The Cine-Kodak Special II is a marvel of 1940’s engineering, with innovative features like a divergent lens turret, interchangeable magazines, a through-the-lens critical focuser, and an audible warning when the wind was coming close to an end, among others. Before we send this Cine-Kodak Special II off to its new home, I thought we would dive a little deeper into the unusual viewfinder modification done to this unit. The modifications were done by a company called PAR Products Corp. (originally known as Oliver Engineering Co. Inc.) located on Citrus Ave. in LA. We haven’t come across much history for this company, but they seem to have been known for the many modifications and accessories they offered for the Cine-Kodak Special and Bolex H-16 cameras.
This particular camera features their Dual-Power Reflex Magnifier. Taking advantage of the critical focusing optics that were part of the stock Cine Special, PAR added a set of relay optics so the operator can see through the critical focuser from behind the camera. This was much more convenient than having to look down into the focuser. (Picture 3 shows an example of the stock critical finder) Much like a rackover system, the stock critical finder prism slides out of the way automatically when the camera is running. Another part of this modification is an adjustable auxiliary finder mounted above the reflex finder. This auxiliary finder features a set of pre-set stops so the aspect ratio the finder shows matches the lenses available for the Cine-Kodak Special II. This very clever modification is well designed and robustly built.
