Two interesting items from the fantastic collection of filmmaker Steven Smith are these really well cared for, early, so-called “flat door” ARRI 16 S cameras. While I can’t date these cameras yet, I believe them to be earlier models of the ARRI S series based on their older style viewfinder optics and door castings. You […]
A Pair of ARRI 16 S Cameras Read More »
During the steady and scratch test on this Fries VistaVision camera, the operator noticed an unusual noise. The camera was brought to me so I could take a look. What I discovered was that the camera had been in storage for a while, and the lubrication in the shutter and spinning mirror assemblies had dried
Maintenance on the Fries VistaVision Camera Read More »
At long last, the final repairs on the ARRI 35 BL 2 are complete! As anyone who has taken the motor cover off any of the 35 BL cameras knows, the gasket that goes between the motor housing and the camera body always disintegrates when it is taken apart. To replace it, I made a
Arri BL2 Mags – Final Details Complete on the ARRI 35 BL 2 Read More »
Recently I shared this amazing Mitchell NC camera with the most unusual follow focus system I have seen in a long time. The camera came here with the idea that I would find it a new home. To begin assessing its condition, I tried to turn the camera over by hand. This was not possible
Mitchell NC #184 Finds A New Home Read More »
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 »
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 »
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 »
From the infancy of the motion picture industry through the first world war, Pathé Freres, established in Paris, France in 1896 by brothers Charles, Émile, Théophile, and Jacques, was the largest producer of films and filmmaking equipment in the world. The brothers got their start in the phonograph business, and later expanded into the emerging
The Pathe Professional: The Process of Restoring an Iconic Camera Read More »
I know I said it was going to be a couple of weeks before I reported back on the problem with this Fries VistaVision camera, and at the time, it seemed it was going to take a lot more detective work. It turns out that the problems were simpler than I feared. The first problem
Revisiting the Fries VistaVision Camera Read More »
Amongst the remarkable antique camera haul I shared with you a couple of weeks ago was, what at first glance, looked like a very gently used Auricon tripod with friction head. When we pulled the tripod out of its shipping tube, it had been disassembled, the legs separate from the pan tilt head. At this
Mending a Slightly Wounded Auricon Tripod Read More »
