Now that the work on Mitchell Standard #46 is FINALLY complete, I am catching up on a lot of little projects that have been happening in the background. Final pictures and the listing for Mitchell 46 are still in the works. In the meantime, the one project that has been taking up the most precious […]
Back to Work on the Universal Panoramic and Tilting Head Tripod Read More »
My plans to paint Mitchell 46 are on hold this week due to the rain. The paint just doesn’t cure correctly when the weather is too humid. Instead, I have turned my attention to this really cool old tripod. According to the advertising I have seen, this is a Universal Panoramic and Tilting Head Tripod
Restoring a Universal Camera Company Tripod 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 don’t recall exactly which group of equipment this Gibraltar Quick-Set pan tilt head arrived with, but I couldn’t bear to just throw it away, despite the fact that it arrived with seemingly no way to mount it to a tripod, and no pan handle. I decided it would be ideal if I could make
Repairing a Gibraltar Quick-Set Pan Tilt Head 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 »
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 »
I have been hard at work this week on restoring the Motion Picture Apparatus Company tripod, but in the meantime I wanted to share with you this quick project I completed while waiting for paint and parts to arrive. This Manfrotto 3066 tripod has been sitting in the shop for several years missing its quick
A New Quick Release for a Manfrotto Tripod Read More »
Now that the work on the Pathé camera is finished, I wanted to pair it with a period appropriate tripod and pan tilt head. I don’t remember where I rescued this tripod from, but I have been holding onto this antique Motion Picture Apparatus Company tripod and pan tilt head for a while, and this
Motion Picture Apparatus Company Tripod Read More »
A fellow collector and camera aficionado, John Kwinn, kindly sent me this immaculate Cine-Kodak Special II 16mm camera (ca. 1948) with its original case, a 200’ magazine, and an amazing collection of original lenses and accessories. John asked if I could find a filmmaker or collector who would adopt this camera package and take as
Cine Kodak Special with Original Cine Kodak Tripod Read More »
