I have come as close to completion on the Fox Cine Simplex as time allows. This camera is 95% complete and in good working order, with the exception of a few parts that make the automatic slater and follow focus units work. Some of the parts that attach the automatic slater to the camera are missing, as are some of the link arms that link the lens to the follow focus and sidefinder. Unlike the Mitchell sidefinder, which simply swings toward or away from the camera body to adjust for parallax, the Fox camera has a truly ingenious prism mechanism that is adjusted in sync with the follow focus unit. With this design, parallax is continually adjusted as the assistant cameraman follows focus. This allows the camera operator to have a more accurate field of view while the shot is in progress. I wish there was time in my schedule to research and recreate the missing parts, but alas, there is not.
I thought it would be really interesting to compare the industry leader of the time, the Mitchell BNC (in this instance a BNCR), side-by-side with the Fox Cine Simplex. It is interesting to note that the self-blimped Fox camera, on the Freehead and tripod, is smaller than the BNC on its Worrall geared head, and quieter when running. However in my opinion, the claim that it is lighter seems . . . less valid. The designers of the BNC, realizing it was a heavy and bulky camera, provided handles built into the blimp housing. The Fox camera has no such provisions, which makes it a little more difficult to get out of the case and mount it on the tripod. George Mitchell’s design made the controls on the BNC more intuitive, in my opinion, than those on the Cine Simplex. However, the controls on the Cine Simplex are, in most cases, more accurate than those on the BNC. My personal observations are that, as elegant as the design of the Mitchell cameras are, the scope of engineering that went into the Fox camera is just on a whole different level. It was a real joy to dig into the working parts of this camera. I hope to put it in the hands of a museum or collector that will truly cherish and protect the camera and its history. My friend Roy Wagner has generously offered to assist in providing film and lab, and to help shoot something with this wonderful camera. Hopefully we will be able to make that happen. The Fox Cine Simplex camera will be available for sale on February 15th.