8mm Forum: 25mm lens for Elmo 16-CL on Ebay

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Topic: 25mm lens for Elmo 16-CL on Ebay

Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 23, 2013 12:54 AM

I'm looking to replace my 50mm lens to get a larger picture. Does anyone have an opinion about this lens listed on Ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/16MM-LENS-ELMO-16-CL-A-25-MM-LENS-1-INCH-LENS-LARGE-IMAGE-/190787986919?pt=US_Film&hash=item2c6bd9a5e7

I'm also considering the 1/2" - 38mm lens, which is more expensive ... but I'm not sure which would be the better choice.

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Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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John Hermes
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 139
From: La Mesa, CA, USA
Registered: Nov 2008

posted January 23, 2013 01:02 AM

A 25mm lens will display a lot larger picture than a 38mm - keep that in mind. I never liked those lenses in adapters things too much, especially on an Elmo, which does not do rack and pinion focusing like a B&H. It seems like the image always shifts position as you focus, since the lens never lies dead center in the adapter. The stock Elmo 38mm lens is very nice if it provides the picture size/throw you need.

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John Hermes

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 24, 2013 12:38 AM

Thanks for the info John. Will there be any degradation in the projected image with either of the lenses. Will sharpness and brightness be affected?

My screen is W-58"x H-44". The projector is about 15ft. from the screen (as far back as I can get it) and with the 50mm lens you can still see it doesn't fill the screen. The 25mm zoom lenses on my 8mm projectors fill the screen nicely from the same distance.

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Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted January 24, 2013 02:10 AM

Janice, unless you can get the original Isco 30-65 soom lens made for Elmo, none of the optics will be as bright as the 50mm primer.
I used for a long time an Isco zoom made for Bauer super 8 projectors in a similar sleeve as the one shown on your ebay listing. It worked really well. As this was a 550w xenon machine, brightness wasn't an issue.
A 25mm lens will have you move your projector closer to the screen. An original Elmo 38mm lens - eventually with a zoom converter - would be the best option.

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 24, 2013 02:23 AM

Thanks for the input Jean-Marc...I haven't heard of a zoom converter. How does that work? Are they hard to find?

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Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted January 24, 2013 08:00 AM

A zoom extension is a small optical attachment that will transform your Elmo primer into a minizoom. multiplication factor is 0.8-1.25 so a 50mm will turn into a 40-62.5 zoom, the 38 gives you a 30.4-47.5, the 20 turns into a 16-25 (although I don't recommend using the 16-20 range with it since the 20mm primer has a long barrel and you'l get vignetting - ie round image).
There's also the focal converter, a simpler reversible device with the same multiplication factor, one end will be 0.8, flip it around and the other end will give you 1.25. Therefore a 50mm with this device will either be a 40mm or a 62.5mm.
They are around. Let me check if I still have a spare to sell.

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Jean-Louis Seguin
Junior
Posts: 20
From: Montreal Quebec Canada
Registered: Sep 2010

posted January 24, 2013 08:25 AM

In our Film Dept. we use a similar Bell & Howell 25mm lens in a custom-made adapter sleeve on our 16CL and it works very well. The one we use is a f/1.5.

Cheers,
Jean-Louis

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Jean-Marc Toussaint
Film God

Posts: 2392
From: France
Registered: Oct 2004

posted January 24, 2013 09:20 AM

Looking at your throw and screen size, and using the formula from the 35mm world, I'd say you need a 30mm primer in flat. So your best bet is to get that 25mm and move the projector closer to the screen or buy a 38mm primer plus zoom converter.
Sorry, I'm out of these. Maybe member Richard Patchett can help you (I sometimes buy spare parts from him) or check Larry Urbanski's website under "lenses" you'll find a device called Filmovara which is sold with an adapter ring for Elmo lenses.

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The Grindcave Cinema Website

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Mark Todd
Film God

Posts: 3846
From: UK
Registered: Aug 2003

posted January 25, 2013 06:51 PM

I would go for the Elmo 38mm and zoom converter, there are two types of converter. One is better than the other.

I had a nice one but goodness knows where it went as can`t find it at all.

They come up on ebay.com stateside often enough.

I think the 38mm with the converter actually iproves the image as cuts the grain down a bit.

I have such a small house a 38 even with a zoom converter is no good here sadly.

Good luck.

Best Mark.

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 26, 2013 03:11 PM

Thanks Jean-Marc and Mark for the education and feedback. Sounds like I have a few options to ponder. Cost is a factor also...

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Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted January 29, 2013 01:30 AM

I decided to go with the 25mm lens for now. I'll just have to see if the picture quality is acceptable.

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Janice

"I'm having a very good day!"
Richard Dreyfuss - Let It Ride (1989).

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Janice Glesser
Film Goddess

Posts: 3468
From: Sunnyvale, CA USA
Registered: Sep 2011

posted February 01, 2013 06:22 PM

I received the 25mm lens and here are a couple of sample pics of my screen. It does cut down the brightness a bit and it's not as sharp...but overall I'm very pleased since the picture now covers my entire screen perfectly. I only had to move the projector about a foot closer.

If you are wondering what kind of screen I have...It's actually from my 30 year old Sony projection TV (which still works). The screen is silver coated and the 4:3 aspect ratio is perfect for film projection.

Thanks again for all the input...it really helped me make my decision.