Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Newbie and Prevost p.55

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Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-20-2011, 05:59 PM:

Hi to everybody. I love film and analog photography and I am scared to death of it's replacement by digital technology. I have a super 8 collection but I have become interested in going into 35mm. I am being offered a Prevost p.55 for about $850USD, it seems to be in OK condition. I know very little about 35mm projectors. Can someone give some advice and information about this projector. Is the price OK? What must I ask to the seller? Are spares available?

Posted by Marin Zorica (Member # 1716) on 08-21-2011, 08:20 AM:

That P55 should be okay for you, specialy for things you need it. Price, well all depends what you will get with machine....rectifier, xenon lamp, what sound reader, maybee spools, rewinder.....?

I don't know how used machines are going in US market, but on fact I saw some prices I think $850 is okay for well working projector.

Don't know who did import Prevost to the US, but company is still working based in Milano, Italy and they have spares, but probably they are not cheap.

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-21-2011, 08:41 AM:

Hi Marin, thanks for the information. I have yet to see the projector. The price includes the following: lamp, base, external rectifier, infrared led sound reader (can someone explain).

Posted by Dave Macaulay (Member # 813) on 08-21-2011, 11:13 AM:

The infrared LED sound reader is an early replacement for tungsten filament exciter lamp sound readers, designed for true black (redeveloped silver emulsion) film analog optical sound tracks. It is not compatible with modern cyan analog optical sound tracks, the sound will be very low with a lot of hiss noise. You should be able to get a red LED to replace the infrared LED which will be OK for new films - if you only plan to play old prints you can keep the infrared unit as is, and the sound should be slightly better for these silver prints than with the red LED. You won't know what's required until you see it.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 08-21-2011, 01:50 PM:

In the US...Xetron/Neumade was the importer in the '80s.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-21-2011, 03:42 PM:

$850 is a fair price but I would would not buy it unless there are more Prevost P55 in your area. You will need parts and many more 35mm projectors will be coming on to the market in the near future. Time is on your side and I would wait and buy two; one to run and one for parts.

Also, Cinemeccanica and Simplex are more common in South America and I would wait for one of them to be available as there will be a supply of parts for those brands for many years due to the thousands of these manufactured while a relatively low number of the Prevost projectors ever made.

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-21-2011, 07:03 PM:

I am actually interested in a portable 35mm, my dream machine would be a Cinemeccanica Portacine or a Microcine Mignon, the Cinemec LH400 would also be great. But this machines are rather expensive and I have never seen one pop up here in Bogota, anyway I have seen this machines go for thousands of euros/dollars and I don't have the budget to afford them, someone is selling right now a Portacine for 3500 euros in Israel. The thing with the Prevost is that this machines are huge and my apartment is rather small (for US standards it must be tiny) and there is also the issue of the wife factor. My wife loves movies but I am not sure what she would think of having a 100kg projector in the living room.

The same person that is selling the Prevost is selling a Simplex E7 from 1941 and two Supersond from 1955, both of them are gigantic, the price is the same. I would like to know which would be consider a better machine.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-21-2011, 09:08 PM:

You just have to explain to her that the projector is a mechanical work of art... [Cool]

. After all, isn't everything Italian made a work of art? That should make it very easy for you. There, problem solved...

Mark

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-22-2011, 11:56 AM:

Mark, I'll do as you say, I will tell here the Prevost is the Ferrari of projectors and that is also smaller. [Smile]

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-22-2011, 02:29 PM:

Well, the P55 is certainly prettier than a V5 or V8.

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-24-2011, 08:47 AM:

Yesterday I went and took a look at the projector. I was amazed to see how huge it was, I don't think I can put this thing home. It seems to be in excellent condition. They are selling it without lens and light bulb so that's more money I have to put, I was told the rectifier is set for 3000 watts xeon lamps though it can use 2K up to 4K. The sound reader is red led no infrared as I said before. It hasn't been fired up in 2 years. Here are some pictures, comments are encouraged.

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-24-2011, 10:12 AM:

It looks like there are two projectors. It is equipped for 70mm film if that matters.

I can not see the reader, I'm assuming it a laser unit and these do not sound so good and when they expire, and they do, they are very expensive to replace. There is no repair of a laser unit.

BACP make a reader for the this one if it ever becomes an issue.

As I said before, lots of style. If it were a car, it would be a Maserati.

I would get both projectors for future parts, or pass on this deal as Prevost are hand built and parts will be difficult to obtain in the future.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-24-2011, 02:37 PM:

Bet you can steal that Simplex E7 setup for a dime...

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 08-24-2011, 04:41 PM:

That projector is friggin georgous [Cool]

! If I was there I would be buying it [thumbsup]

! It was very well taken care of to be in that good of shape. The Simplex E-7 to the left is smaller and you could tell your wife it is old American Masterpiece... Parts are getting scarce for those too!

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 08-25-2011, 10:45 AM:

These look like P70 35/70mm machines which were the same as the Zeiss Ikon Favorit 70. I used to have a pair of them in my garage. My wife had the quaint notion that garages were for cars.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 08-25-2011, 12:48 PM:

When I saw the floor tiles, I immediately thought of these guys!

