Microcine 35 Mignon

[Daniel Macarone]

Hello Everyone, I miss being here.
Ever seen this model?


https://transasiancinema.wordpress.c...ector-duo-set/

I'm curious to hear from the 35mm collectors/projectionists, but of course, comments from small-format collectors are also great for discussion. I don't collect 35mm, I just dream. Actually, I can't afford to buy anything in any format these days, but hypothetically, wouldn't this projector be a good alternative to a 35mm platter if you didn't have the space for a platter in your home cinema?

Ever heard about their reliability? Would you prefer the Xenon model or Halogen model?

[Patrick Walsh]

I have seen one in the flesh, A friend of mine who owns a cinema as the halogen model and runs 35mm in his home, I thought it was a good projector and it ran quiet, it can take up to 6000ft reels so you can get just over an hour running time, my friend has also fitted a red LED in the sound head so he can run the modern cyan sound prints, Microcine are still in business and their website is http://www.microcine.it/

[Daniel Macarone]

Thank you, Patrick. Good to hear a first-hand account and it's nice to know the company is still in business.

[Mitchell Dvoskin]

Like most 35mm projectors, if it is in good condition they are great projectors. The thing to be aware of is that they are not the quietest of projectors, and because of the tight threading path you need to be extra careful not to make the loops to big or small, otherwise it may scratch the film.

I don’t know how they are running shrunken or splicey film.

[Ricky Daniels]

Wow!

It’s been a good few years since I used one of these and all I can say is for a compact 35mm portable machine it takes some beating.

Back in the 80’s I was ‘loaned out’ from the BBC Film Department to the British Kinematograph Sound and Television Society’s regular Technical conferences as their chief projectionist. I was responsible for the presentation of various film technological advancements of the time to delegates attending from across the globe.

35mm presentations were given using a Microcine 35mm Mignon equipped with a Xenon lamp and lenses for ‘Scope and various Widescreen aspect ratios, it also had a Dolby Stereo pick-up and, get this, was also double band for the projection of film samples with Separate 35mm Magnetic Soundtracks (SepMag). The SepMag unit was on the rear of the projector.

Some paper sessions required me to lace-up clips in record time and on this machine it wasn’t too hard to achieve a quick change of film during a talk, but with a full house the pressure was always on!

The machine was quiet and ran very smoothly indeed, it had to do the job well because attendees were leaders in the film industry, standards setters and gurus from the film laboratory sector, amongst others!

What a delight to see a picture of this awesome little projector after all these years.

Best,
Rick

Ps.
I also recall demonstrating 16mm STEREO Combined Optical (ComOpt) sound on a specially equipped Eiki Xenon machine for a Japanese company! The intention was to bring either 16mm STEREO optical sound prints or 16mm Duo language prints to the market, the latter utilising the bi-lateral tracks to provide two MONO differing languages on a 16mm print for international markets.

[Daniel Macarone]

Wow, Thank you Rick. I do enjoy the stories.

[Ricky Daniels]

Hi Daniel,
You’re welcome, and thanks for the link you posted, it prompted some happy memories indeed.
Rick