Canon Gate Question

Post by **onsuper8** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 8:43 pm

In the downtown in the grotty British winter - I intend to modify my Canon 814XLS to "widescreen".

Rather than just hack the thing around willy nilly I intend to get a junk camera and modify the plastic gate from that, a donor if you will.

Does anyone know if the plastic gate on the 814XLS is the same as on any other models - this would widen my search for a suitable donor/victim camera.

Cheers in advance.

Post by **Matthew Buick** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:28 pm

Probably the 514XL-S, and possibly the 310XL. I intend to perform the same operation. Please let me know of any victim cameras you find.

Post by **onsuper8** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:39 pm

I intend to video the process and post it onsuper8.org - a kind of ER but with a Super 8 Camera!

Post by **Matthew Buick** » Sat Nov 10, 2007 9:43 pm

Cool. What will you use to file down the gate?

Post by **Rick Palidwor** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 1:09 am

Beware the plastic 814XLS gate. Fragile, as I am sure you know.

As for donor cameras, I assumed others in the XLS series would be the same but I dont think they are. Mitch was looking for a replacement for a 1014XLS gate and I showed him my 514XLS and it was not the same. I showed him some others too (don't remember exactly what) and none were considered a suitable donor.

Rick

Post by **Mitch Perkins** » Sun Nov 11, 2007 2:37 am

Rick Palidwor wrote:Beware the plastic 814XLS gate. Fragile, as I am sure you know.

As for donor cameras, I assumed others in the XLS series would be the same but I dont think they are. Mitch was looking for a replacement for a 1014XLS gate and I showed him my 514XLS and it was not the same. I showed him some others too (don't remember exactly what) and none were considered a suitable donor.

Rick

Correct. Only 814xls/1014xls gates work in 814xls/1014xls cameras. Also, they are shimmed, and not always the same amount. Make sure you don't lose the shim(s) on removing the gate. They'll stick to either the camera or the gate, (or possibly both if there's more than one), and are hard to spot if you don't know they're there. Also they are extremely delicate.

You have to work really really really slow; I worked really really slow on super8france's 1014 gate, and it wasn't slow enough - I compromised the top of the aperture. If you do make a slip, don't try "fix" it; you'll only make it worse.

Mitch