I got an email a couple of weeks ago asking me if I would be interested in yet another Mitchell camera. When they sent me pictures, I was more intrigued by the tripod and pan head than the camera. Not that the camera isn’t interesting, I think I have shared my love for these cameras often enough by now, but I struggled to find space for another Mitchell NC in the restoration roster. However, the tripod was so intriguing, we were able to make a deal, and this is what arrived.
The camera is Mitchell NC # 169, which was originally purchased by the US Department of Agriculture in 1940. It came with four lenses, a Nikon zoom lens, two Bausch & Lomb Baltar lenses, and a Cooke Speed Panchro lens. The Nikon turned out to be too damaged to repair, but the other lenses, while very dirty, mechanically frozen, and showing signs of their near century of life, seem to be repairable. I spent time this week taking these lenses apart and cleaning and repairing them the best I can. As I don’t have a clean room in my facility, I can only clean most of the dirt and debris from between the elements, but I was able to do this, and get them reasonably well cleaned, reassembled, lubricated, and collimated. While they definitely are not perfect, they are still completely serviceable. I didn’t have time to take more than a cursory look at the camera and tripod so far, but they are both in need of a LOT of cleaning. More to come!
