Ercsam - History

ERCSAM - A Brief History

by Grahame L. Newnham B.Sc.

In France before the war, Robert Mascre was well known in the cine world. His shop Mascre in the L'Oise area of France, sold most cine items and had a large film library. Monsieur Mascre obviously had a soft spot for 9.5mm as the film libraries in this gauge were massive. He had edited together many of the early Pathe-Baby features which had been released as multiple 60ft cassettes and filmed running titles for these releases. In addition many of the titles issued on 9.5mm overseas (UK, Germany etc) had titles refilmed in French. Even today collectors puzzle over some of the titles in the Mascre 9.5mm film hire catalogue as it appears they even printed up 9.5mm films themselves.

Just before the second war Robert Mascre started to make 9.5mm cine projectors. During the Nazi occupation he busied himself with designing an improved cine projector and a 9.5mm cine camera. In 1946 a new company was formed in Paris - Ercsam (just the name Mascre reversed) initially with premises at 63 Avenue Philippe Auguste. The 9.5mm cine camera was launched as the Camex B. This took a special Camex film charger, had speeds of 8, 16, 24, 32, plus single frame and continuous run. The long running motor was claimed to run 8 metres of film at one wind. A focussing 20mm Berthiot lens was fitted as standard but in a Camex bayonet mount which allowed for wide ange and telephoto lenses to be offered (the viewfinder had aditional pivoted optics for 10mm and 50mm lenses).

Later improved models of the 9.5mm Camex camera appeared including a simple version with fixed filming speed and others with backwind. The later 9.5mm models used a slightly larger film charger (these do not fit the earlier cameras - beware!). The simplest of these cameras - was the Camex O.S. model; the G.S. model had variable filming speeds, single frame, continuous run facility and backwind; whilst the V.U. model added a universal viewfinder. (An HS model seems to have been the GS with chrome finish). All had a disk shutter giving a shutter speed of 1/32 sec at 16 frames/second filming speed. The newer S12 Ercsam charger (rather like an overgrown 'P' type but incorporating the rear gate presser plate), would take the normal 30ft / 9 metre reload, but would also accept a special 12 metre film length.

Ercsam Valix 9.5mm projector - 1950

Around 1950 there were three Ercsam cine projectors - the Valix, a simple pressed steel design, taking lamps up to 400 watts; the Senior M60 - a more substantial design using castings, taking lamps up to 500 watts; and the Major - this took lamps up to 750 watts, and featured reverse run and stills. All were normally supplied with an f1.5 35mm Berthiot lens. As these machines were designed for use on 110 volts, an external transformer or resistance was required for use on 220/240 volts. These Ercsam cine cameras and projectors were also available in 8mm. (The projectors had interchangeable mechanisms).

Ercsam M60 9.5mm projector - 1950

In the mid. and late nineteen fifties a new range of cine projectors was introduced under the name Malex. The Malex Record launched in 1953 sported a 500 watt lamp, and took 400ft spools. By 1958 it had been upgraded to the Malex Record M1000 and was fitted with a 1000 watt lamp. By now low voltage lamps were appearing and new models appeared as the Malex Super 100, fitted with a 12 volt 100 watt lamp and the Malex Club 100 fitted with a 12 volt 100 watt reflector type lamp. The Malex projector range was also available in 8mm and 16mm models.

Ercsam Malex Club - 1958 on ..

Sadly the only Ercsam products advertised in the UK were a few of the 8mm versions, the later 8mm Camex reflex cine camera being advertised widely in the UK during the 1950's. This camera still closely resembled the earlier models, but featured full reflex viewing by means of a mirror shutter.

In 1949 the Ercsam company had moved to 221 Rue La Fayette where it remained even until 1962 when Ercsam had merged with Pathe (amateur movie division) and Cineric to become EPC (Ercsam/Pathe/Cineric), with Robert Mascre as director. But in 1967 the company had been taken over by C.G.A.M. and within a year the amateur division was closed - the Ercsam name was no more.

9.5 Auto-Camex 1970

However the name Camex survived a little longer. In 1969 a French flash gun company Formosa Flash based at 64 Boulevard Magenta in Paris, resumed production of the 8mm Auto Camex reflex camera. A 9.5mm version was soon advertised and imported into the UK by Ted Smith in 1970. This featured battery drive using the Webo M14 50ft magazines and was fitted with a Som Berthiot f3.8 17-85mm zoom lens. Few examples were sold in the UK as the price was around œ200.

For UK collectors, 9.5mm items with the Ercsam or Malex brand name are a useful and rare find.

This article originally appeared in the UK Group 9.5 magazine in 2003.

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Last updated: 31 May 2004