A number of years ago, I acquired this Mitchell VistaVision Butterfly camera with the intention of using it to shoot plates for visual effects sequences. When it arrived, all but one of the magazines were frozen closed and every bit of equipment had case foam adhered to it. I was able to use the one […]
Introducing the VistaVision Butterfly Camera Read More »
Those of you who have been following me for a while now know how much I love and admire Mitchell cameras. A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to have Mitchell Standard no. 27 left in my care for some basic maintenance and tlc. This very early Mitchell camera was bought by MGM some
Restoring Mitchell Standard no. 27 Read More »
There is always a risk in selling something right after it comes into inventory, and the Mitchell 205 was a painful reminder of this. We put the camera on display right as it came in because it’s so pretty, and coincidentally a client came to visit a few days later and fell in love with
A Fond Farewell to the Mitchell 205 Read More »
Before I had a chance to inspect the Mitchell 205, a client came to visit my shop, saw the 205, and had to have it. Getting any camera ready to ship to a client is an involved process, particularly for a camera whose condition has not previously been assessed. As you saw in our previous
Mitchell 205 – It’s a Process Read More »
Every once in a while, some of the most unique things come across my desk. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine in Australia sent me pictures of Mitchell Standard #27 which he has been lovingly restoring. If this wasn’t unique enough, he also had something I had never seen outside of publicity photos:
Mitchell Standard no. 27 and Amazing Original MGM Bungalow Blimp Read More »
The original thought was to convert the Mitchell 205 to PL lens mount. When I discovered that this was impractical, the compromise was to fit the camera with an Angenieux 25-250 zoom lens. This is an older Angenieux zoom that has the unique 1960’s vintage Hollywood look that was found both in feature films and
Birth of a Lens Support for the Mitchell 205 Read More »
You all know how much I enjoy playing with this equipment. This afternoon I was revisiting John Hora’s Mitchell MK II S35R camera. It brought back to mind how much I hate the door on this camera, but love everything else the camera can do. John’s camera features the BNCR hard front, a swing-away video
An Interlude with the Mitchell MK II Read More »
At first glance, it seemed possible that the Mitchell 205 could be relatively easily converted for PL lens mounts. This would make the camera more versatile as there are more lenses available in PL mount than in BNCR mount. So I began the process of taking the camera apart to find out if the conversion
Mitchell 205 to PL mount Conversion? Read More »
As a prelude to some work I will be doing in the next week or so evaluating the Mitchell 205, I was hoping to begin this week by taking a deep dive into some history of this camera. However, after many hours of searching, we are no more informed about the history of the 205
Mitchell 205 35mm Silent Studio Camera Read More »
Ok, so there was one further delay with me demonstrating the rebuilt TechniCraft sync sound motor on Mitchell BNC Rackover #357, but it’s ready now! While every detail of this camera has not yet been fully examined, I did the basic service to make sure that nothing would be harmed while demonstrating the motor. I
TechniCraft Motor Running Test: Mitchell BNC Rackover 357 Read More »
