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ACL
Tricked-out ACL
The Eclair ACL is a 16mm film camera originally manufactured from 1971 through the mid 1980′s. Production of the camera ended after Eclair was acquired by Aaton; however, the ACL remains today one of the smallest professional sync sound film cameras available. The stock ACL shoots standard 16mm film but can be converted to Super-16 for shooting HD or 35mm blowup. Relative to the more famous brands such as Arriflex and Aaton, Eclair cameras offer an affordable choice for shooting on film.
1980 ACL II
Today Eclair cameras continue to be used on indie productions and are a practical option for cinematographers who prefer to own their gear. The ACL also has one of the most flexible lens mount systems available and intermediate adapters are made for nearly every professional lens mount including PL, Arri, Arri B, Canon, and Nikon.
If you own, or are considering purchasing a used Eclair ACL, this site contains a wealth of information for evaluating, operating and maintaining these cameras. The ACL is supported by camera techs around the world and has an active user community on the cinematography.com forums. Links to both are found on the Resources & Links page.
1984 ACL II
Eclair has an interesting company history and the design of the ACL camera evolved over time. A complete historical time-line can be found on the ACL History page.
Thank you for stopping by and please feel free to post a reply on any page of this site.
16 responses to “ACL”
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Hi, I read with interest about the possibility to convert ACL to Super16.
I think I could find one and asking for conversion but I have some doubts about the use of 200 ft: actually (if I am not wrong) the only 200 ft spool provided by Kodak is the one for A-Minima and I have heard it’s a special one. Is it possible to use it for the 200 ft magazine of ACL and how? Do you have any written instructions about it? Thank you, regards,
Max – Italy -
jason April 7th, 2009 at 13:40
Hi Max,
I personally use 100′ spools in my 200′ mag, but according to this post it is possible to use a-minima spools as well. (from Mike Welle’s post at http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=7894)
“the great thing about it is you can use A-Minima loads. I have used them before. Its important to have several standard spare cores on hand because the replacement core in the A-Minima load does not have a slot (it’s non-standard). You need to remove the flanges in a black bag or tent by turning them counter clockwise. Load it exactly the way it shows in the ACL I manual.”
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Ole Dost May 15th, 2009 at 06:26
I used the 200ft spools for the Aaton A-Minima in my 200ft-Mags for the ACL many times. No problems at all. They won´t fit into the Mag with the Daylight-protection-disks (sorry, I don´t know the right term in English..). But when turning them counterclockwise you can take them away. What remains is the 200ft load on a normal core. This fits perfectly into the 200ft Mag. Of course, seperating the daylight-protection disks from the core and loading into the mag have to be performed in complete darkness. Very important: When sending to the Lab write a very clear visible “Emulsion out” – note on the can -otherwise the might destroy it while processing.
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Its a snap. You load in darkness of course: Take the a-minima load into the darkroom and remove from factory package. Pull tape and discard. With two hands – twist each flange in opposite (CW / Counter CW) directions. Load the exposed stock (naturally B WIND) into Eclair mag on the mag FLANGE. This will only work with the flange (pancakes) not the naked spindle, you can alternately use an arri core adapter. The 200 goes in opposite (of the 400) and feeds into light trap UPSIDE DOWN. Check emulsion before stringing up —
Easy
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Xavier November 29th, 2010 at 21:40
Mike, thanks for your tip, but I need some clarification, you say to “twist each flange in opposite (CW / Counter CW) directions. Load the exposed stock (naturally B WIND) into Eclair mag on the mag FLANGE.” Does this mean that you remove both flanges from the A-Minima roll, leaving the film on a core, which is then placed on the flange for the ACL mag? Again, thanks for your input on this!
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Is there anywhere I can get an ACL tool kit?
Or does anyone know what tools were actually in the kit.
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howdy
i have an excellent ACL 2. does anyone know where i can get this converted to super 16 in the UK or in europe?
and the potential costs of this?
many thanks!
jordan-
hey jordan, check out the “links” page for links to techs all over the world. pretty sure les boscher does conversions in the UK. good luck!
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NIkunj Sukheeja January 6th, 2011 at 12:52
Hey Jason, Can you tell me something about the light meter
of this ACL camera I mean is it accurate enough to use with modern
films types? I may have other questions later hope you won’t mind
replying! Thank you Nikunj -
Hello everyone,
I just wanted to say that this webpage ist truely a goal for all eclair users..
I am trying to set up a film-crew for a shortfilm in Frankfurt/Germany. Does anyone have information, how to contact semiprofessionals, for this project?
Many regards-
Hello JJ,
just acquired an ACL 2 and can’t wait to try it out. Happy to help you if possible.
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Hello Luca,
just been on your page. I am truly impressed..
I got a acl myself. One of my Questions is,
would make a upgrade with your tu super16mm or
ultra16mm?
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Has anyone heard or saw a Digital Magazine for the ACL? The same thing they are doing for the Arri Srs.
Please reply-
Absolutely not. Nobody wants to invest for a magazine that will cost much more higher than an eclair set!
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An early proposed price I saw for the P+S Technik digital mags was $45,000 US, so it’s unlikely any ACL owners would buy one!
At that price it would be hard to justify because you could buy an SRII and a RED together for half that amount.
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Leave a reply
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Max April 6th, 2009 at 02:51