8MM-16MM FORUM WORLDWIDE

What about Meter? I would suspect that it does and that mine has a bad lamp in it. How difficult are these to replace and what kind of lamp will I need?

Interesting: I just went to find out on my two Elmos:

ST-800M: Meter doesn't light up.
ST-1200HD: Meter lights up.

I've had mine apart a number of times and only remember two wires to the meter, and that would have to be the audio signal and its return.

The ST-1200 meter is a different part too, and I suspect part of the reason for the difference is the light inside.

One of the rare pains in the butt with the ST-800 is it's so simple it doesn't even have a pilot light on it. Every so often I forget to turn off the power and if it wasn't for the ST-1200 right next to it I'd have no idea.

That's something that I am not use to. I have always used the S912 Eumig and Elmo is new to me. There are things on the Eumig that I wish were on the Elmo and vice versa. I'm still waiting for someone to create the perfect projector.

I am poised to create the PERFECT projector.
Just waiting for all you potential purchasers out there to actually AGREE as to what comprises such a creation!
Martin

They don't need to be perfect: just appropriate for the moment.

I usually use the ST-1200HD for musical reels because I find the sound is richer (ST-800 sound is still excellent), yet I prefer the ST-800 for showing my own films because the electronic speed control is easier and more reliable than the ST-1200's ponderous two rollers on a lever settup (haven't had the '1200 in 18FPS in years...)

They are both good at what they are best at, and work well together. I wouldn't want both to be the same machine.

Who would play golf with a bagfull of all the same clubs?

I suppose if you were going to only have one machine, it would need to be close to perfect, but I don't see that arrangement lasting very long!

I suppose that when I posted I was still in the land of OZ clicking my heels together chanting "There's no place like home." There has never been nor will there ever be the PERFECT MACHINE. How boring it would be if there were no choices but one single monster with many counter parts apparently poured from the same mold. Variety is what excites us when it's time to replace or just add to ones collection. The bible says that no man is perfect so why should we expect any more from our projectors.

It's also a matter of their differences:

The right tool for the job...

It's tempting to look upon a brain surgeon more highly than for example a plumber, yet when that moment comes the upstairs privy backs up and you have a brown waterfall coming down the stairs, do you really want a brain surgeon to show up?

Just the same: if you have a 3 foot screen to fill and a room 10 feet square to audify, projectors like to GS-1200 would be the wrong choice: they are overkill, a waste of money and a risk of reliability due to their complex inner working!

-but when the screen and the room get big enough, there is no substitute!

I would like an ST1200 but the 800 is more in my price range at this time. I have about a 14ft throw range with a 60" glass bead screen. The 800 works well in this environment and with my extra power amp will produce more than enough volume and has a very good sound.

Steve,

Do you find it important to remove the plastic gears and grease their mounting points? Seems that that would not only cause them to run more quietly but cut down on ware also.

You are doing fine at that rate:

I throw about 20 feet onto a 105" screen and it looks fine.

The grease on both my Elmos is pretty clean and pliable, so I've never really thought about re-lubing them. I bought my ST-1200 from Steve Osborne, and I believe he lubed it there, actually.

The ST-1200 is built like a tank. A lot of what are plastic guides on the ST-800 are metal on the '1200. Some areas that are sliding film guides on the '800 are rubber rollers on the '1200. (Two points for the ST-1200...)

The '1200 is noticibly heavier, and the machinery is quieter too.

They are in the same family, yet more like cousins than siblings!

When I went to Cinesea last month, I took the ST-800 to be review whatever prints I bought up in my hotel room. (Used the refrigerator door for a screen: the walls are a funky color!) I left the (unique) power cord behind in the room and the hotel found it . In the roughly two weeks it took to get it back I still missed using the machine: ST-1200HD or not!