RE: Eclair ACL English verus French Mags

[Mark <super16acl@aol.com>]

One advantage to the English 400' mag is that it is less prone to jam from 
film coming un-attached from the core (since the rubber capstan keeps firm 
pressure). And the capstan does not scratch the Super-16 edge. Also my 
unscientific testing indicates that batteries last longer with an English 
400' mag, suggesting that it does indeed require less torque to drive it than 
the French mag (though whether that will prevent motor burn-out under duress 
I can't say --- I've typically run 5 mags over an 8-hour period with no 
burn-out problem). I do prefer the French footage counter, as it shows actual 
film remaining in the mag. One needs to be slightly more alert threading an 
English mag, as it is sometimes possible to thread the film between the 
plastic housing and large roller (rather than between the two rollers), which 
will cause an emulsion scratch if the film succeeds in getting to the take-up 
side. In theory the housing is designed to kick the film around and BACK INTO 
THE FEED CHAMBER if this is accidentally done, but I've had it get through to 
the take-up chamber a couple of times (bad scratches). The fix is to install 
a tiny plate (similar to the one on the French mag) that prevents the film 
from fitting into any slot other than between the two rollers.

Really, though, in the end the key is the motor. If you've got a heavy-duty 
motor, then the question of English vrs. French mag is, I think, immaterial. 
I've been shooting a Super-16 film for over 3 years using both types of mag 
with equal results. And the English and French cameras are, for all practical 
purposes, the same (some slightly different diameter gears). It is the haevy 
duty motor, viewfinder (Kinoptik is MUCH MUCH brighter), on-board battery, 
and anatomic handle that really make the biggest difference of all (all of 
which were on the French ACL II). Mark.

PS - The suggestion of using a fiber-optic cable from the out-of-sync lamp to 
the viewfinder was a very good one. It proved to be easy and cheap, and works 
well.  I just drilled a tiny hole into the top of the orange lamp housing, 
inserted the fibre cable (.75mm), and taped it in place with camera tape. 
Then I drilled a tiny hole into the side of the eyepiece to slide in the 
other end of the cable so that it is visible just beyond the metal piece that 
swings shut when the finder is closed. I snipped this end of the cable at a 
45 degree angle, so that the light goes upwards towards the operator's eye.

I also have a Tobin speed checker attached to my mini-slate, with a 
micro-switch rigged to the clapper so that the checker is only turned on when 
the clapper is open. No more out-of-sync takes from a failing battery! I 
highly recommend both for failsafe.

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