8MM-16MM FORUM WORLDWIDE

Newbie to this site. Am trying to bone up on my understanding of 8mm projection lenses. Have four projectors: two old B&H 256s, a Brownie 8, and a B&H Lumina 1.2 Auto Load. Am looking at a nice Filmosound 8 with rheostat for 25.00 at a local antique mall to tinker with digital transfers. The antique mall also has a Keystone K 109 AZ for 30.00. Am wondering if the Filmo's f: 1.6 \ F: 18-30 lens (or the Keystone's lens) is any better than my Lumina's Filmovara 15mm-25mm f/1.2 lens. Should I go for the Filmo or stick with the Lumina? Thoughts?

For that matter, what are the best 8mm projector lenses out there? Anyone care to offer a primer on the subject? Would appreciate any advice on the topic.

Hi, Doug! Welcome to the forum. I'm not much on offering advice on lens, but I'm sure someone will chime in with some information.

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I'll chime in in thanks Dan. The lense included with most older 8mm projectors usually do the job. The thing is, if you are transferring film to dvd or video then you want the oldest lens possible. Most older lenses don't provide much magnification when projecting a film most of them are 2X at best and small barreled lenses. Still, early 8mm lenses were made from real ground glass sometimes Leaded glass and were made with heavy precision. They will provide the best image quality even though they only show a small image area. In the late 70's the market was flooded with cheap plastic projectors with cheap lenses mostly from China. Those don't usually focus well and should be avoided. You also don't want to use any kid of zoom lense when transferring films since it will cause a balooing affect to the image. (The sides will look bowed out). Whatever projector you are using as long as it provides a steady image should work well if it's an early projector. When you start getting into 70's projectors then I'd avoid them. That was a huge transfermation period and you aren't likely to find anyting very professional in 8mm. You could go with a Eumig dual sound but the lens wasn't that great.

Thanks for the input, Erik. So, you're saying that the f/1.6 INCRELITE lenses on my old B&H 256s are probably better for transferring 8mm film than either the f/1.2 FILMOVARA (15-25mm) on my B&H Lumina or the f/1.6 (18-30mm) lens on my B&H Filmosound 458A? The plan was to use my B&H 458A projector (1972 model) with a DMC image transfer unit (GT-201A) and a Canon HD 1080p camcorder on a tripod, but it makes sense what you're saying, since the projection window in the DMC is tiny. Thanks again for the info. Much appreciated.

Also, thanks, Dan, for the welcome. Didn't know this site existed. Am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the forum.

I'm saying that zoom lenses, Filmovara, are great when showing films. If you want the best image when transferring then use the oldest ground glass lens you can find. Usually with B&H it is included with their early projectors. Like you said, you have a small transfer screen. That is actually perfect for film transfer and will give you the best image. The F-stop rating doesn't really matter when you transfer films when using that device. Brightness is less of a concern than image quality and your camcorder will adapt to the brightness.
Also, this forum was created for real film collectors. We are all here to help and answer any questions anyone has. We are always happy to help.

Cool. Thanks again, Erik. Wondering now if there's a way to fit one of my old glass ground lenses into my Filmo, since my Filmo is the only unit I have with rheostat control to address the fps issue during transfer. Suggestions?

Talked recently about the same subject of fitting a lens. If the lens is smaller than the barrel of the projector his answer was simply electrical tape wrapped around the lens to fit. If the lens you want to use is larger than the holder then you would have to have machinary to bore out the lens holder or file down the lens barrel itself which could present problems if you go too far. Your best bet is to visit thrift stores until you find an 8mm with about the same size lens in the time period I mentioned and go from there. Most used 8mm projectors when silent go for $5 and up. Not a lot to spend and you can piece together a really good projector for your project.
My first real project projector was a B&H slotload that was the same model we used in my gradeschool but 20 years later. It had a 50mm long-throw lens with a really small image in the space I lived in at the time. (16mm). I found an old 50's projector with a Filmovara zoom lens installed and was lucky to have the same lens barral width. Since then I've fitted several projectors with better lenses personally and usually have pretty good luck when you put the best optics in reliable projectors.

Doug, I am also getting an education on lens from Erik's post here. Optics are very important. Different lens values for different distances and applications.

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Well since were on about projector lens and not to take away from Dougs post maybe some one can give me a little input. I pick up an elmo 16mm that I'm going to use later on(has a sticker on it D.O.E. department of energy). There's a right angle lens that on it that caught my eye that I think may be usefull. (Buhl optical .500 16mm F:1.4 part 420-975) After surfing many sites I've found out that it is used for reverse projecting on a screen.It has a short throw and a wide view. Hmm no one standing up in front of the projector making hand shadows.
Q-1: Can I still use( the part with the barrel and large & small lens ) with out the right angle attachment in the projector for showing movies,not sure if this is the original lens?
Q-2: When installing the barrel part back into the projector does it matter witch groove the pin fits into?
The photos below are of the right angle lens.