8mm Forum: Best 8mm film viewer

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Posted by Michele Patucca (Member # 6963) on May 10, 2019, 04:14 PM:

which is in your opinion the best 8mm editor? the brightest one?
thanks
michele

Posted by Terry Sills (Member # 3309) on May 11, 2019, 01:04 AM:

Most of the later viewers/editors combine both Standard 8 and Super 8 and from my experience they all use a 10w bulb, so not much to choose in respect of brightness. Personally I favour the Bolex for the big screen.

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on May 14, 2019, 09:24 AM:

Try Minette... it is very bright. Bulb may be the same but the screen is different making everything looks bright.

Posted by Rob Young. (Member # 131) on May 14, 2019, 09:45 AM:

One thing that I have noticed over the years is that the position of the bulb in the lamp holder really makes a big difference.

No matter what make of viewer, from the most basic to a Goko, before the bulb locks in place, it can still be moved a little each way, so that the best brightness from the filament is obtained.

Sometimes even a fraction can make a huge difference in brightness on the screen.

Also, although bulbs for motorcycle lamps can generally be used as they are the same rating, most have a differnct shaped filament which doesn't always give a super 8 film editor the best light.

So which editor gives the best light? The one with the best genuine bulb and in the best seating position!

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on May 14, 2019, 01:16 PM:

It's true that it's important to pay attention to the position of the light bulb, attention at the filament, maybe buy a substituted halogen lamp, even if with this I never found more light.
But I also agree that the Minette, in any format, are superior editors. In the Reg 8 versions they don't have a very large screen, but they are really defined and with good brightness.
In the other thread I talked about Yashica Editor Model II, also good.
After having owned Goko two format, I don't recommend this editor, it's not very precise with film.

Posted by Leon Norris (Member # 3151) on May 15, 2019, 11:54 AM:

Goko are the best! I had a lot of editors . they just don't compare with the Goko editors! They are well made!

Posted by David Michael Leugers (Member # 166) on May 15, 2019, 02:04 PM:

For 8mm, the hard to find Zeiss Moviscope is pretty sweet. Super 8mm I like the Minette. Goko's are very good also. The Craig editors are pretty good too for both formats. Find any of the above in clean and excellent working condition and you won't do much better. They all are pretty close to the same as far as image brightness is concerned.

Posted by Luigi Castellitto (Member # 3759) on May 15, 2019, 02:59 PM:

The dual formats Gokos don't perform very well with the Super8 format. If you try wind quickly, at high speed, the holes tend to come out of the sprocket teeth. Of course, It doesn't happen with top models, and Michele is interested in Normal 8,
which has largest and most stable holes.
But it's true that the Gokos have a large and fairly bright screen, but the focus is less than the Minettes.
Good, instead, the Zeiss, even if it doesn't have the adjustment for the frame height.

Posted by Kev Morrison (Member # 6338) on May 15, 2019, 06:33 PM:

Michele,

To answer your question completely...

Based upon my limited experience - it depends.

If you're simply looking for the brightest, clearest viewer, I agree with what many have already said, and that is the Minette (S-5). This viewer has a glass screen, is smaller in size for the total viewing screen area, and that translates into a very nice, bright image.

But - even though I've retained my Minette (out of several viewers I had collected, and since sold), I found it slightly more awkward to use compared to my Echo 912, or my Goko GM-3003 (motorized drive) viewer.

While both of these viewers weren't nearly as good image-wise as the Minette, I found that they were easier to use (for me) in editing, and both viewers could handle 600ft+ film reels (the Minette S-5 viewer is limited to 400ft reels). They also have accessory shoes where a frame counter, sound speaker, or a film cleaner can be attached if you need these functions. The Minette? I didn't see that it had these capabilities.

My Goko GM-3003 was especially valuable to me in that my rotator cuff in my right shoulder is a bit cranky at times, and turning a film reel handle to view & edit 2400ft of film would have been a long, painful process. Love those Goko motorized drives!

By the way, I believe that Goko made editors/viewers for Elmo and some other companies, so that's why you'll see that most of these viewers look very similar identical.

Michelle, I know that there are some other nice viewers out there that you can consider, but I'll limit my comments to what I've worked with.

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