? Cheers, Boris

The grip in the picture you refered to will simply NOT work on a flat base Bolex model. You need the flat-topped grips with the quick release disc, or possibly the 'Sure-fire' handgrip (the one where the grip runs nearly parallel to the base of the camera so your wrist is not bent when holding the Bolex, and which triggers the camera through a flexible release cable), although that wold be a very personal preference. Cheers, B.

Hi James, I don't have a manual, but if Dom agrees to scan his, I'd love to have a copy! As for lenses, zoom or otherwise, you are out of luck : it's one of the big limitations of the 16Pro, as it was only sold with either an Angé 12-120 or a Schneider 10-100 zoom. I believe there was also an optional wide angle (Zeiss 9mm?), but it would be even rarer than the two previous to find (and I spend enough tie on eBay to be able to say they are rare indeed). The problem is that not only you'd want functional servo controls, but the 16Pro has a specific mount, if I'm not mistaken. If you're not happy with your lens, your best bet would then be to have a technician either build or adapt the mount on your lens to another one. But keeping the servo controls is unlikely unless you find another lens with a very similar form factor. One possibility would be to trade your older f:2.2 12-120 (if you have the Angenieux model) for one of the more recent f:2-2.2 model with a better lens coating (serial number c. 14xxxxx, as opposed to your 12xxxxx). Both lenses have exactly the same shape, so swapping one for the other should be relatively easy and keep the servo controls. B.

Hi Evan, I know a bit bout the GV-16. The first thing to know is that there are two main variants : the original model made for technical research, which does need a specific control box, and an adpted model (GV-16 Sport) which has a shoulder-support and a built-in base with the controls included, and was made mostly to shoot sport events. I think this later model came out of the NFL's modifications of a number of GV-16s to shoot football. They even endorsed the GV-a6 in a number of 70's ads in American Cinematographer magazines. As with all of Eclairs designed for scientific research (high speed in general), the cameras have various motors, which need their specific control box. The cable that comes out of the GV-16 body (same with GV-35, Camematic and so on) is not too feed the motor, but to control in camera functions such as marker lamps and such. The motor is fed by a cable that comes straight out of the motor. For the Sport model, the cables are fed into the built in base. There is no in-camera provision for triggering the motor either (except again on the Sport model). The standard set-up for a GV-16 is an internal gear-box that will drive the camera up to 200 fps, but that can vary, since these cameras were pretty much custom built by Eclair. And the standard motor is a 24-27V. Kinotechnique model (speed regulation on the motor, like a Cameflex motor). The standard magazine is a horizontal 400 ft model, but there was also a tiny 100 footer (which I have never seen anywhere so far). Yes, the camera has a standard C-mount. It has no viewfinder, so you either use a regular lens with a gate boresight (I have one of those) or you use a zoom-lens with buit-in viewfinder. The Ange 12-120 with VF was the standard lens for that (esp. on the sport model, which even had a bracket to reinforce it). I'm not sure whether SOM Bertiot models would fit the camera, since the base of those lenses is quite wide. Eclair also made a (very rare) specific adapter to mount CA lenses on the GV-16 (I have one of those, if you are interested). If the Craigslist camera is gone, look for a NFL-modified GV-16 that pops up on eBay now and then for a good price (I'm not sure if was ever sold). It seemed complete but a bit rough. Don't buy an incomplete camera, the motors and control boxes are just about impossible to find (I know, I have been looking for about two years now!), although the electronics would be easy enough to rebuild by somebody who knows this stuff a bit. Just to be clear : this is not a quiet camera! I haven't run mine yet, but I can tell it will make quite a racket when it ramps up to those high speeds... Probably not pretty at low speeds either! The design goes back to the 60's, when the NPR was a breakthrough design in 'silent' cameras' There is some overpriced documentation (User's Manual?) available on ebay (unlikely to go for the price they want!), and the camera is documented in early editions of the Carlson Professional 16/35mm Cameraman's Handbook (70's editions at least). There you go. Don't hesitate to write back if you have more questions about the camera. B

Sorry for repeating what had been said before ! I didn't see the answers in the new presentation of the site... Didn't get past the advertisements!

Hello Ray, What you describe could be a problem with the magazine, or one with your loading. You should place a load of wasted film in bth magazines and see if you notice anything particular in the way each runs the film. It should be smooth and fairly quiet in both, even with the magazine door open. The missing part in the second magazine is not a 'registration claw', but a simple ticking mechanism that is supposed to rattle when the lower film loop is lost. A lost loop means you would get the kind of streaking film you mention in your description because the film is pulled by the magazine srocket, and not by the camera claw. The missing mechanism is useful in that case, but is in no way necessary to the proper running of the film -- it's an alarm. Look in the camera manual (widely available on the net) for correct loop length, etc. Best, B.

