"2001: A Space Odyssey": Group Photo

[abruzzi]

Just a silly question--I was just rewatching 2001, and noticed the scene on the moon where the scientists visit the monolith and they all pose for a group photo in front of it before the ear-splitting transmission. I noticed the person taking the group photos was holding what looks like an underwater camera enclosure. A few moments before everyone lines up for the shot you see the photographer taking some candids and it looks like he's advancing the film by using some twisting motion of the entire contraption. I'm guessing Kubrick's prop staff didn't invent something just for the movie, so I'm wondering if anyone recognizes what is being used? The size and shape suggest a Hasselblad, but I'm more curious about the enclosure.

You can see a good shot of the camera being used and twisted at about 3:30 in this clip from the movie. At about 4:35 you see a closer view of the enclosure from the photographers side. It has a circular viewfinder angled up at 45 degrees.



(Another odd little detail--at the very beginning of the previous scene where Floyd gives a short talk to the scientists in a conference room has a photograpaher in a bad checkered suit take several photos before he leaves the room, but the "camera" looks more like a spotmeter.)

 

[John Salim]

Looks like a Hasselblad underwater housing to me

John S

 

[halfaman]

Yes, it looks like that.

Shop : Buy Hasselblad Underwater Housing: JAR0319/4020 : Blue Moon Camera and Machine

Blue Moon Camera & Machine: Buy Hasselblad Underwater Housing online or in store at Blue Moon Camera & Machine, Portland, Oregon.

bluemooncamera.com

 

[FriedLouisStudio]

All I'll say is that seeing 2001 back in 1968 - when I was 13, but already working with my pro-photog parents and reading all the photo mags - is that that camera seemed just as believably futuristic as everything else in the film.

It's origin and purpose is still a total mystery.

 

[abruzzi]

oohh, Hugyfot item at the Blue Moon link definitely looks like the part in question. They're still in business, and still make housings for Canon or Nikon digital.

Knowing that Kubrick was an avid still photographer, I figured it was a real thing. I do have to wonder how well that group shot would have turned out with everyone wearing space helments.

 

[reddesert]

(Another odd little detail--at the very beginning of the previous scene where Floyd gives a short talk to the scientists in a conference room has a photograpaher in a bad checkered suit take several photos before he leaves the room, but the "camera" looks more like a spotmeter.)

Here's the moon base briefing scene:



I don't know what that is, although my guess is a 8mm movie camera with the film cassette housing removed, to make it look like a futuristic still camera.

 

[abruzzi]

I was wondering if it might have been some kind of "directors viewfinder"?

 

[MattKing]

Thread title tweaked, to attract the interest of the cinephiles, rather than just the recent history historians

 

[Focomatter]

Yes the camera is a Hasselblad underwater housing and yes it was made by Hugy in Switzerland. The owner of Hugy retired and sold the company so it has moved within Europe. The housing was called the Triton housing and was made in the 60s. I bought a rather used copy but at some point sold it (this was a few decades ago).

Hasselblad came out with the blue housings with yellow handles about 1970 or so. They had a special issue of their house magazine on this. I now have one of these housings - just like the one shown from Blue Moon. It was Sweden written on the inside so it was contracted to someone in-country. The handles on the blue housings control the opening and closing of the housing. Film advance is by a knob. Hugy housings had there own closure mechanism that is towards the front of the housing from the handles. There is a separate Hasselblad housing for the EL cameras - I have one of these. Hugy also made an EL housing but it was not marketed by Hasselblad.