8mm Forum: ELF 16mm Super Slot Load

This is topic ELF 16mm Super Slot Load in forum 16mm Forum at 8mm Forum.

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Posted by Paul Barker (Member # 4318) on October 16, 2015, 01:28 PM:

just purchased a MINT AS NEW elf slot load projector. could not resist it as i was in such superb condition. original box etc etc. still has original eiki lamp. a stunning designed projector. makes me wonder why there are not more of these models around compared to NT1 etc.

Posted by Mark Todd (Member # 96) on October 18, 2015, 10:14 AM:

Hi Paul sounds lovely, I was looking for one for my son ( I`d of been happy to look after it for him !!! )but hes creeping in to super 8 at the moment, but does like 16mm so will keep looking.

I have an NT0 I am very attached too and just oiled the cam the other day. Made a big difference too.

Best Mark.

Posted by Paul Barker (Member # 4318) on October 18, 2015, 04:17 PM:

hi Mark. elf was the make of my first ever 16mm projector. always prefered them to Bell &Howell. so easy to look after, fix etc. the slot load is really an excellent machine. to find one in such condition, well i never thought i would. just goes to show what can turn up.

Posted by Lee Mannering (Member # 728) on October 19, 2015, 03:38 AM:

Hope you are well Paul.

Welcome to the slot club! I got a slot model a bit ago which looked new but not working. It turned out to be a simple repair and like you I fell in love with the model, particularly the film safety features for the top loop to protect against damage. Nice machines and fairly light to lift about I find.. [Cool]

The large focus knob is also a good idea as well.

Posted by Paul Barker (Member # 4318) on October 19, 2015, 03:57 PM:

hi Lee. ok thank you.yes really really pleased with slot load. hope you had a good day at Harpenden. some nice photos put on. looking forward to Blackpool now.you never no what may turn up there.are you having a table?

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on October 20, 2015, 12:51 AM:

Paul - congratulations, sounds a very good buy. Was it a SSL-1 that you found? I certainly share the admiration for these 'last generation' Eiki/Elf models, which had certain design modifications that made them significantly superior to the SLs and NTs, as well as being particularly pleasing to the eye. It's also reassuring that these projectors were on sale as recently as 2003, so the availability of spares is relatively good.

I suspect the reason they are scarce in the UK is because the video boom had decimated 16mm use by the mid-1980s, when these models first appeared. However, 16mm retained greater popularity in Germany and I've bought a mint SSL-2 and a SNT-2 via eBay Germany, which is a good place to look for them. Best of all, in my opinion, but even harder to find are the electronic touch screen models that can even be used with remote controls. I have an ENT (the autothread, but with Bell & Howell branding, from when Eiki had a deal to sell them to B&H markets) but my 'holy grail' projector is the ESL, that's even virtually impossible to find even in Germany. I know one forum member has one, but I wonder if it's the only one in the UK!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 20, 2015, 02:46 AM:

I have an Eiki/Elf ESL-2. This the electronic push button slot-loader with Optical and Magnetic playback.
It makes very satisfying noises as it sets itself up after pressing the appropriate button!
The Eiki Industrial Catalogue of 1992/93 lists this model @ £2195.

Posted by Adrian Winchester (Member # 248) on October 20, 2015, 05:59 PM:

It was you I meant, Maurice! Is there evidence (e.g. an Elf sticker stuck over the Eiki decal) that yours was sold new in the UK rather than being imported? Somebody (possibly you, but I can't remember) posted the comparative prices of the rotary switch and electronic switch models somewhere, and I suppose the fact that the latter were so much more expensive largely explains why they are so much harder to find, but it almost seems like Eiki only sold a handful, considering the near-impossibility of finding them. I cling on to a feint hope that a batch of new old stock ones will be found in a European warehouse one day!

Posted by Maurice Leakey (Member # 916) on October 21, 2015, 03:38 AM:

Yes. It was I who posted the comparative prices some time ago.
There is nothing on my projector to indicate any origins, although the plate on the back says "240 volts" thus signifying that it was for use in the UK.
The handle says "EIKI ESL-2" and the speaker side-cover says "ELF Slim Line". The serial number is "E10361". does the E perhaps mean something?

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