anyone have experience with the Bolex M-8 projector? I

[Todd Kitchen]

There's one for sale on Etsy. It says that it uses a 500W lamp. Was it designed for auditoriums/theaters? It's just so beautiful looking that I wanna buy it even tho I haven't been projecting film much lately, nor do I have much reg8 to project in the first place.

[Thomas Dafnides]

Almost all projectors prior to 1956-58 used high wattage lamps. They project a picture no brighter (and usually less than) the more modern low wattage lamps which had a better more focused light output more suitable for 8mm projectors. The Bolex M-8 has a reputation as a superbly engineered machine, although with a high wattage lamp and high volume fan noise ( from the powerful fan that these early projectors had to have to cool the bulbs). A friend of mine says the M-8 is his favorite standard 8 projector.

[Simon Wyss]

The Paillard-Bolex M 8 has a single claw that leaves the film in a unique manner, namely lifting itself off the perforation hole edge vertically before retraction. Image steadiness is perfect, if film was exposed in a camera that locates in the same position, perforation hole +3, counted from the optical axis. The mechanism can be oiled through a metering system.

Film guidance in the canal is brilliantly accomplished by a patented pair of half cones over which the film rides. It cannot help but run correctly, even in case the slitting edge is irregular.

The light-dark ratio is 2.16 to 1.

You have motor speed control variable between about 12 and around 26 frames per second. No reverse.

Yes, the ventilator is noisy. M 8 R models have a resistor built in that contains asbestos as insulation.

The tape synchronizer does not work dependably as all simple rheostat couplers do. One would need to wire out the motor commutator and use a contactor driven by a perforated sound tape. Finally, the V belt would need to be replaced by a timing belt on toothed pulleys, if one wants to achieve lip synch function over half an hour (400 feet of film at 16 fps).

[Graham Ritchie]

This M8 was a mess when I got it, so decided first to replace the lamp with a 24volt 250watt powered by a external power source from a old Elmo slide projector, that the mechanics had given up long ago. I can still use the high/low setting for the lamp, next was to replace the variable speed control that was falling apart, with a more up to date mains supply electronic circuit, the projector is running fine now.

[Simon Wyss]

Brilliant!