As we approach the completion of work on the Vinten camera, I turned this week to servicing the lenses that came with it. All 3 of the lenses were in ok optical condition, but suffered from years of neglect. I began by removing the miles of tape wrapped around the lens controls and cleaning the […]
Vinten Model H Lenses Read More »
This week we tackled the project of cleaning and repairing of the Vinten 400’ magazines. One of the first things people notice when they see the Vinten camera is how similar the camera and the magazines look to the Bell and Howell 2709. Mechanically, the Vinten has very little similarity to the 2709; the movement,
Vinten Model H Magazines Read More »
While I was reassembling and timing the Vinten Model H, I thought it would be interesting to show the unique way the variable shutter system works on this camera. It’s complicated, but fascinating. The shutter shaft has a simple flange with a dowel pin hole that a corresponding pin on the back of the shutter
Vinten Model H Variable Shutter Read More »
The Vinten viewfinder system is a fascinating mix of old and new. It makes use of 2 prisms, one at the movement and one in the door. The prism in the door rotates in and out of the viewfinding position to send the light bundle to the eyepiece. There is a relay optic between the
Vinten Model H Viewfinding System Read More »
Last week we had some interesting questions about how the rackover viewing system worked on the Vinten Model H camera. We weren’t sure our explanation was clear enough, so we thought we would show a few pictures that better demonstrate how this fascinating internal rackover system works. The 1st image illustrates the basic layout of
Vinten Model H Rackover System Read More »
Just after moving to our new location, we acquired this Vinten Model H camera, sn. 14. I have been waiting to work on this for many months, and I finally had the chance to start on it this week. Space limitations necessitate breaking this restoration adventure into several parts and limit the number of pictures
Vinten Model H 35mm motion picture camera Read More »
While hard at work on the new website, we have been assembling brief histories of camera manufacturers whose equipment we own. There are several major players in the movie equipment world whose histories are difficult to research. Among those, I was shocked to find that there was no information about Fries Engineering, a major innovator
An Interview with Doug Fries Read More »
Recently I had a chance, through my dear friend Ted Rae, to represent 2 cameras that were part of Jim Danforth’s studio. For those who may not know of Jim and his work, Jim is a modern day renaissance man. He is an accomplished matte painter, fine art artist, illustrator, model maker, sculptor, puppet maker,
Camera from the Collection of Jim Danforth Read More »
As an update to BNCR #224’s restoration, here is where it currently stands: I was able to get the camera itself back into working order and reinstalled in the blimp. Since nothing here gets thrown away, I pulled parts from old stock and pieced together a front lens housing and matte box. The lens housing
An Update About BNCR sn. 224 Read More »
While I was servicing the movement of BNCR #224, I thought it would be interesting to show you the oiling procedure that I prefer to use. It is much easier to show the oil points with the movement out of the camera, though generally you would oil the movement while it is in the camera,
Servicing the movement from Mitchell BNCR sn. 224 Read More »
