My family and I went on a much-needed weekend road trip to two of the most spectacular places in California this week, Yosemite and King’s Canyon, just to take a little break. One of the projects I started before we left was the restoration of a Camera Equipment Company Gyro Head. I had never seen […]
A Road Trip and a Gyro Head Read More »
A future project, fresh from the warehouse! This Mitchell BNCR has been waiting patiently for its turn to be cleaned, lubricated, and restored. Recently it has been moved into our showroom and we hope to start work on it in the coming months. It is a wonderful example of a spinning mirror reflexed Mitchell BNCR
An Upcoming Restoration Project: Mitchell BNCR 306 Read More »
It is rare in the used equipment business to find cinema gear like this that is virtually unused. A few years ago we acquired a moving truck full of cameras and other amazing production tools. In amongst these treasures was this Mitchell Camera Company accessory case filled with Mitchell Standard accessories, including a complete matte
A Mitchell Accessory Case Read More »
Two interesting items from the fantastic collection of filmmaker Steven Smith are these really well cared for, early, so-called “flat door” ARRI 16 S cameras. While I can’t date these cameras yet, I believe them to be earlier models of the ARRI S series based on their older style viewfinder optics and door castings. You
A Pair of ARRI 16 S Cameras Read More »
I’m sure everyone out there knows the frustration of finding that perfect, bargain Pro Jr. friction head only to find out that the pan handle is missing. A client called to ask if I had such a friction head in stock and I did, but minus the pan handle. I do have a giant box
A Replacement Pan Handle for a Pro Jr. Friction Head Read More »
One of the things that kept getting put off when we moved from our previous location at MovieTech Studios to our current location in Lawndale is organizing the many, many boxes of documents and printed materials I have collected over the years. Many of these items are service and parts manuals for various cameras, but
Almost Finished with Organizing and Labeling Our Library Read More »
One of the things we never really did after we moved was organize and catalog our small library of camera manuals, advertising, research materials, and other assorted historical documentation. We have been busy the last few days going through the collection, organizing and categorizing what we have, and trying to make a catalog. Just thought
Organization Chaos – Library Edition Read More »
During the steady and scratch test on this Fries VistaVision camera, the operator noticed an unusual noise. The camera was brought to me so I could take a look. What I discovered was that the camera had been in storage for a while, and the lubrication in the shutter and spinning mirror assemblies had dried
Maintenance on the Fries VistaVision Camera Read More »
At long last, the final repairs on the ARRI 35 BL 2 are complete! As anyone who has taken the motor cover off any of the 35 BL cameras knows, the gasket that goes between the motor housing and the camera body always disintegrates when it is taken apart. To replace it, I made a
Arri BL2 Mags – Final Details Complete on the ARRI 35 BL 2 Read More »
Recently I shared this amazing Mitchell NC camera with the most unusual follow focus system I have seen in a long time. The camera came here with the idea that I would find it a new home. To begin assessing its condition, I tried to turn the camera over by hand. This was not possible
Mitchell NC #184 Finds A New Home Read More »
