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**Brian Fretwell** · July 24, 2021, 03:36 AM

I can only say that some lamps do dim due to deposits of tungsten from the filament condensing on the envelope of the bulb. I quartz halogen ones it is normally due to slight finger marks so always wipe if you even brush a finger on it. Non halogen ones suffer more from this. Diathermic reflectors also sometimes age badly reflecting less light through the aperture than when new.

I have no knowledge of this projector.

**Dominique De Bast** · July 24, 2021, 04:05 AM

Looks like this projector has not reached the European market since it doesn't appear on Van Eck's Spare Finder page. 150 watt sounds good but it also depends on how the bulb is positioned (it can make a huge difference), on the lens and on the surface you're projecting on (that last element is often neglected).

**Maurice Leakey** · July 24, 2021, 05:00 AM

Jerry
There is a touch of deja vu here.
8mm Forum: Bell and Howell 254RS 8mm projector manual? (film-tech.com)

Have a look at the lamp, after all this time it may have darkened or its reflector may not be perfect. Of course, the prints that you are running may not have been exposed correctly.
Bell & Howell 254RS 8mm lamp - Replacement Bulb - DFN-DFC (porterdeals.com)

**Jerry Coker** · July 24, 2021, 01:08 PM

Thank you for the replies & links. And yes, I posted here about 10 years ago when I bought this projector, plus some film. And then we promptly moved across the country. So the projector & film have been in storage again for quite awhile 😊 I will check the bulb in more detail. Not sure yet where the reflector is. As for the reflecting surface, a white wall with the projector approx. 28' away. So rather nice large projection. Difficult for me to focus from the distance because of my poor eyesight, but there could also be a problem with the projector and/or film(s). In fact, I find it interesting that when I think I have it focused, I then I walk close the the projection on the wall, it appears a bit out of focus. Thus I have to watch the film at about half the distance. Of course the film exposure during filming could be much of the problem as these are home movies from the late 50's to early 60's, with likely camera operator error. I really need to buy a factory film to use as a test guide. Thanks again for the replies. Below are a few more photos, in case you're interested.

**Dominique De Bast** · July 24, 2021, 01:23 PM

It seems that your lens has a 1.6 aperture. That may explain why your picture doesn't look very bright.

**Maurice Leakey** · July 24, 2021, 01:46 PM

[QUOTE=Jerry Coker;n38945]... Not sure yet where the reflector is... /QUOTE]

Jerry
The reflector is integral within the lamp. There is no external reflector.

Bell & Howell 254RS 8mm lamp - Replacement Bulb - DFN-DFC (porterdeals.com)

**Jerry Coker** · July 24, 2021, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by Dominique De Bast View Post

It seems that your lens has a 1.6 aperture. That may explain why your picture doesn't look very bright.

Ahh, so perhaps a small aperture doesn't allow a lot of light, thus dimmer than a larger aperture? I believe this an older projector, perhaps 1950's, but I'm not sure. Thus it might be an early B&H model with a small lens, compared to later models. Thank you for the reply.

**Jerry Coker** · July 24, 2021, 02:26 PM

[QUOTE=Maurice Leakey;n38954]

Originally posted by Jerry Coker View Post

... Not sure yet where the reflector is... /QUOTE]

Jerry
The reflector is integral within the lamp. There is no external reflector.

Bell & Howell 254RS 8mm lamp - Replacement Bulb - DFN-DFC (porterdeals.com)

Thank you, I did not know that. I just gently cleaned the bulb, lens & film transfers. Most if the dirt appeared on the transfers, but not much. I did find a short Woody Woodpecker film I forgot I had, and will test it tonight to see how bright the projection is, to compare with the home movies. As an aside, are home movies likely to suffer from poor focus & dimness at different intervals on the same 6" reel? My guess is yes, but I don't have a lot of hours viewing home movie film. Just curious because I too wondered if dimness & poor focusing could be a projector problem. Thank you for the reply.

**Jerry Coker** · July 25, 2021, 05:52 PM

So after spending some time this weekend with this projector I've come to the conclusion that it does not project a bright enough image for my taste. I watched all my film, about a dozen reels of home movies, plus a couple short studio films, and all of them projected with the same dimness. So I believe the projector has an underwhelming lamp, and/or the small aperture lens is just not large enough to project an image that I like (not letting in enough light?). Other than that, I enjoy running this projector. So I may eventually look for another 8mm or maybe a Super 8mm projector that renders a brighter image. Just not in the market right now. One last question, I assume a new lamp would not make a significant difference with thus projector? I know it's hard to know w/o seeing an image, but just wondered if newer lamps are brighter? Thanks for your assistance/comments!

**Nantawat Kittiwarakul** · July 26, 2021, 12:57 AM

AFAIK non-halogen 150w lamp would be miles behind, say, contemporary EFP 12v 100w halogen lamp. With 1.6 lens would add even more handicapped to the system.

The availability of the replacement lamp would be quite a BIG issue also. The suggested $99 price as in Maurice's link doesn't make much sense - at least to me. A good working Sankyo Dualux 1000H/2000H can be had for about the same amount of money...hmmmmmm.

Yes those good-ole projectors look damn cool.

But it would be better to have a later model projector that comes with better lamp & lens as the workhorse, and have this B&H as the display unit.

**Jerry Coker** · July 26, 2021, 06:37 PM

Originally posted by Nantawat Kittiwarakul View Post

AFAIK non-halogen 150w lamp would be miles behind, say, contemporary EFP 12v 100w halogen lamp. With 1.6 lens would add even more handicapped to the system.

The availability of the replacement lamp would be quite a BIG issue also. The suggested $99 price as in Maurice's link doesn't make much sense - at least to me. A good working Sankyo Dualux 1000H/2000H can be had for about the same amount of money...hmmmmmm.

Yes those good-ole projectors look damn cool.

But it would be better to have a later model projector that comes with better lamp & lens as the workhorse, and have this B&H as the display unit.

Thank you the the reply and feedback/comments. Much appreciated! I've heard of that Sankyo, I think it comes with variable speed too. You're right about these older projectors. They DO look cool, but may be too far from what I'm used to in moving pictures 😊 Obviously I've got some things to think about now. Thanks again for the feedback!

**Maurice Leakey** · July 27, 2021, 10:07 AM

Jerry
Here's a nice Sankyo 2000H dual gauge projector. It's not cheap at $150 or best offer, (plus postage), but it's the best of the Sankyo dual gauge models and it uses a still widely available lamp which is quite cheap. The 100watt, 12volt EFP.

I have one of these and can highly recommend it.

Vintage Sankyo Dualux 2000H Super8 Standard 8 Movie Projector - Tested | eBay

Lamp, A1/231 12v 100w Efp Sylvania : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

Sankyo Dualux 2000-H – Spare Part Finder – Van Eck Video Services (van-eck.net)

**Jerry Coker** · July 27, 2021, 06:51 PM

Thank you Maurice, I'll check that model out. I do now see the advantage of having a projector that is not too difficult to get parts for!

**Jerry Coker** · July 27, 2021, 10:46 PM

Quick question, does the Sankyo 2000H mentioned above come with a special take up reel, or will any 8mm take up reel work (since it appears to be self threading)? Thank you.

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Bell & Howell 254rs age?, dim bulb?, oiling fan?

Bell & Howell 254rs age?, dim bulb?, oiling fan?

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