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ACL info wanted


andy oliver

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Hi everyone, foolishly i didn't attend a reasonably local cine convention and have since found out, i missed out on an ACL. Ok there's plenty more ACL out there, but this was a double super 8 conversion !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Has anyone on heard of an ACL converted to the ds-s format before, were they common, are there any companies that can convert one? I will be in contact with the person who purchased the ds-8 ACL, as he is thinking of getting the camera converted to super 16. I may offer to buy him an ACL already converted, how much do super 16 ACL fetch, in mint condition?

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I have never heard of a double super 8 conversion for ACLs, which are 16 mm cameras. So that would be going several steps back, nevermind quite an engineering feat, as the camera would have to be completely rebuilt to shoot DS8. They can, however, be converted to Super and Ultra 16. A mint S16 ACL can run you anywhere from $3K to $7K, depending on accessories, market situation, motor, etc.

Edited by Saul Rodgar
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Guest Glenn Brady

Arriflex built ten or so DS8 cameras based on the 16 ST model, so maybe the Eclair DS8 was a factory prototype or limited production run camera. If you manage to acquire this camera, I'd like to learn more about it. Good luck!

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Arriflex built ten or so DS8 cameras based on the 16 ST model, so maybe the Eclair DS8 was a factory prototype or limited production run camera. If you manage to acquire this camera, I'd like to learn more about it. Good luck!

 

The ironic thing is, the person who purchased the camera is alway jesting that i use a micky mouse format ( super 8 ). I have doubts he will part with or ever use the camera, but i hope to at least see the thing in the flesh within the next two weeks. Will take photos and keep you posted...

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Never heard of such a beast in a little while spent tracking down odd ACLs ant their history... but I wouldn't rule out the possibility of a prototype DS-8 floating somewhere out there. DS-8 did seem like a promising format for a while, and Super-8 did begin to creep up in the minds of people working for tv in the late 70's.

Another possibility -- more current in a way -- would be that this camera has DS-8 sprockets but a widescreen S-16-like gate. This is a format I once saw by a guy working on Bolex cameras in Switzerland (Rudy Muester, or something like that), who applied the idea of S-8 (smaller sprocket holes for larger picture area) to 16mm. film : easy enough, since that's DS-8 stock. The result was a very wide format that's actually centered on the film, unlike S-16 (but larger than U-16). I think the project has been dropped because of the availability of DS-8 stock, but it's brilliantly simple : all you need are DS-8 sprockets and a widened gate.

Anyways, yes, definitely keep us posted -- even if it's just a plain old and sweet ACL !

B.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Glenn Brady
Another possibility -- more current in a way -- would be that this camera has DS-8 sprockets but a widescreen S-16-like gate. This is a format I once saw by a guy working on Bolex cameras in Switzerland (Rudy Muester, or something like that), who applied the idea of S-8 (smaller sprocket holes for larger picture area) to 16mm. film : easy enough, since that's DS-8 stock. The result was a very wide format that's actually centered on the film, unlike S-16 (but larger than U-16). I think the project has been dropped because of the availability of DS-8 stock, but it's brilliantly simple : all you need are DS-8 sprockets and a widened gate.

 

Ruedi Muster's innovation is called Super 8-B or Breitwand (Widescreen). I believe Muster is still active and can be reached at Muster Film & Fernsehtechnik, 2545 Selzach, Switzerland ++41 (0) 32 641 10 46. He may be the only technician still doing DS8 conversions of Bolex H series cameras.

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  • 2 months later...
I want to see a photo. I would be surprised if this thing ever existed.

 

Here is the only link to Rüdi Muster's format that I can find -- it's in German, but the illustrations make the point clear enough. By the way, this is not a widescreen 8mm. format, but an alternative to S-16 and Ultra-16. Muster calls it DS-16/9, which is not exactly a sexy name, but technically quite descriptive : DS for Double Super-8 stock and 16/9 for the widescreen image ratio.

I don't have any more information about this, or whether Muster went on with the project (or servicing Bolex at all).

 

By the way, are there any DS-8 stocks around anymore ? Fomapan ? Processing stocks? Anything ele ?

 

http://www.super8site.com/fanzine/aktuell/r_muster.shtml

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Glenn Brady
By the way, are there any DS-8 stocks around anymore ? Fomapan ? Processing stocks? Anything ele ?

 

John Schwind has Ektachrome D100 in DS8.

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