It has been a few weeks since my last update on the ARRI 35 BL 2. Since then, the Mitchell FC Fox Grandeur and VistaVision Butterfly cameras have both gone on to wonderful new homes. I was busy getting them both ready for the last little while, plus working on other projects, but now I’m […]
ARRI 35 BL 2 – The Great Ground Glass Adventure Read More »
We wanted to take a moment to bid a fond farewell to the Fox Grandeur camera, Mitchell FC #8, which has found a perfect new home at the John Wayne Birthplace Museum in Winerset, Iowa. There are a few camera projects that I have loved working on and hate to see leave, but it’s more
A Fond Farewell to Mitchell FC #8 Read More »
A few weeks ago, an old friend of mine, Bob Bailey, reconnected with me and asked if I could help him re-home a Mitchell NC camera that he has been holding on to. Bob shot plates and 2nd unit for several movies with this camera, which he acquired from my professor and mentor Peter Gibbons.
Mitchell NC 184: A Treasure Unearthed Read More »
To honor the 249th birthday of our country, we hearken back to a time when we fought the rise of fascism rather than welcomed it in. One of the ways in which the United States pursued this fight during World War II was with the Army Air Forces First Motion Picture Unit, also known as
The First Motion Picture Unit and Mitchell NC #239 Read More »
In 1950, French lens maker Angenieux introduced the revolutionary 35mm R1 Retrofocus lens. The retrofocus optical design made it possible to use lenses wider than 40mm on reflex film cameras. This new design made the flange focal distance similar between wide angle lenses and telephoto lenses, ushering in a new era of interchangeable lenses of
Angenieux Retrofocus Type R1 35mm Lens Read More »
Over the years, I have acquired a bunch of Bell & Howell Eyemo cameras, but I have not had the time to go through them and make sure everything was working. Most of the Eyemos wind-up and run, but I don’t know how well they run. At some point, I hope to go through and
The Bell & Howell Eyemo Read More »
We are excited to offer these excellent Kinoptik Apochromat 75mm and 50mm f2 lenses, both in Eclair CM3 mount. Here at CinemaGear, we love to share a little bit of history along with the filmmaking equipment we offer, but much of the history of Kinoptik remains an enigma to us. Kinoptik was a boutique French
A Pair of Kinoptik Apochromat Lenses Read More »
In between work on the ARRI BL 2 and other projects, we have been busy rearranging the showroom here at CinemaGear. We seem to do this every year or so as our inventory finds new homes. Here is a quick sneak peak at what it is looking like so far.
Rearranging the Showroom, Again! Read More »
I was taught, when setting the flange focal depth of a camera, the tolerances were +0” -.0002”. The logic behind these tolerances was that any error should be within the layers of the film and not in front of the film. So I have always followed that advice when I set up a camera. When
The Ever Continuing Saga of the ARRI 35 BL 2 Read More »
When I first got this camera and ran it, everything seemed good, and I had previously used the camera on a Steadicam for a feature film I shot, and all seemed good then as well. Then I had to go spoil everything by trying to check the flange focal depth. This is where it all
Still Not Quite Ready for Prime Time – ARRI 35 BL 2 Read More »
