Re: Guillotine cutters?

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>Aside from collectables like the Realist mounting kit, what other 
>guillotine cutters are available which would work for my (our) purpose.  
>Do i have to spend $30 at Reel-3D or is there an alternative? 

For years I used the Reel-3D cutter.  I removed the bottom and used a
white paper underneath.  This helped me in seeing the separation between
the two frames... If the pictures were dark, I would lift the cutter and
point to the light... Still, a few cutting errors could not be avoided.

Then, I discovered the Realist cutter.  I am not talking about the entire
mounting kit. Just the cutter.  It is made out of steel (the way things
should be made ;)) and it is based on film perforations, not friction. 
Once adjusted for a particular camera, it will cut the film always at the
same location between the perforations.  You don't need the see the
separation between the frames any more.  The only way to go wrong is to
miss an entire perforation.

The Realist cutter is simple and effective and will outlast your properly
stored Kodachrome images... but finding one might be a challenge...

George Themelis


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