Posts: 979
From: Manassas, VA. USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 05, 2010 08:04 AM
Just wondering what the general opinion is on this projector....I know it's a Chinon....but I'm thinking of buying it for a friend who's new in collecting..has not much money and needs something to use. I have a chance to buy a working one very cheaply. thanks for any tips or reviews
Posts: 2211
From: New York City, NY, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 05, 2010 10:19 AM
Never put anything in a Chinon. Unless of course its leader and you like it to look like confetti.
I had 2 of these and I thought they had a lot of bells and whistles and such but I think for a novice your friend would be better off with a nice little Elmo or Eumig. I could be biased though. Since I really didn't like any Chinon I tried.
Posts: 220
From: Greensboro, NC, USA
Registered: Mar 2009
posted March 05, 2010 10:34 AM
I have 2 Chinons, but not that model. Both of mine have chewed leaders on occasion, but have never damaged a film once they got going. That's why I put safety leaders on everything I buy.
Posts: 51
From: Costa Mesa Ca, USA
Registered: Dec 2009
posted March 05, 2010 11:59 AM
I have a Chinon and I'm not that happy with it. Every time I use the projector, I feel like I'm playing roulette with one of my films. Knock on wood it hasn't eaten any of my films but that thought is alway in the back of my mind. I'm looking to pick-up a Elmo myself, any model with sound would be good
Posts: 1061
From: Burnsville, MN, USA
Registered: Dec 2009
posted March 05, 2010 03:19 PM
Some Chinons had a plastic film gate that warped. For some reason Super 8 film runs fine in them even with the warped gate, but they eat regular 8 film.
Posts: 1592
From: United States
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 05, 2010 04:42 PM
I bought my CHINON 7500 new in 1979. It NEVER ate any leaders, or noticably scratched ANY of the thousands of feet of film that i've run through it. I still use it once in a while now. I took good care of it, and it still runs perfectly. Maybe I was extremely lucky.
Posts: 247
From: St. Louis, Missouri USA
Registered: Dec 2009
posted March 05, 2010 09:50 PM
The Chinon 9500 has one of the best bulb cooling systems in the projector world. So basic and simple, incredible no one else used it ..large air vents surrounding the bulb on two sides. After running film for 25 min the plastic vents are only slightly warm to the touch. This projector projects a beautiful picture and in a living room (with a white ceiling) , brighter than the GS 1200 with the halogen bulb . How? Because the Elmo lights up the ceiling causing ambient light that falls on the screen dimming the picture. The only negative with the projector is that after 25 years , I now have to partially manually thread it, otherwise the leader will jam right before the sound head assembly. I know Phil at Pro Super 8 in L.A. has a high opinion of Chinon projectors.
Posts: 230
From: Letchworth Garden City, Herts
Registered: Aug 2008
posted March 06, 2010 06:47 AM
Master Thomas - the sticking just before the sound head could be caused by a slightly slow response of the flywheel and pinch roller. I had this problem with a Fuji and John White (the Sage of Stanmore) said to let the motor run for about a minute before feeding - I did (do) and haven't had a problem since. Could be worth trying on your proj!! Cheers, David E
-------------------- I've NEVER let failure go to MY head!
Posts: 963
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Feb 2006
posted March 11, 2010 11:35 PM
I bought one of these in the mid 1980's, so it had had little use; it scratched film. I tried several times to find the culprit but the black lines kept appearing. I sold it at a loss!
Posts: 2110
From: Loganville, Georgia, USA
Registered: Jun 2003
posted March 12, 2010 12:06 AM
I had a little Chinon 330 8 years ago. I don't remember it scratching or eating film. There was a clicking sound with some of the film tracks. Most of the films sounded fine. I sold it and bought an Elmo ST-800. Now I mostly use ST-1200s and a GS-1200.