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» Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE   » Operations   » Film Handlers' Forum   » Best/worst projector (Page 3)

 
This topic comprises 19 pages: 1  2  3  4  5  6  ...  17  18  19   
Author Topic: Best/worst projector
Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 08-27-1999 09:34 AM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Kinotone made a little 500 watt xenon lamphouse that used a xenon lamp in a par48 sealed beam unit that was made by GE. The lamp was disconitnued and kinotone built a retrofit reflector for it. It sticks out the back about 6 inches. We used a lot of them on telecine chains up here to get the higher colour temperature and light levels to punch through some very interesting telecine anamorphs
The pulse light was interesting and was actually very efficient considering the biggest one was only about 1KW (it need water cooling of the lamp)
The color was very blue as well
You knew you were in trouble if you had a travel ghost with a pulsator.
Kinotone also built a massive horizontal lamphouse that had the bulb in a small box with 4 condensors arround it shine out onto 4 45 degree mirriors that were converged into a clover leafed lens in he front of the lamphouse
Terrific amount of light I can remember getting about 17fl on a 40' screen with a 2Kw lamp and 16.6fl on the sides
Just an absolute pain to align and expensive after an explosion

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 09-17-1999 02:53 PM      Profile for Stefan Scholz   Author's Homepage   Email Stefan Scholz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Good to see, at lweast someone mentioned the Bauer U2 35/70 mm projector, which is probably within the best projectors ever made. Of coarse, the popularity in the states (here known as National 70 in single phase version) has not been wide.
Compared to the Norelco this projector is fully developed, and in some points overengineered, but gives the best picture and sound reproduction possible.
The Norelco AA is a prototype, just like my SAVOY theatre (the first ever purpose built Todd AO auditorium/ type 1 65.04 mm focal length Cine Apergon originally), whereas the Bauer has no flaws at all.
Best 35mm: Bauer B11 or B14 head, same head, but larger or smaller model, Century, Simplex XL, and after some years of practise Norelco/ Kinotone projectors, specially the recent electronic gear ones.

Worst projectors: Monee, Holmes, Wassmann, Vic 5, Kallee 21 (bulk, heavy, silent as a machine gun).

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 09-17-1999 03:29 PM      Profile for Scott Norwood   Author's Homepage   Email Scott Norwood   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The Bauer has no flaws at all? Wow! I can't claim to have worked with Bauers (I have been blessed with Centurys and Simplexes at the places where I've run film), but perhaps one "flaw" with the Bauer projectors is that the exciter lamp is no longer manufactured. I know of at least one theatre that has a pair of U-2's and which had to convert to LED reverse-scan a couple of years ago when they found that their exciter-lamp supplier could no longer get the lamps.

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Gordon McLeod
Film God

Posts: 9532
From: Toronto Ontario Canada
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 09-17-1999 10:04 PM      Profile for Gordon McLeod   Email Gordon McLeod   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Most U2 were converted over to 10v 5amp lamps
Personally I don't particularly care for the U2. The gear train is patterened after the ernaman 9 and the drum shutter isn't light efficient
Westrex 5000 is the best :-)

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 09-18-1999 03:12 PM      Profile for Stefan Scholz   Author's Homepage   Email Stefan Scholz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Scott, there are flaws with the Bauer... it is simply an overengineered piece of technology-...but advanced if compared to the EL 4k prototype from Holland.
The exciter is different in Europe's 3 phase version than with the National 70 single phase version. But I converted it about 3years ago to Laser pickup...

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Stefan Scholz
Expert Film Handler

Posts: 223
From: Schoenberg, Germany
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 09-18-1999 03:21 PM      Profile for Stefan Scholz   Author's Homepage   Email Stefan Scholz   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Gordon, the gear train of U2 is different from Ernemann 9, a projector I dislike very much. The shutter is conical 2 blade XtraLight type at the U2 projector. I run theese at the Orpheum Theatre.

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Ben Wales
Jedi Master Film Handler

Posts: 602
From: Southampton. England
Registered: Jul 99

- posted 09-18-1999 06:46 PM      Profile for Ben Wales   Email Ben Wales   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
No one has mentioned the British made BTH Supers or the Kalee 37's and what about the Westrex 7000's as the worst, but Iagree the Vic 5 comes out on top as the worst 'washing machine' technology!.

