ACL 1 vs. ACL II

During the course of its production the ACL went through various changes.  There are two “official” models of the camera, the ACL (1971) and the ACL II (1979).  Prior to the ACL II, Eclair made various changes and improvements to the basic ACL, so some people have come to use the name “ACL 1.5″, but this is quite confusing as it can refer to any number of evolutions over an 8 year period.  In some of its litterature, Eclair uses the names Type ’74, Type ’78, and so forth to identify these evolutions.

It would be logical to assume that the ACL II is a superior camera to the previous ACL. But in fact, the camera body and mechanism hardly changed at all, and a properly maintained ACL body with the correct accessories can be rendered virtually identical to an ACL II.

While the ACL II was an official release, it is more difficult to differentiate between an ACL and ACL 1.5 because the upgrades that are considered “1.5″ were added incrementally by Eclair over the years.  Cameras were produced that have some, but not all of the 1.5 upgrades.  After 30 years of use, nearly every ACL has had a part or two upgraded that would make it resemble a 1.5 version.  However, there are several key upgrades that are generally recognized as the distinguishing features for each version (also see the end of this page for a more detailed feature list):

• Motor: The ACL has a small motor fixed at 24/25 fps (recommended only for 200′ mags).  The ACL 1.5 and ACL II have an upgraded “heavy duty” motor which pulls 400′ mags and runs at up to from 8 fps – 75fps.
• Viewfinder: The ACL has a non-orientable viewfinder.  The ACL 1.5 has an Angenieux orientable viewfinder.  The ACL II has a Kinoptic orientable viewfinder .  An LED relative light meter was optional on the ACL 1.5 and included on the ACL II (however this is sometimes removed during Super-16 conversions)
• Body: If the body is etched with “Made in England” then it is definitely an original ACL.  The ACL has a Jaeger 4-pin female power connector.  The ACL 1.5 and ACL II may have “Made in France” etched and include a standard (Cannon) 4-pin XLR male power connector.  The ACL 1.5 has a medium base.  The ACL II has an enlarged flat base (toggle switch) with “ACL” inscribed and a side mount for an on-board battery.  The ACL has a sliding mag lock while the ACL 1.5 and ACL II have a flip-top mag lock.
• Hand-Grip: The ACL and ACL 1.5 have a straight hand-grip.  The ACL II has an ergonomic hand-grip with a start/stop toggle button.

1971 ACL

ACL (Original ACL 1)

The original ACL included a small 24/25fps motor (for 200 foot mags only) and a non-orientable viewfinder.

The ACL has the smallest and lightest body of all the versions.  The biggest drawback is the small motor which is not capable of pulling 400′ mags without losing sync, blowing a fuse or burning out the motor.  Motors are fairly easily replaced by a tech and with a heavy-duty motor the original ACL offers the advantage of being more compact and easier to operate hand-held.

Another drawback is the non-orientable viewfinder.  The name is not 100% accurate because the viewfinder does rotate up and down only, however this causes the image to rotate due to the more simplistic internal mirrors.  In other words, if you rotate the viewfinder so that it is facing straight up, the image will appear rotated 90 degrees.  The viewfinder does not have any effect on the footage; however, it can be an inconvenience for the photographer when holding the camera at unusual angles.  The viewfinder can be replaced with an orientable version, however may require a tech to align it properly.

The final drawback of the ACL is the shutter driveshaft design is not technically designed for running at 75fps, though it may run perfectly fine at high speed depending on the camera.  The driveshaft can also be upgraded by a tech.

1976 ACL

The ACL 1.5

The designation  “ACL 1.5″ was never used by Eclair and is essentially the same camera as the original ACL, with the addition of several improved accessories.  The 1.5 includes an Angeneiux orientable viewfinder and a variable speed heavy-duty motor capable of pulling 400′ mags.  The body has a slightly larger, medium sized base and a built-in light meter.

A significant internal change was the addition of a longer, single bearing in the shutter driveshaft to accommodate the 75 fps rate of the new motor (rather than a separate bearing on the top and bottom as in the ACL 1).

Other very minor changes over the years included moving from a hardened steel connecting rod to a plastic rod, and a flip-top magazine release-latch cover replaced the sliding lock

1980 ACL II

The ACL II

The ACL II is the official Eclair successor to the ACL.  This camera body includes a large base (intended for future electronics), anatomic hand-grip with toggle switch and an on-board battery.  The viewfinder is an brighter Kinoptik orientable viewfinder.  The side handle-adapter includes running and sync lamps and a jack for connecting the ergonomic hand-grip switch.

The ACL II includes all improvements that are found on the 1.5 including: flip-top mag lock, heavy duty motor, camera shutter driveshaft modification and 4-pin XLR power connector.  The top carrying handle is shorter and flatter than the 1.5.

