8mm Forum: why are M+O elmo projectors more common in europe?

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Topic: why are M+O elmo projectors more common in europe?

Eric Baucher
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 143
From: MD
Registered: Apr 2007

posted January 05, 2008 09:14 PM

I have two HD's but everytime I look om Ebay UK or DE or even IT almost all the Elmo ST projectors are mag/optical yet almost none of the elmos in the US are. I even know a guy who used to sell elmos in NYC in the 70's and he never had any optical capable units, I wonder why that is.......

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David Roberts
Master Film Handler

Posts: 405
From: Suffolk. England
Registered: Apr 2004

posted January 06, 2008 01:18 PM

as i remember,the elmo 1200 series imported into uk were all mag/opt,we just didnt see the other versions or even knew they existed.

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Graham Sinden
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1131
From: Kent, UK
Registered: Aug 2005

posted January 06, 2008 03:22 PM

A friend of mine has an Elmo ST1200 Mag ONLY

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David Pannell
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1072
From: Horsham, West Sussex, UK
Registered: Nov 2004

posted January 06, 2008 04:14 PM

Mine too!

It's an ST1200HD - magnetic sound only!

--------------------
Dave.

Valves and celluloid - a great combination!
Early technology rules OK!

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Kevin Faulkner
Film God

Posts: 4071
From: Essex UK
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 06, 2008 06:18 PM

I have seen a number of ST1200's over the years and they have mainly been the mag only version.

In the UK very few films were released with optical soundtracks. More were released in France, Germany and Japan.

As time has passed these machines have moved about between countries and this may be the reason why you see them now spread about in these countries.

When I bought my very first ST1200HD it did have optical sound but I didnt pay a premium for it. I think it was a case of they sold whatever version was available at the time.

I have repaired quite a few ST1200HD's and in the main the have not had the optical facility.

I have never seen an optical version of the ST600 but they do exist on the other hand virtually all ST800's have optical sound.

I think it was all down to the way that Elmo marketed and built these machines.

Kev.

--------------------
GS1200 Xenon with Elmo 1.0...great combo along with a 16-CL Xenon for that super bright white light.

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Claus Harding
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1149
From: Washington DC
Registered: Oct 2006

posted January 06, 2008 06:24 PM

I too am a bit puzzled as to the 'selective' availability of the Mag/Opt models.
In Denmark we never saw any model but the Mag model, and when I came to the States and got mine, the Mag one (ST1200 HD) was the one offered.
It was not until I got on EBay I ever saw that there was in fact a 'dual-purpose' model available.
I have never had a need for an optical 8mm machine, but still it is interesting how it seems to have been divided up by market. There must have been reasons....more optical films available in England??

Best,
Claus.

--------------------
"Why are there shots of deserts in a scene that's supposed to take place in Belgium during the winter?" (Review of 'Battle of the Bulge'.)

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David Kilderry
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 963
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Feb 2006

posted January 07, 2008 12:57 AM

In Australia there are both. I have had two ST 1200's and both were Mag and Optical. I would say the split sold in Australia would be around 50/50. Interesting in that I have had ST 1200's with optical for over 20 years and never ran a single Super 8 optical print!

David

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Eric Baucher
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 143
From: MD
Registered: Apr 2007

posted January 08, 2008 08:41 PM

I happened to re read my copy of "the super 8 book" by Lenny Lipton (wonder where he is these days?) right after posting this topic, and acording to that book he says that there are also "o" versions of the ST1200D. wonder why they made optical only versions, sems that would have been hard to sell, unless they were only sold to airlines. I have certainly never seen one of those. wonder what that would fetch on ebay? probably be bought just on rarity alone I'd Imagine.....

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Steve Klare
Film Guy

Posts: 7016
From: Long Island, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003

posted January 08, 2008 09:15 PM

Lenny Lipton, who wrote the words to "Puff the Magic Dragon",

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nva4AseNIAY

is alive, well and apparently pretty busy:

http://www.lennylipton.com/

I enjoy his Super-8 book. I bought mine new and it's looking pretty worn these days.

--------------------
All I ask is a wide screen and a projector to light her by...

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Joerg Polzfusz
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 815
From: Berlin, Germany, Europe, Earth, Solar System
Registered: Apr 2006

posted January 09, 2008 09:34 AM

Hi,

you should keep in mind that the single8-camera Fujica ZS400 was able to record optical sound and that Quelle/Foto-Quelle sold a lot of films with an optical sound-track under their "Revue" label in Europe. Not to mention that the German Quelle/Foto-Quelle was also selling films by "Ullstein AV" that have been available only with an optical sound-track. ("Ullstein AV" did have a "super8-rental"-thing for those films, too.)

There have been rumors about several European companies/schools using super8-films with optical soundtracks for teaching/demonstration-purposes as the optical soundtrack was cheaper and wasn't to be erased by mistake... . I haven't figured out whether this is true as most of the companies/schools used 16mm-films... .

Jörg

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