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Stephen Jones
Master Film Handler

Posts: 314
From: Geelong Victoria Australia
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 09-18-1999 08:43 PM      Profile for Stephen Jones   Email Stephen Jones   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The only B.T.H product I have used here in Aus is the B.T.H lamp house I havent come across the projector.The lamp house was used in conjunction with a Super standard projector with R.C.A sound head. The Super Standard projector I believe was made here in Australia and was distributed in Australia by R.C.A Australia, they were mainly used in drive-ins with a handfull in hardtops.The Super Standard was a good performer and solidly built.I worked in a Drive-In useing Weststar projectors,Westrex sound heads and Ashcraft super Cinex arc lamphouses. I believe the Weststars were built in the U.K under license to Century as they are identical and were distributed in Australia by Westrex, also a projector called centrex was built in Australia under license to century and again they were the same as Century a exact copy and were also distributed by Westrex here in Oz and were used in Drive-ins and a lot of hardtops all useing of course Westrex sound heads with Ashcraft arcs in Drive-ins and the Peerless arc in hardtops and like Century,s they were a good projectors, there are a few still used here.Another projector that was used a lot here was the Kalee 21 one of the best projectors I have used and I agree that the vic 5 is worst projector I have used They remind me of a chaff cutter.

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Gordon Leslie
Film Handler

Posts: 39
From: Perth ,Western Australia
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 09-18-1999 09:00 PM      Profile for Gordon Leslie   Email Gordon Leslie   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I don't know about best or worst projector but i've just finished changing the lamp blower fan in a christie H25Z lamphouse .. What were those guy's thinking when they designed these?. I have never worked on any thing thats so complicated!!.

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AndrewBurnell
Film Handler

Posts: 17
From: Newcastle, NSW, Australia
Registered: Aug 1999

- posted 09-19-1999 12:42 AM      Profile for AndrewBurnell   Email AndrewBurnell   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I'd have to go for the Kinoton FP30. They just keep going and going. Ours here are over 10 years old and don't look like stopping any time soon.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

- posted 09-20-1999 05:51 AM      Profile for Mark Gulbrandsen   Email Mark Gulbrandsen   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I definately agree with Stephan on the U-2. Very well made machine and the one I had defintely had a conical shutter. The drive motor is very ingenious the way you change from 24 to 30 fps. Also its at least as heavy as a AA-2 if not heavier and the square magazines are way cool! A few years ago I talked with someone at UA's service and they said there were still a number of these in service in the eastern US that they had no plans of replacing.

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Aaron Sisemore
Flaming Ribs beat Reeses Peanut Butter Cups any day!

Posts: 3061
From: Rockwall TX USA
Registered: Sep 1999

- posted 07-04-2001 03:00 AM      Profile for Aaron Sisemore   Email Aaron Sisemore   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
Yet another topic coming back from the dead for Will Kutler.

Rock on...

Aaron

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Will Kutler
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1506
From: Tucson, AZ, USA
Registered: Feb 2001

- posted 07-30-2001 07:55 PM      Profile for Will Kutler   Email Will Kutler   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
OK Gang!

I finally got to see a Century G1/RCA 9030 and a Motiograph AA in action. Both machines had flat traps and neither had VKF sprockets. No film cleaner was being used. Both machines were somewhat dirty and in need of some TLC. Both soundheads had been upgraded with reverse scan l.e.d. optics. Both machines were mounted to some very old box bases--I could not i.d. the type, but neither projector was securely mounted to the booth floor. Cinemeccanica towers were used as the transport devices. Nonetheless, there was, unlike the Christie P35GPS, no film shedding, and the print was clean and the images steady!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Steve Guttag
We forgot the crackers Gromit!!!

Posts: 12814
From: Annapolis, MD
Registered: Dec 1999

- posted 07-31-2001 10:11 PM      Profile for Steve Guttag   Email Steve Guttag   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
I would definately not classify the U2 as the end all of all projectors and not above the AA2 nor classify the AA2 as a "prototype" projector.

The U2's mag head system is horrid...the guide rollers are so far away from the head that the film is allowed to weave about. In fact the guide roller for mag sound on a pivot that is also too far away and give the roller poor lateral stability.

The gates are definately interesting. The gate runners move forward like a simplex but the lens moves with it...as such focus is always maintained, even if the gate is opened and closed.

The sprockets are made from softened butter! They wear a bit too fast for my liking but they are 70mm or 35mm sprockets so if you run one format more than the other (ie 35mm) you don't have to pitch perfectly good 70mm sprockets.

One of the niftyist features of the U2 is the loop adjuster on the fly...the lower sprocket has a clutch feature that can allow the operator to increase or decrease the lower loop size while the projector is running!

The magazines you can have!...the reel is held on by vitue of the door since there is no latch (the door has a special holder for the reel hub).

For the most part though...I'll still take the AA2

Steve

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"Old projectionists never die, they just changeover!"

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Serge Bosschaerts
Film Handler

Posts: 70
From: Schoten, Belgium
Registered: Jan 2000

- posted 08-01-2001 04:06 AM      Profile for Serge Bosschaerts   Author's Homepage   Email Serge Bosschaerts   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post 
The loop adjuster was standard on the bottom and top sprocket off the Bauer B12.
On the B8B, B11 and B14 this was standard on the bottom and optional on the top sprocket.
Also the U3 and U4 had one on the bottom sprocket.

The advantage of this loop adjuster is that you can always correct the size of the loops while the machine is running, that's one of the reasons that the B12 is my favourite 35mm projector.

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