You sure it's not 850 thousand?

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-25-2011, 01:03 PM:

It is very Cinemeccanica-like, but nicer-looking. Is it gear-driven or belt-driven?

Personally, I would go for the Simplex, but Prevost parts may be easier to get than Simplex parts in the original poster's location.

As for the size--you could replace the magazines with smaller ones. For 35mm, you only need to be able to fit a 15" diameter reel.

Posted by Robert Throop (Member # 61) on 08-25-2011, 01:28 PM:

These machines are all gear driven. The magazines will take a 34 inch reel IIRC which will hold an average feature.

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-26-2011, 08:25 AM:

Damien, almost 100% sure that is one of the machines. Sure about the price I can imagine someone is trying to get rich importing it back to the US. The Simplex is not working. There are not many persons in Colombia interested in this kind of machines not even at low prices.

About the Prevost, they are all gear driven. The issue is the projectors are really huge and even having the money I don't have where to put them, my apartment is only 50 square meters and I love my wife [Smile]

. So sadly I must report I will have to let the opportunity pass. Anyway I don't think this projectors will be sold fast or easily here, if I have any second thoughts maybe they will still be available.

What I need is a portable 35mm projector to see movies at home, so the Prevost really are over the top for my needs and space.

Here is the Simplex

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-26-2011, 10:14 AM:

Julian is correct, none of these machines are going anywhere fast.

The sound head under the Simplex E7 is a Century R2, a pretty rare model and the best Century ever made.

That said, a number of parts have not been available for many years.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 08-26-2011, 12:34 PM:

Not often to one see an E7 that good looking and CLEAN! Wonder if it would have the oblique, or vertical shaft that everyone hates.

And with a Model E Peerless lamphouse. Potiental museum piece. (in which it would if it had the front shutter available)

-Monte

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 08-27-2011, 11:17 AM:

Sam is right about the R2. Even more rare is the Western Electric version that is identical. This the last WE and the first Century soundhead. Several pair in Evansville Indiana at one time. Louis

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 08-27-2011, 01:38 PM:

There's a few Century R2/Westrex 2002 res-sets still running here.

They are very, very smooth running, stick a modern optic tube in there and they sound really good.

Visible red light conversion, I prefer to do with a combined laser/optic unit. Flat response and good slit illumination. The exciter lamp replacement type are more of hit of miss affair.

Sam, what type of laser exciters are non-repairable? Certainly the ACLs are. I don't know about the Veronese ones, I try to avoid those wherever possible.

Posted by Brad Miller (Member # 2) on 08-27-2011, 01:57 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
It is very Cinemeccanica-like

Don't you mean it is very Tim Burton-like? (I've always felt Cinemeccanicas looked like a contraption out of a Tim Burton movie. [Razz]

)

Posted by Sam D. Chavez (Member # 1841) on 08-27-2011, 02:22 PM:

Did not mean to mislead. Anything can be repaired but lasers don't fade, they just stop making light, so instant show failure if you are running analog sound. Red LEDS decline over time but rarely just go dark.

Red LEDS are also field changeable without a lot of fuss. Laser units need to be replaced and realigned and cost quite a bit more than the bare red LEDs that generally sell for $75 or so.

I like Tim Burton like. [thumbsup]

Posted by Pete Naples (Member # 761) on 08-28-2011, 04:52 AM:

Ah, yes I see your point Sam.

It is a bit of a steam punk looking beasty!

We've a pair of Prevost machines in our works, they're rock 'n' roll mechs with mag dubbers grafted on the back.

Anyone want them before we weight them in?

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 08-28-2011, 10:10 AM:

Prevost preferred to outfit using the Japanese Ohno Giken laser lens tube which was not field repairable. I had a customer pull those out, use a Cinemeccanica reverse scan stereo solar cell circuit board and fabricate a LED bracket.

Posted by Damien Taylor (Member # 4255) on 08-29-2011, 05:13 AM:

Julian, you left a comment on a youtube video of mine asking questions about my projector. I will get back to you with the details when I get a moment!

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 08-29-2011, 06:15 AM:

What is the blue projector that is behind the Prevost in the first set of pictures?

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 08-29-2011, 08:47 AM:

Supersond Clipper made in Spain.

Posted by Julian Baquero (Member # 6489) on 08-29-2011, 09:50 AM:

Richard can you tell us something about the Supersond. Tech specs, built quality and performance?

Damien I was told someone here in Bogota has two Philips FP3, I am trying to contact the owner to see if I can get a deal for them. I haven't found much information about them, but they seem and excellent option for my budget and available space. Hope to here from you soon.

Posted by German Marin (Member # 918) on 09-01-2011, 12:44 PM:

Julian, if in the future you choose buy the P55, I can help you for the spare parts.

Posted by Marin Zorica (Member # 1716) on 09-02-2011, 12:13 PM:

It's cool to have 70mm setup in home, also you can use small 1000W xenon for home, and try to get some 70mm print too!