Clinton Hunt
Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 845
From: Waharoa,North Island,New Zealand
Registered: May 2010
posted June 15, 2016 01:27 AM
Geezzz that orange really makes the projector standout! I've never seen a projector that isn't the usual plain colour. Oh and that seems like a VERY HIGH price???
-------------------- Cheers from me in New Zealand :-)
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted June 15, 2016 02:39 AM
It is regretted that the Super 8 models were actually 16mm models (with appropriate alterations.) The manual threading is not at all easy to ensure correct picture/sound separation.
posted June 15, 2016 04:08 AM
Looks like a very early version, and mind you it is optical only. No magnetic sound here. In that respect it can be argued that the price is rather high, although I would happily pay 800€ for a Fumeo 9119. I find the manual threading on these machines rather easy. The trick is: you have to set the correct upper loop but you don't need to make real provision for the lower loop, as that will be set by the tensioner.
Posts: 346
From: Milano, Italy
Registered: Jan 2004
posted June 17, 2016 01:09 AM
It is not a super8 projector, but an optical standard 8mm (8 Mauer or Maurer), a format that was used by SanPaoloFilm in Italy in the first 70s. Roughly 80 full features were printed for it, both BW and Color (all red now) with some of them also in Cinemascope.
IMHO, the price is definetly very high, considering the format
posted June 17, 2016 01:37 AM
Thanks for that information. I was wondering if there had been standard 8 optical films, I had never heard about that before, nor of another standard 8 optical projector.
Posts: 5895
From: Bristol. United Kingdom
Registered: Oct 2007
posted June 17, 2016 02:52 AM
This is very interesting, a standard 8 optical sound projector. A rarity, but not a lot of good to most people. Would anybody buy it at the price?
Posts: 7477
From: Manchester Uk
Registered: Aug 2012
posted June 17, 2016 04:25 AM
No, I don't believe they would now in this era. Most are either faded or well on their way to fading now, so as good as these often top top titled 80's feature prints are, many are well past their best, just like the usefulness of this projector, without magnetic sound facilities.
It really is the complete wrong time frame altogether to invest in a top Super 8mm Optical Sound Projector. 20 years ago, yes...now, most definitely not imo.
-------------------- "C'mon Baggy..Get with the beat"
Posts: 873
From: Southern England
Registered: Apr 2008
posted June 17, 2016 01:15 PM
I guess there is ONE guy out there who has amassed all the Std 8 optical there was and now he will want to buy this... maybe. There were some Std 8 features like HIGH NOON and PSYCHO but I believe they must have been only magnetic surely?
Posts: 339
From: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Registered: Apr 2016
posted June 17, 2016 01:57 PM
I wonder how much the current owner paid for it? It is definitely an uncommon piece of old technology with a design that sets it apart from other std 8 projectors.
Optical sound is something I find fascinating but if I were to have something like this as a conversation piece I'm sure I'd bore anybody who showed a mild interest in it to tears.
I'd also love to have a player piano because I find them fascinating in a similar way but we don't have the space and pianos are expensive to maintain. The projector would take up less room at least.
If I had to guess, I'd say the current owner paid for too much for something they finally realized has no practical value and they're just hoping for the best. Or they picked it up thinking some collector would just have to have it.
posted June 17, 2016 02:09 PM
I just wonder how far in advance of the picture the optical sound track was. It does look about the same as magnetic in the ebay picture, that would make a mag/optical sound projector difficult.
Posts: 346
From: Milano, Italy
Registered: Jan 2004
posted June 17, 2016 04:24 PM
Brian, if I remember right, it's 54 (or 56) frames, basically double of the corresponding 16mm distance. Indeed opt/mag 8mm projector were made both by Fumeo and by Microtecnica (the other firm that produced the 8mauer projectors for SanPaoloFilms), but they are quite rare comparing to the optical version.