Sorry mate, can't quite give you a straight answer on this, but if you try across the bay, in oz-land, they may have an answer for you... I would start with Bruce at Aranda Film : http://www.arandafilm.com.au/ He's a very nice chap. Cheers, B.

Hi Bill, I agree: if the motor has torque when off the camera, then the problem could come from the camera (the motor overheats and slows down because of too much mechanical drag). To test this, try 1) to hold the motor shaft with varying pressure from your fingers (perhaps with gloves on) while off the camera and see how much torque it seems to have. 2) Turn the camera mechanism from the rubber coupling to the motor (motor still off, obviously) and see if it seems unusually hard. It should be fairly easy to turn the mechanism, and above all, there should be no hard spots when you turn it. If you feel a hard spot, see whether it happens always at the same point in the cycle, and try to identify which mechanical part may be the problem. Basically, the shutter revolves continuously, while the claw has an intermitent pattern. If the mechanics of the camera seem fine, turning easily and smoothly, than the problem is indeed probably with your motor. The electronics on these Eclair Beauviala motors is antique (by electronics standards) and difficult to repair. I would try Electro Optical House for that, as George seems to be one of the few that knows and still bothers to dig into these old beasts. Otherwise, eBay regularly has (very cheap) NPR motors... and as you found out, a spare is always good to have anyways! Cheers, Boris

Hi Erik, Looks like you're well on your way to a decent home-built transfer ! A few tips, if I may: Yes, get the lens closer. I you have a zoom lens that mounts on your bellows, use that to experiment and find the focal you need at a closer distance. And then, maybe look for a macro lens that will give you optimal optical results. I use a cheap piece of PVC tubing to mask out the open space between the lens holder on the projector and the taking lens. Cheap-looking, but works well to avoid problems with stray light. Or you should at least find a long lens-shade for your takumar. I bolted both parts of my rig on a single piece of wood so that, if they sake, they shake more or less together. And the whole thing is attached to a main wall of my studio so I don't get floor shake. I was lucky to find a Fumeo T-C projector, so I don't have any phase problems at 25Hz (PAL) capture. Projector is two-blade, locked on 25ips speed from the factory. I shoot with a very good 3 CCD 1/2" sensor JVC lab camera, on which I adapted a C-mount (Macro Flange-focal distance, but that suits the purpose), then some C-mount macro rings and a good 50mm. lens. I set the aperture manually on the lens depending on film exposure (wide variations!). Then I capture in SD but uncompressed with a Black Magic capture card, and I get excellent SD results. My next rig, and you should consider that too with your slow-speed projector, is to trigger frame by frame captures from the projector (low speed) to a DSLR with a Macro set-up like yours, allowing for excellent 2K or more frame-accurate transfers. Optically, the set-up is the same, and the trigger systen can be very simple. I experimented a while back with a computer mouse that I took apart, using a moving part on the projector to push the mouse trigger button at each new frame. Simple, but it worked well enough. None of that is complicated, it just takes a bit of experimenting. But re-filming the film itself is the key to good quality transfers. Cheers, B.

Hello Evan, I don't know what happened with your spools and or magazine, but there is no problem putting a standard 100ft, 200ft, or 400ft daylight spool in an ACL magazine (in proper shape). All you need is to remove the flange that supports film on core and any of these spools WILL fit. Your problem may be with the mags, have them checked, or P.M. me for more details. Best, B.

PS. The fad for Classic Cinema lenses may die out as quickly as it's flared up (so hurry if you want to profit, and be patient if you can't), it all goes very fast. What won't go away so quickly, I believe, is who calls the financial shots from now on. The good news is that make-doers like us thriving on obsolete technology (and perhaps knowing why we bother to), are a bit better-equipped to handle the sea-change than the average citizen of the now-enlarged Old World. At least that's what I tell myself when I fell bad about selling out ;-)

