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 »
I only regret how long it has taken me to get this camera and tripod cleaned up and restored, for they are both excellent examples of fine early motion picture equipment. The Pathé camera has a long history of being copied by other makers, like the Lubin camera and the Wilart, because of its wonderful
I have an amazing archive of old, unrestored tripods from many different eras that have been sitting, waiting their turn to be joined with the right camera. When the clean-up of the Pathé Professional camera was complete, this tripod seemed like a match made in movie heaven. I rescued this Motion Picture Apparatus Co. tripod
A Classic Tripod for a Classic Pathé Professional Camera Read More »
A client asked me to inspect 2 more Fries 15-perf pull-across 3×65 IMAX-format movements. At first, this looked like it would be a simple project as I rebuilt a similar movement to these recently. However, no simple repair is ever as simple as it seems, and during my initial examination of the first of these
I’ve had to put all other projects on hold for a week or so while I rebuild two more of the Fries 3×65 Imax-format camera movements. Still facing a few challenges to getting the movements back into good working order, but I will meet that challenge by sometime early next week. In the meantime, I
A Simple Update to the MovieCam SuperAmerica Magazines Read More »
It has been a long and rainy week here in Los Angeles, but I did finally get a chance to run film through the Pathé Professional camera! This journey began with me questioning myself about how I was going to put film in these magazines. A few of the cameras I have worked on that
I Finally Got a Chance to Run Film Through the Pathé Read More »
This week turned out to be really busy, so I didn’t get to try running the camera with film as I had been hoping, but I still made good progress on getting the camera ready to run film. This Pathe has a number of interesting stock features and aftermarket modifications. These include a through the
Continuing Work on the Pathé Professional Camera #1124 Read More »
I had a break in my schedule this week to focus on the wooden Pathé hand crank camera I introduced last October. I have been looking forward to working on this camera since it arrived in the shop. When the Pathé got here, it was in very nice condition, with only a few minor problems
Restoring Pathé Professional Camera #1124 Read More »
Last time we visited Bell & Howell 2709 #586, I had begun some work on the shutter dissolve mechanism. Some judicious cleaning and relubrication of the bore in the casting, the threads, and the brass nut that are the main part of the shutter dissolve had that system back in working condition. 2709s, in their
Diving Deeper into Bell & Howell 2709 #586 Read More »
This wonderful Bell & Howell 2709 camera, serial number 586, came to me from a small studio in Chicago where it was used for animation work on a downshooter for many years. The camera began its life in Eustis, Florida in 1923, when it was purchased by a fascinating character named Dr. Edgar J. Banks.
Bell & Howell 2709 #586 – Headed for a new home! Read More »
