Editing viewer

[Vitali Vadim]

It is believed that editors scratch films or subject them to more wear and tear than projectors. It's right? It seemed to me that the image on their screens was of poor quality. Are there any good quality viewers that can be used?

[Tom Dennis]

Good morning Vitali,
Yes you are correct in saying the screen/ light quality in the majority of cases was poor, the problem was using the same 6v 10w bulb derived from the automibile industry and enlarging the screen size, the old inverse square law.
The majority of screens were simply ground plastic which gives a centre hotspot. More expensive ones had a fresno screen which evenly illuminated the whole screen.
Laterlay some manufacturers fitted a IQ lamp, perhaps some members have done this conversion?
One editor in the got good reviews in the seventies was the BRAUN/NIZO SB-1, super 8 only. I recall it was more than twice the price of popular editors, but all their products were top quality.

[Todd Kitchen]

I have a Minette Super 8 viewer and the image is bright and sharp. Instead of a Fresnel plastic screen, the Minette uses optical condenser and real ground glass. Hence it's very sharp and bright. It's a slightly smaller screen than some popular models but I love it. Threading it seems tricky at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's actually very easy. It doesn't scratch film. The construction is all metal. It's really well made.

[Joseph Banfield]

I have not noticed that viewers cause wear or scratches on film. I run all new purchases through a viewer and through a cottlen cloth to detect bad splices or sprocket damage. The second the cloth detects a problem I stop and see what crap has been done to my film....staples, masking tape, etc....I've seen it all on used films over the decades! I have never seen damage caused by a viewer that is kept clean!

[Todd Kitchen]

Joseph Banfield Yeah that's my workflow, too. With "found" 8 and super 8 camera original, I just use the cloth as a feeler. If I feel a bad splice I fix it before it hits the film gate of my editor. The Minette will handle less than perfect splices but they often cause the film to jump off the sprockets. So anything that I can feel with the cloth or causes the film to jump sprockets, I replace with a fresh 4-frame tape splice. I'm also cleaning the film during this process so by the time it's ready to be projected for the first time in years, it's all spruced up.

[Vitali Vadim]

Do you pass the movie through the cotton cloth while watching or rewinding the movie without charging the toothed drums? Will this fabric damage the film? Does the fabric only touch the edges of the film or the entire surface?

[John Taylor]

I cant say any editor, (8 or 16mm) has ever caused damage to any of my films. Like projector's, the short film path needs to kept very clean, but if you use and editor to view an entire reel then there may be some risk to damage, especially if you put it through very quickly. I was at an Ealing convention years ago and watched in horror as a guy viewed parts of a film on an editor and was winding the handles at a hell of a speed.
I use mine for the purpose they were built for, editing. I use the winders to get to near where I need to view and edit then I thread the film into the rollers, after the edit, it is removed from the path to wind or rewind. I guess I'm being obvious here but remembering the guy at Ealing fast winding the film through the editor in viewing mode, perhaps it isn't obvious to everyone, the noise that editor was making was awful, the stress he put on the film was far too much, any pieces of dirt in the editor would most definatly had risked some damage to the film.

[Brian Fretwell]

Yes the fact that the film moves continuously both reduces wear and allows the bad treatment you describe.

[Vitali Vadim]

Is it a good editor? I can buy for 30euros.
http://super8wiki.com/index.php/Ohnar_VU-Editor

[Todd Kitchen]

Vitali Vadim: Yes absolutely the cloth touches the film. That's the only way to clean/lube. I have a special mixture that I use. I mix about 8 oz. 99% isopropyl alcohol in a plastic squeeze bottle and add 4 or 5 drops of mineral oil. This mixture cleans and lubricates the film. Most of the really bad faded/shrunken film I've seen was print stock--camera original Kodachrome is pretty rugged. I've never seen any of my gear scratch the emulsion. A real emulsion scratch will show up green when projected/transferred. No amount of wetgate can "fill" it. The picture information is simply gone.

[Graham Ritchie]

I have been using a Goko dual editor for the last few years sorting out a vast quantity of both Standard and Super 8 film for a Heritage Park. Its been really good, with to use no evidence of marking the films I can see. I only use the editor for first checking the prints, slowly winding the films through it, before cleaning and replacing the many old lumpy cement splices on the films, before giving them a final run through a projector. I do keep an eye on films going through the editor, giving the gate a dust of with a blower brush and cotton buds. Like any film equipment keeping things clean does pay of.

[Ken Finch]

Follow the advice given by Graham and others and the editer will not damage film. You do not have to run the film through the editor for cleaning or rewinding or even as mentioned, checking for damage. Most 8mm editors are dual gauge and have to be set for super or standard 8.

[Shane C. Collins]

I have been using a Goko dual editor for the last few years sorting out a vast quantity of both Standard and Super 8 film for a Heritage Park. Its been really good, with to use no evidence of marking the films I can see. I only use the editor for first checking the prints, slowly winding the films through it, before cleaning and replacing the many old lumpy cement splices on the films, before giving them a final run through a projector. I do keep an eye on films going through the editor, giving the gate a dust of with a blower brush and cotton buds. Like any film equipment keeping things clean does pay of.

Graham, that's a very nice editor and set-up you have there. The editor looks well built! Your splicer looks a lot like the one I use on a daily basis.

[Graham Ritchie]

Thanks Shane

Another editor that I like, is the "Elmo 912 Dual" . One of the best things I have ever bought in Super8, was way back in the 1970s a pair of Shinko hand rewinders, they can do both Super8 and 16mm as they come with the slide on adaptors. I use them for all rewinding and cleaning films. I would be lost without them. I don't in general use projectors for rewinding films, I like to rewind by hand, except for 35mm, motor rewinders for that gauge.

PS The cement splicer I have been using is a LPL made in Japan, it will do Super8, Regular8, and 16mm. Although the cement is old, I found by giving the bottle a good shake before using plus carefully scraping not just one one half but both surfaces gives a nice join. I tried a sample a while back by giving both parts a good pull. It held up well, so that convinced me to scape both parts on every splice, seems to work better

[Todd Kitchen]

I used the Elmo 912 back in the day to edit a 4 minute short with a lot of quick cuts. We used tape splices. Don't know what became of the Elmo, but I still have the Wurker. I have been using Hama 4-frame splicetapes since I can't find the Wurker 2-frame splices anymore. I would avoid Kodak Presstapes for super 8--they are so thick they throw the image out of focus when they pass thru the gate. I guess they're fine for attaching leader, etc, but for actual cuts, they really were very distracting.