Brightness Comparison GS1200 (MODIFIED) Vs Eumig S938 with f1.0 lens

[Paul Adsett]

I just did a brightness comparison between my Elmo GS1200, fitted with the Elmo f1.0 zoom lens and modified to a 2 blase shutter, and fitted with a 250 watt ELC lamp which is powered by an external DC power supply. And the Eumig S938 Stereo with the standard 150 watt lamp, but fitted with the elusive Kodak Ektar f1,0 22mm fixed focus lens.
The Eumig looks very bright, a huge improvement over the standard fitted f1,3 zoom lens, until you switch on the GS1200, at which time the Eumig really does look grey in comparison.
The camera does not lie. This is an unmodified direct screen shot with both projectors running together at the same picture size on the same screen. Modified GS1200 top, Eumig 938 with f1.0 Ektar bottom.

[Shane C. Collins]

Wow, that is quite the difference between the two Paul! And you see it right away in these photo comparisons!

[Paul Adsett]

Yes Shane the screen shot says it all. Nothing here though that is not expected. 250 Watt Lamp versus 150 watt lamp. 2 blade shutter versus 3 blade shutter. What I should have added is that the 150 watt Eumig S938, when fitted with the 22mm f1.0 Kodak Ektar prime lens, is as bright as the standard 3-blade GS1200 with the 200 watt ESC lamp and F1.1 zoom Lens. That's the difference a prime (non -zoom) projector lens makes!
My modified GS1200 with the 250 Watt ELC lamp, 2 blade shutter, f1.0 lens, is a real screen scorcher, and I love it as the Halogen lamp is the right color temperature for color prints, making my Derann color prints look really beautiful. Singin' in the Rain for example really does look like Technicolor!

[Matthieu van der Sluis]

That is a nice comparison

[Dominique De Bast]

I have no doubt that Kodak lense gives a good image, as this has been testimoned several times on the forum, but you need a good distance between the projector and the screen to get a large picture, so it's unfortunately not suitable for small rooms.

[Osi Osgood]

Paul, has there been any studies as to whether having these brighter, hotter burning lamps have any effect on the longevity of film prints? Granted, the film slides through the film gate at an incredibly fast pace, but it would seem, in theory, that the hotter the lamp, the more potential damage to prints I could be wrong.

[Paul Adsett]

Osi, you are right that the hotter the lamp the more potential damage to the print. However I am not seeing any kind of print damage whatsoever. No fading, no blistering or warping. I have incorporated an extra fan into the GS1200 to help reduce internal temperatures, And its worth mentioning that Graham and Thomas also use the 250Watt ELC lamp in their GS1200's, and have done so for several years now, and they are not seeing any print damage as far as I know. Also UV level from the Halogen lamp is probably far less than say a HID or XENON lamp, which many collectors use, and they are not reporting any print bleaching or fading.
The only thing getting damaged is my screen, which occasionally gets scorched!

[Leon Norris]

Also you GS1200 collectors don’t use the 250 watt lamp . Because it puts damage on the transformer. Use the lamp it calls for. The 200 watt. 24 volt.lamp. ESC or EJL. I have three of them and I use the EJL lamp. And if you damage the transformer you can not get it anywhere. So take my advice.

[Dominique De Bast]

Leon, I use 250 watts bulbs, but the projector has been modified to accept them withiout damage.

[Leon Norris]

As long as the machine is modified then it should be all right. But I use the Fl,O zoom lenses. With two blade shutter. And that gives enough light. Also you can file the aperture plate for more light. Which works out pretty good.

[Paul Adsett]

From Leon Norris:

Also you GS1200 collectors don’t use the 250 watt lamp . Because it puts damage on the transformer. Use the lamp it calls for. The 200 watt. 24 volt.lamp. ESC or EJL. I have three of them and I use the EJL lamp. And if you damage the transformer you can not get it anywhere. So take my advice.

Heed Leon and Dom's advice here. Don't use the ELC in an unmodified GS1200. The best solution for the 250w lamp in the GS is an external 24v power supply, which totally removes all the lamp current and thermal load from the projectors transformer. Actually making life easier for the projector!

[Brian Fretwell]

I'm sure an overloaded transformer would also put out a lower voltage and not get the full brightness and colour from th elamp. Regulation due to magnetic saturation of the iron core is what I am thinking of.