As the sound era became a reality, William Fox recognized the need for better quality images in his movies. His Fox Case Corp. team, led by engineer Earl Sponable, developed the 70mm Grandeur photographic process to solve this problem. The Mitchell Camera Corporation was contracted to build a 70mm version of their successful Mitchell Standard, […]
Mitchell FC Fox Grandeur Camera sn. 8 Read More »
While I had the movement out of a Mitchell GC, I thought I would demonstrate the lubrication points on the movement for those who have never worked with one of these cameras. 1. Movement removed from camera 2. Working from top to bottom, 1st is the cam that operates the registration pins. A drop of
Lubricating a Mitchell GC Camera Movement Read More »
As we were going over the 3 Blanke cameras we showed last week, we found that the 2 GCs were missing their flywheels, and all of the cameras desperately needed to be serviced after sitting unused for so long. These cameras were previously used to shoot time lapse sequences, and it was common to remove
Mitchell GC sn. 903 Read More »
After much struggle, hammering, prying, wiggling, pushing, and pulling, I was finally able to completely disassemble this much abused unit. It is shown here in its current state, all the pieces cleaned for rust, petrified grease, and stripped of the old, crumbling paint. I still need to make a couple more parts before everything gets
An Update on the Mitchell FC Friction Head Read More »
A pan/tilt head for our John Wayne Grandeur camera! My friend Michael Geiger came across this partial original Mitchell FC friction head and was nice enough to sell it to me. It arrived missing the top plate, tie-down screw, castle nut, handle attachment plate, and the telescopic handle. But, it has an original Mitchell FC
Mitchell FC Friction Head Restoration Read More »
In 2015 we did a few conversions on Lomo Anamorphic zoom lenses. While we don’t offer that service any longer, I thought the presentation that was made for our clients was interesting enough to share.
The Resurrection of a Lomo Anamorphic Zoom Lens Read More »
Today I wanted to share a very interesting restoration project I completed shortly before we moved. This is a Technicolor camera, serial #7, and is from the 2-strip era of the Technicolor process. Briefly, the 2-strip process shoots 2 simultaneous images, 1 above the other, on a single strip of black and white film, through
Restoring Technicolor no. 7 Read More »
Originally introduced in 1946, the Mitchell 16 professional motion picture camera incorporated the features and design that had made Mitchell’s 35mm cameras so successful. The Mitchell 16 was advertised as a more compact package, well suited to 16mm cinematography. Alongside the camera, Mitchell introduced a full complement of accessories, including a sidefinder, tripod, and friction
Mitchell 16mm Friction Head Read More »
Just back from master electronics repair technician Dennis Buhrmann, this extraordinary Tandberg model 11 reel-to-reel 1/4″ tape recorder will be available on our site soon. The Tandberg model 11 was a less expensive alternative to the Nagra Portable Location Recorder. This model dates to the late 1960’s.
The Dykstra-Flex made its first public reappearance at the Academy Science and Technology Council’s Galactic Innovations event last night after decades in storage. I am thrilled to have been instrumental in bringing this amazing piece of equipment back to life. My thanks to Joe Di Gennaro, Gene Kozicki, Joe Lewis, and Miles Lewis for their
The D-Flex at Galatic Innovations Read More »