Welcome to the new New World Order, people ! Not only is 16mm. film-shooting hanging by the thread of its teeth (or something like this!), pushed ever-closer to the precipice by the "Digital Revolution", but the Financial Center of the world has now effectively shifted, probably for good... Now, to be a little less cryptic : what you are seeing from the pinhole side of the Bolex world ("I love my Kerns and nobody much but other friendly Bolex nuts bothered me about it thusfar"), is that the Far-East Asians are gobbling up anything with a recognizable European brand name that will mount with some sort of adapter on their brand new digital puppies, be they Lumix, Olympus or what-not. The new pocket cameras with 4/3 sensors and replacaeable lenses have ushered in a new standard for prices, one that had only touched longer focal lenses so far, either to be mounted on larger sensor DSLRs, or -- with the Almighty PL-Mount added -- on the RED (upper-case not my own, for a change...). This, combined with the fact that the ones with the deep pockets are now on the other side of 'our' world, makes the phenomenon a bit more startling. And deep, they are, as deep as their desire (at least according to my analysis of the facts) to buy a piece of history/culture with their newfound (if much belated) wealth. Anyone familiar with how the Romans took over Greek culture after having proven their technological-practical superiotity over them -- and because all they had thus far was that techie/handy advantage -- will see where I get my analytical clues from. To be even more down to earth : I deal quite a bit on eBay (or off -- if anyone is interested in Bolex or Eclair gear, PM me ;-) ), especially when I need a bit of cash. I was preparing for a long thrip last December and got selling, including some C-mount lenses I had around for a while but did not have much use for... like an Angenieux video lens in C-mount, Focal 35mm, f:0.90. Pretty rare stuff, but not very useful (it was designed to be motorized and not handy at all without motor/outboard controler). Within a few hours of the posting of this lens on the Bay, I was negotiating directly with several dealers (only one was west-based, and dropped out quickly), to finally sell the lens for USD 2000 or so. All of the other cine lenses I was willing to part with, whether C-mount or C-mount adaptable, went (Far East) for sweet prices too. It left a strange taste in my cine-head mouth, I have to say. But had I been normally made-up (at least mentally), this taste should all have been washed away by the giddy-silly, totally over the top, absolutely unfathomable consumerism I witnessed on a short stopover in singapore during the trip itself. Believe you me, if you haven't seen Orchard Road in the last decade (or some equivalent main shopping strip in an equivalent Asian city), you don't know what excessive wealth spent on useless luxury gods means... NYC was the prototype, the giant malls that spread across the Occident were the working models, and this is the fully mature machine... And it's ongoing too : I need money again, so I throw a line into that new ocean, baiting with the common Angenieux 75/2.5 C-mounter (yes, the one made 50 years ago for B&H, etc), and I get this response right away: USD 3000 instead for a rather rare Angenieux 75/1.9 Cameflex mount lens. And just as much for its sister 40mm model. From a regular guy "who likes to take pictures of his wife and daughters", without even getting on eBay. I closed the deal, got paid lightning fast again, all the while wondering how stellar the price could have been, had the lens gotten some Bay-xposure... So yes, 'they' are buying us out of our lenses : so long as as they're called Angenieux, Kinoptik, Kern, Zeiss... even SOM Berthiot, and a few others, fixed focal lens, cover a micro 4/3 sensor (more or less, it doesn't even matter), and no matter the shape of it, its age, etc... It all goes for 3, 4, 5 maybe even 10 times as much as it did one year ago (not to mention before the RED PL-mount craze started). Only the wide-angles are safe so far -- funny, since they used to be the pricier ones... So hang to what you have, if you really treasure it (it's hard to resist these offers, let me tell you : I wasn't going to sell those two last ones), and dig into the rest of your cupboards for those old things you haven't given a thought to since you got them off eBay for cheap and figured out they didn't clear the Bolex prism (or equivalent technical limitation). Particularly if it's got a WOW-WIDE aperture (like the Kern 1.1, or that Ange 25/0.9 that couldn't stand the side-by side quality test with your old Kern 25/1.4), and yes, even if it's a SOM-Berthiot lens designed in 1954. I'm afraid that is all a bit larger trend than whatever can happen in the Bolex (or Cine-16) world, so we'd better get use to it, perhaps adapt to it, to maybe even benefit from it a litlle... Sorry for the long-winded post, but I wax lyrical when it come to macro-trends, especially if they spell the end of an era (and I don't mean 16mm., for once). Cheers, B.

Hey Rob, What you describe is only true for the early models of ACL motors : the single speed (MIALA) motors, and the first generation of multi-speed heavy duty motors (MIMUL). From about 1975, Eclair shipped the ACLs with the next multi-speed motor (MIVAR) which has an automatic mirror parking feature (brings the reflex mirror back into viewing position at the end of each take, and when you first turn the camera on too). These motors (and the latest MIPIL model with external control feature) are identified by the (strange) mirror icon on the front of the inching wheel. All of the motors that have that icon should do this, unless they are starting to malfunction. Check the work I have started to do to identifies all of the evolutions of the ACL on the eclair16.com site for more on this. Also, if any of you are willing to help us complete the site, please get in touch with me : I need pics and serial numbers of ACLs to complete my history of the model. Let's keep these great cameras running, guys! Boris

The Kino 5,7 should definitely focus without an internal glass filter. Or rather, i should say, it should be in focus from close to the front of the lens to infinity, since it's a lens without focusing gears. Your mount may be off kilter, or your adapter may be badly inserted. Or else, worse, your camera mount may be off. With these very wide focus lens, any discrepancy in lens to film distance is critical and very noticeable. If the problem is not obvious right away, check the Kinoptik for signs that it was dismantled (on the screws, etc.). As is, the lens is so solidly built that it should not go off focus that easily. B.