Eclair ACL English Vs French

[Robert Latimer <themoviehouse@hotmail.com>]

Like too much equipment advice given to film-makers, this French vs English 
ACL issue is derivative.  It's like these film schools where the tutor's 
tell all the students "The Arri BL is THE movie camera for indie 
film-makers" (yawn).

Maybe I stand corrected but I assumed by the ACL you meant the camera body 
and not the mags.  The mags were redesigned to lessen the torque on the 
original motor as someone has already pointed out.

The bodies however were manufactured to identical specs on both sides of the 
channel.  The only difference are slight engineering variations on specific 
parts (something the French seem to enjoy doing, particularly with Aaton 
cameras.  Never seem to get the same camera twice).  The design on the whole 
is identical.  How anyone can say "they just don't work" is utterly 
ridiculous.  The only thing that never worked and never will are those 
original Eclair ACL motors.  Mess about with them as much as you want, the 
motor (and I mean the windings here, not the electronics) are NOT designed 
to power 400ft mags.  The attempt to fix this problem with English mags 
started this whole misinformation campaign on English made ACLs.  They were 
obviously marketed to film-makers on the understanding that 400ft mags COULD 
be powered by the small mini-motor and people quickly found out they 
couldn't.  Therefore the rest of the camera was tarred with the same brush.

I sell Eclair equipment often and I have to say that this is the most 
repetitive and boring question I have to deal with when someone considers 
the ACL.
"Is the body French or English" They ask.
"Why?" I ask
"Because the French body is better"
"Why?"
"I don't know, it just is."

Perhaps I feel particularly sensitive about this whole issue because I am 
British and feel as if we're being accused of what originates as a mistake 
made by the French.

Still, what's new?


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