8mm Forum: Zen and Super 8 Collecting

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Posted by Alan Rik (Member # 73) on November 04, 2016, 06:39 AM:

I just received an Elmo ST180E and had changed all the belts, cleaned her up, and she is in pristine 100% A1 Condition.
So I laced up Abbot and Costello's Who's on First comedy reel. 200ft Black and White and sound.
Dimmed the lights, didn't even pull down the screen, and projected the film on a white wall. About 5 ft wide.
And I watched and laughed! Great performance from a great comedy team. One of the best there ever was.
The sound was nice and crisp from the internal speakers, the 1.3 lens was sharp and crisp. Image was stable no jitter.
I remember seeing this when I was a kid on TV on Saturday afternoons. One of those nice days when my father used to yell at me to go outside to play ball..get out of the house...stop watching TV! He didn't know then that movies and TV were my hobbies. And here ...many years later I am STILL doing it! [Smile]

But after the reel ended I thought about what just happened.
I didn't need to pull out the Beaulieu 708 Xenon-I didn't need to pull out the GS1200 Stereo-I didn't even need to pull out a Derann print to enjoy Super 8.
While watching this film everything I needed was right there.
A nice projector-a nice print. Great content.
We know Super 8 can get expensive. Star Wars-Disney.
But it can also be very, very cheap. And just as rewarding.
Sometimes we can get really into the gear we are using. Whats the best-brightest-sharpest. Best made.
I've gotten into that part of Super 8 too but its pretty cool knowing that the collector with his Elmo, Bauer, Chinon and their Abbot and Costello or Little Rascals films.
is having just as much fun and joy as the collector with his Fumeo and Star Wars setup-about $1000 for the Fumeo and $1000+ for Star Wars.
This hobby can be expensive but it can also be done on a budget with just the same amount of fun to be had.
And of course Abbot and Costello on Super 8 is SO much better than it was on TV! Film is film! [Smile]

Posted by Andrew Woodcock (Member # 3260) on November 04, 2016, 07:08 AM:

I felt the same upon finding Disney's greatest chases again a few years back Alan.

It was one of the last printed and had great great colour still.
(may have even made it onto Agfa low fade by the looks of things)

It didn't cost a fortune, was a beautiful print and took me right back to the very beginnings of this hobby for me with sound film all those many moons ago in 1977! Pure magic. [Smile]

Big or small...we enjoy it all! [Wink]

Posted by Joe Caruso (Member # 11) on November 04, 2016, 09:30 AM:

Take it from one who has, for all intent gone the "short" way all these years - Economical for me, and specializing in shorts isn't limited in scope, per se - It's fun being on this end of the spectrum - Shorty

Posted by Winbert Hutahaean (Member # 58) on November 04, 2016, 05:03 PM:

Hobby is about giving pleasure to ourselves, no matter what films or machine we are using.

Some people just buy and buy expensive films without never watch them. This is hording not collecting.

So I always give advice to new comers to start from simple one. As long as you get entairtained, you already enjoy your hobby.

I started my film collecting hobby in 1986 with "Escape from the Astragad" (col, sound, 200') + Sankyo 501 ex my father. Now I have hundreds films and tens projectors without need to sell my arms and legs. I got them through my experience, friendship and a bit of jackpot fortune [Razz]

Cheers, ...👍

Posted by Dominique De Bast (Member # 3798) on November 04, 2016, 05:18 PM:

I started with silent 50 ft/15 mt black and white films projected on a wall and still enjoy when I do that.

Posted by Osi Osgood (Member # 424) on November 05, 2016, 11:21 AM:

I totally agree with all! It's pleasure and of course, the sheer joy when you find something that you have searched for, for years!

I just bought a double sprocket 16MM Cinecolor print of "Little Black Sambo" cartoon, and the color is just gorgoeous!!! The print doesn't even happen to have a scratch to it, which means that someone probably just watched it once, and stored it. You couldn't ask for a print to look better! I don't even have a 16MM projecotr, i just bought for the sake of archival potential, but oh so lovely, and quite a find!

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