How To Find a Good Used 16mm Projector

Do you have years of old 16mm film that you just cannot let go of and that you want to watch over and over again? There was a time when 16mm projectors were simple enough to obtain and incredibly commonplace for producing home videos. As technology advanced over the years, these types of projectors became less popular. In this day and age, it is such a quaint and nostalgic experience to be able to watch films on an old 16mm projector.

16mm projectors came from the Great Depression era, when the big attraction was a silent movie. The earliest versions of the projector were produced by Bell & Howell and Eastman Kodak, whom turned out to be the most influential voices in the business. Silent movies only needed a project that operated at 16 to 18 feet every second, but introducing sound meant projectors had to operate at 24 feet every second.

By the 1970’s lamps nicknamed “Mazda lamps” were used which were tubular lamps in 16mm projectors. 750 watts were needed to power these and they could reach up to 6 inches in some situations. Succeeding these lamps were new, tungsten-halogen lamps which were much more efficient and even became the standard after some time. The Tungsten lamps could effortlessly hold a 250 watt lamp while remaining brighter than any of the previous 750 watt lamps. In regards to the size of reels, 16mm projectors could have up to 2,000 feet while the grander 6,000 foot reels were kept exclusively for specialists.

In the past ten years, searching for a used 16mm projector in decent condition has become a much easier ordeal. Before the Internet was initiated in the 1990’s, finding 16mm projectors to play your old reels was a hard thing to accomplish. Many would frequent second-hand shops, garage sales and flea markets with the dream of finding a projector, or repairment parts, which was just as difficult. All of this hard work paid off however when you are finally watching those old home movies that was only experienced by die-hard collectors a few years ago. EBay now allows for people to buy and sell their 16mm projectors with ease and anyone can be a collector. All of the 16mm projectors in basements, attics, and garages were now for sale, and most of them were in good to new condition. Now 16mm projectors are not only popular collector’s items; they’re in demand as well for the people who have old home movies still laying around.

There is a solution for people who have sadly lost their projectors but kept the movies and it can be done with one mouse click. Visiting eBay or other collector’s websites to purchase 16mm Projectors and get great deals in order to enjoy those great home movies that you haven’t watched in years!