Best type of 16mm Projector for large hall screenings

[Miles Shephard]

Hi.

16mm newbie here, based in the US. Looking for recommendations for a good 16mm projector to screen features in a large hall. Not super technically minded, just want to screen some features I’ve acquired over the years. Previously I’ve been a Super 8 collector (own an Elmo GS 1200).

Any advice on a solid, user friendly 16mm projector I should look out for would be appreciated.

[Alan Paterson]

Try and find a Bell & Howell TQ1 or TQ3 that has had the worm gear replaced. That should then be reliable for a while.

[Miles Shephard]

Thanks for that. BTW this came up on eBay and wondered if this projector would be a good fit for me. Or are there any major negatives regarding it. It’s a GRAFLEX MODEL 915 16MM SOUND PROJECTOR

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

How large is the hall, and the screen?

Typical halogen lamp projectors (90% of typical "classroom" projector) should be able to handle 4'-6' screen no problem, or even up to 8'-10' in a right condition. Anything larger than that you may need projector with xenon lamp, which will probably cost $$$ (or $,$$$) if you can find ones in good working condition.

Apart from that my preference would be slot-load or manual - load machine. Most autoload projector sucks, that's the hard fact. The no.1 choice for me would be Eiki projector due to its simplicity. Pretty easy to service and less parts to go wrong. Elmo would have (much) better build quality, but not as simple as Eiki.

I have limited experience with US - made machine ones but one thing for sure - AVOID BELL&HOWELL PROJECTOR AT ALL COST. The untested / unused ones will definitely have cracked nylon worm drive - some $$ and very, very time consuming to replace. A "fully serviced" projector would cost you more than Eiki or Elmo for the same performance, so that no longer make sense to me. Others may have different opinion on this however so that's up to you.

[Martin Davey]

As Nantawat says you need a good light source depending on how large the hall is.
If you have a Bell and Howell with a repaired worm gear then its the best of the lot, and far more tolerant of poor quality prints, but yes that does cost money. Elfs/ Eiki are great, with easy maintenance, and are great with good condition prints but can cause havoc with poor prints and can damage the print further. The auto-thread is also good on B&Hs if the leader is in good condition, which is what the manufacturer asks for.
I have 4 Bell and Howells and 2 Elfs/ Eiki in my fleet.
One thing you should bear in mind is that what ever projector you buy, its very likely it has not been used for quite a while and will need servicing as like the super 8 world, nothing is new!

[Jim Schrader]

miles here is a chart I've had for years never done a hall screening but should give you an idea.

[Lindsay Morris]

I used to use a pair of Hokushin SC10's for commercial hall screenings onto a 4M wide screen..plenty of light and in a side by side comparison between a SC10 and B&H TQ3 the SC10 had a slightly brighter screen light so I used them.
Lindsay

[Ken Finch]

My choice would be Cinetechnic Debrie D16 but I doubt if you have them in the U S A. Probably a slot loading Eiki would be suitable but steer clear of complex self threading machines. Manual threaders in my experience are the best as there is less mechanism to go wrong.

[Frank Angel]

Stay away from most Autoloads, ESPECIALLY B&H 500 series which are basically print shredders. Don't be fooled by that business in the manual about making sure the leader is good -- as if that will make everything run smoothly> A good leader only guarantees that the film goes in one end and comes out the other, but once it is in there, whoa to the owner of that print should a 500 encounter a few broken sprocket holes -- it will go bezerk and start tearing film apart. By nature, the 500s actually think they are Cuisinart's instead of projectors. And even by chance there is an operator sitting by the projector when it hits those bad sprockets and the machine can be turned off quickly and maybe only a foot or two of film is ruined, try getting the film OUT of that autoload mechanism without damaging even more footage. Just try. But when there is no projectionist there watching with anticipation of a breakdown, but just some A/V kid who's on his cell phone instead of being a projectionist, then you can just hear the projector laughing and saying, "Oh, here's a broken sprocket...we can't have THAT, time to turn this print into triacetate confetti; let's see how many feet we can shred before the A/V kid realizes what's happening...10, 20 feet?" It is an EVIL machine and it hates film.

BTW, the exces at B&H who before this monster projector, made projectors that a 10 year old could thread in about 15 minutes. The Autoload thing was just marketing nonsense, basically saying they didn't think teachers (teachers!) could learn how to thread a projector. I'm just saying... 😊

[Simon McConway]

Quite a few sweeping statements about B & H projectors here. As someone who has around twenty- I can say they are excellent if properly and correctly maintained. B & H machines being faulty because of zero maintenance out of the millions made is really not representative of the brand.

[Ken Finch]

Frank, U K teachers used to have to obtain a visual aids proficiency certificate before being able to use school projectors. These courses were usually run at the Teacher Training Colleges or at a school by a colleague who held the certificate. The appear to have been deemed no longer required when the projectors were replaced by auto thread machines!!
I stand by my earlier post regarding The Debrie D16. It outperforms any Bell and Howell or Eiki. Macnines.

[Chip Gelmini]

On the subject of chewing up leaders, keep in mind the aging film, slitters, and perforators aren't cutting the film and puncturing it the proper size.

My B&H's Have been properly serviced, and although due to the age, they do have their own quirks. They're running beautifully all things considered.

Use fresh leader, film, and make sure your prints are lubricated As well as a proper service machine and I think you'll find better results. I'm actually surprised that some of the things I've read here about Bell and Howell projectors on the negative side and I was introduced to this model brand when I was in elementary school at around 1967.