Now that I am fully back in work mode, I thought I would share with you a little more of what work had to be done to bring this Camera Equipment Company Gyro Head back to working condition. Originally, this gyro head had some sort of threaded center axle that did a couple of jobs: […]
A Camera Equipment Company Gyro Head Read More »
My family and I went on a much-needed weekend road trip to two of the most spectacular places in California this week, Yosemite and King’s Canyon, just to take a little break. One of the projects I started before we left was the restoration of a Camera Equipment Company Gyro Head. I had never seen
A Road Trip and a Gyro Head Read More »
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 »
