Elf/ Eiki lens 50mm. Not all created equal.

[Martin Davey]

I once saw a post relating casually to different Elf lens that suggested some are better than others. I have 2, 50mm elf lens.
One came with a blue RM. This machine was purchased as new (old stock), in fact the only new projector I have owned. It weighs approx 170 g and is 1:1.2. (Left)
The other came with a more modern NT (brown/ black) secondhand. It weighs 255g, is very much heavier in the hand and is physically smaller lengthways. It is 1:1.3. (Right)
I was wandering what is the thinking behind this. I presume the heavier one is the better quality one to keep? Why does the later model have a better lens than the earlier one, presuming that costs were begining to be cut? Was the older RM in production still in production during the NT's, and given the cheaper lens?
I don't actually use 50mm lens but its good to know what should be prioritised.

[Maurice Leakey]

Martin
I would suggest that the older lens is probably a better one as it's an f1.2 against the later one which is an f1.3.

[Martin Davey]

Thanks Maurice. I will go along with that. I was distracted by the weight!

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

My NT-2 came with this all black barrel version (50mm, 1:1.2). It gives kinda OK picture. Usable, but nothing particular.



To clarify - the lens (actually the whole projector itself) is obviously not in top-notch condition, but I've done my best attempt to disassemble & clean it inside out to get the most out of it.

Later found that this 50mm 1:1.3 lens (ISCO? forgot the writings on the lens) from my scrapped Bauer projector is the same barrel diameter as Eiki, so I gave it a try.

While just a tad dimmer than Eiki, but oh boy it is wayyyyy sharper than original ones. Also color & contrast had been noticeably improved as well. The smooth lens barrel would cause some inconvenience when making the focus adjustment. But the image quality easily outweigh this small issue for me.

So if there's no need to get every bit of light output onto the screen, this could be an interesting alternative.

[Martin Davey]

Thanks Nantawat. Good to hear about the quality of the ex Bauer lens. I understand that Rank machines, being closely related had similar lens. Regarding the smooth barrel I often wondered how well that would work with the Elf/ Eiki focussing system and now I know. I once saw an Astro Kino Color lens with a smooth barrel for sale which the seller on Ebay said was of excellent quality. I asked them how well does that work with the Elf rubber roller but did not get an answer back!

[Nantawat Kittiwarakul]

And for the sake of completeness here is the lens from my scrapped Bauer projector. It really is ISCO 1:1.3 50mm.



Even though the glass looked pretty poor (and so does Eiki lens), the projected image is really superior than Eiki. So if any Eiki owner happened to find this lens with reasonable price, it is very recommended as better replacement.