Eclair ACL Cameras for video assist

[Robert Latimer <themoviehouse@hotmail.com>]

Mark, could you tell us how much of a problem flicker has been with this 
camera you are using, it may in part help answer Phil's question.  From my 
own experience, it really depends what camera you use.  You can obtain 
non-flickerless cameras from a range of dealers but they are very pricey.  
Typically upward of $700.  The problem here is trying to find which ones 
don't flicker, because there's no such designation with manufacturers.  
Instead you have to find those cameras which have either an adjustable 
electronic shutter or adjustable gain control.

You see, flm cameras pose several problems for video assist.  Firstly, the 
viewing screen on the ACL is not very bright and therefore the image picked 
up by the assist can appear dim without an increase in gain.  Secondly, the 
moment the film camera shutter starts turning the CCD (or CMOS) gets 
confused and thinks it's gone dark.  It compensates by maximising it's gain 
(or worse, lowering shutter speed) and does the same thing the moment the 
shutter opens again.  Of course it does this extremely fast, but the 
strobing effect is clearly visible.  It's acceptable in daylight or bright 
studio shots, but in lower light conditions it's very distracting.

I can't say I've found a cheap board camera that doesn't flicker, but I bet 
there's one out there somewhere.  They're best used for shots where you 
can't get access to the viewfinder, not for pulling focus.

The only way you can find out which cameras work are by probing suppliers of 
video assist cameras very gently.  Try asking John Oaten in the UK, he knows 
them all, but it's like getting blood from a stone.  I'm sure someone up 
here could find out this info.

Also, remember you're not going to find a colour video assist that doesn't 
flicker unless there is a digitizer in between it and the signal.  These are 
prohibitively expensive.

One last thing, Mark did your 8mm lens work okay and was it for Super 16mm?  
I've found the 10mm C mount lens are best for standard and 8mm for Super.  I 
may start supplying these lenses if the demand is reasonable enough.

Even a video tap won't alleviate these problems.  You will still need a 
flickerless CCD, so anyone who has a video tap on their camera I'd be 
interested in hearing what camera they are using.  Somebody mentioned a 
company who will replace the viewfinder with a video tap, but I can't see 
why anyone would want to use a video camera in place of optics.  There's no 
way of putting the viewfinder on again quickly.  As for the video tap 
modification that allows you to use the viewfinder also, there must be a 
pellicule inside that will mean you are losing approx 30 - 50% of the light 
hitting the eyepiece.  That must make for very dim viewing.


Robert Latimer
(The Movie House)



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