U.S. LIST PRICE (in 1983, just before Eclair went out of business): $16,400 with one 400ft magazine

Improved Mag Lock on ACL 1.5 and II

Differences Between ACL English and French Bodies

The French and English bodies differ in functionally unimportant ways – a slightly different aerodynamic style of the mirror shaft, a different rounding of the aperture plate’s edges (English has a gentle slope; French has a harder edge), and a slightly lighter-weight transmission shaft housing on the English Model. The English and French models use different diameter gears in the mechanism (these parts are not interchangeable between English and French cameras).

More negligibly, the English model has an extra screw to the right and left rear side pieces of the body, and an extra screw on top of the plastic cover going into the latch assembly block. The French model has the serial number on the side of the housing, the English on the left rear.

ACL II Side Handle Adapter

A cover that flips over the top of the Mag Release on the ACL II replaces the sliding lock on the ACL 1 and 1.5 designed to keep the Mag Release from being depressed. Neither design successfully prevented magazines from prematurely falling off. The best lock of all is to use part of a clothes pin wedged between the top of the Magazine and the Release Latch; this forces the latch to stay engaged in the Mag.

Both English and French bodies and mechanisms function identically with the exception of the Shutter Driveshaft modification of Bearing to accommodate 75 fps.

Detailed Feature Checklist for Identifying ACL Version:

Today, so many ACL packages have been put together by mixing pieces from different era cameras (“mutts”), that an item billed as an “ACL II” may not necessarily be exactly as it originally came from the factory. So it makes more sense today to run down a “features checklist” rather than to rely on the terms: ACL 1, 1.5 and II. NOTE: If an ACL was made in ENGLAND, then technically it could only have been an ACL 1 — the ACL 1 Shutter Driveshaft was technically not designed for 75 fps, although it would seem that having your Tech add a custom-made long bearing would likely retrofit the camera to factory-like specs for high speed use. Just make sure that if you use 200′ mags, they have the high speed roller configuration (see above).  The checklist items to look for are:

• Body: French / English – both are equally functional (* note 75fps difference in Shutter Driveshaft at TOP)
• Magazine Latch Lock: slide beneath latch (1) / flip cover overtop latch (1.5/II)
• Battery Connection: Jaeger mini-plug (1 and 1.5) / full sized XLR plug (II)
• Battery: off-board (1 and 1.5) / on-board holder (II)
• Viewfinder: Angenieux rotating Non-Orientable (1) / Angenieux Orientable (1.5) / Kinoptik HC Orientable (II)
• Motor: 24-25 fps (1) / Multi-Speed, Heavy Duty (1.5) / Multi-Speed, Heavy Duty with external synch (II)
• Base: small – sliding switch (1) / medium- sliding switch (1.5) / large with “ACL” inscribed – toggle switch (II)
• Carrying Handle: long and anatomic (1 and 1.5) / short and wide (II)
• Pistol Grip: non-anatomic, no switch (1 and 1.5) / anatomic with switch (II)
• 7 LED Light Meter: none (1) / Optional on 1.5/II
• Elongated Bearing in Shutter Driveshaft for 75fps: no (1) / yes (1.5) / yes (II)

Recommendations for Buyers

ANY ACL Body that is quiet (i.e., in excellent running condition) — regardless of whether it was originally a 1 or II  – combined with a Heavy Duty Motor, Orientable Viewfinder, Anatomic Grip with on/off switch and an On-Board battery. A well-running ACL 1 body (English or French) is a better choice than a worn-out ACL II body.

It is also possible to put a great package together starting from ANY ACL body combined with other parts (possibly some 3rd party): Motor (if using 75 fps, best to use ACL 1.5 or II body due to elongated Shutter Driveshaft bearing); any 3rd party on-board battery holder; any good Hand Grip with a switch (switch wired into the battery compartment), and an orientable finder (possibly finders from the NPR or the CP-16 modified to attach to the ACL). Also consider a PL Mount lens adapter.

Not critical to all needs, it seems to me, are the large base, external synch input on the motor, type of latch lock, and internal light meter. In fact, an ACL 1.5 package with a couple of add-ons (battery holder and hand-grip) may be more suited to someone’s needs than an actual ACL II package, and cost less.

Given how flexible the ACL is, the most important question is what type of filming will be done with the camera, and as a consequence, which set-up is the most appropriate.  One factor is often neglected in the rush to the later model ACLs or accessory set : the weight and bulk of the camera.  The ACL II is a much larger camera than the original ACL, which was conceived as a small and light complement to the NPR.  Having grown into its own over a decade, Eclair went back to the original idea with the EX-16, which is basically a late ACL but with a small viewfinder, motor, base, etc.  The EX-16 was never produced, but it does show the advantages of keeping those ACLs small (or at least not load them up with unecessary features).