Old Cameras in Old Movies

[Donald Qualls]

I looked at Graphic 35, which was close but apparently had a separate eyepiece RF (two slits separate from the viewfinder) and wasn't quite right in a couple other ways, but never found a photo of the "Electric" version.

Interchangeable lens, you say? What mount? Proprietary, or one of the more common ones (L39, M, Contax)?

 

[drkhalsa]

Here is a link to a PDF of the Graflex Journal, Issue 3, 2017, which contains detailed information about the camera and its production.

https://phsc.ca/camera/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GJ3-17.pdf

 

[Donald Qualls]

Here is a link to a PDF of the Graflex Journal, Issue 3, 2017, which contains detailed information about the camera and its production.

https://phsc.ca/camera/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/GJ3-17.pdf

Google found that for me and I read the article, but it only said "German made" and "bayonet mount" -- which could be M or Contax, or Something Else...

 

[drkhalsa]

It contains this text: "The camera uses the DKL bayonet mount developed by Friedrich Deckel AG, manufacturers of Compur shutters."
And: "The Deckel mount was also used in the Balda Baldamatic III, the Wittnauer Continental/Braun Super Colorette II, Kodak Retina IIIS and the Voigtlander Vitessa T."

 

[drkhalsa]

Regarding lenses: "Two respected German manufacturers made lenses specifically for the Iloca Electric/Graphic 35 Electric. From Steinheil came the 35mm f/4.5 Culmigon, 50mm f/1.9 Iloca Quinon (see Figure 1) and the 50mm f/2.8 Iloca Culminar. Rodenstock lenses were the 35mm f/4 Iloca Eurygon, 50mm f/1.9 Iloca Heligon, 50mm f/2.8 Iloca Ysarex and the 135mm f/4 Iloca Rotelar. Of the accessory lenses, only the Steinheil 35mm Culmigon and the Rodenstock 135mm Rotelar were marketed by Graflex, and it is unclear how many of the lenses were readily available even in Europe, as most seem to be particularly scarce."

 

[Donald Qualls]

Nice. Too bad most of them still found have had battery corrosion damage.

 

[BobD]

Another odd Graflex-branded 35 RF was the Graflex 35 Jet which had a motor drive powered by CO2 cartridges.

 

[Tony-S]

I just searched #Bay for Graflex Graphic 35 Electric and Iloca Electric but there were no hits. It really looks like an interesting camera, even with the shutter release in such a weird position.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I was able to pause a split second before the original posted picture and take a couple of screen shots. Maybe this will help. I used the magnifier function in Apple's Preview, but still couldn't read the lettering on the lens. It looks like some lettering above her left index finger, maybe a G?

View attachment 298324 View attachment 298325

The finger is not on the shutter. It is amazing that she even has it aimed in the right direction.

 

[Donald Qualls]

The finger is not on the shutter. It is amazing that she even has it aimed in the right direction.

;Look at the photos of the Graphic 35 Electric. Her right middle finger was on the shutter release (it's on the front panel, upper left as seen in the photos).

 

[AgX]

Zenit EM in black and Latin lettering


I am not sure how common this version was within the USSR. Sported by a teenager following a girl.

"Train out of Shedule" action-movie , USSR , 1985

The interesting thing is that the movie starts with that boy-photographs-girl scene, then directly switches over, during opening credits, to an all-red darkroom scene. There, a guy enters the room, leaves the door open, backlighted, whlile the guy in the lab goes on developing his paper in the tray. For the rest of the movie no more hints at photography...

 

[AgX]

Unidentified strut-folding Camera


"Ich bin Sebastian Ott" , crime movie , Germany/Austria , 1939

Camera used in art-forensics

The camera has a focal-plane shutter, with seemingly "T" setting with the upper wheel rotating both at first and at second pressing of release.

 

[Jack Baty]

I just watched Bergman's "Persona" (1966) for the first time this week. It was fantastic, but shots like this take me out of the moment because I'm like, "Hey! an M3!"

 

[grat]

Unidentified strut-folding Camera

I think that might be a Thornton Pickard "All weather" Press camera.

https://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Thornton-Pickard/All-Weather-Press-Camera.html

 

[AgX]

The struts are different, the camera in question got scissors-struts. Also the lower knob is different.

I am not even sure Thornton Pickard cameras were marketed in Germany at all. I would be even surprised if it was not a german camera.

 

[AgX]

Braun Paxette RF

"Schneider Wibbel" , comedy , West-Germany , 1958

situated around 1948





By the way,
1000 posts! Who would have believed this thread would evolve like this.

 

[benjiboy]

View attachment 299676

I just watched Bergman's "Persona" (1966) for the first time this week. It was fantastic, but shots like this take me out of the moment because I'm like, "Hey! an M3!" [/QUOTE
I recognise the shooter, she's Liv Ullman the famous Swedish actress.

 

[AgX]

Rolleiflex Standard (1928)

"Die Tochter des Samurai" , drama/propaganda , Germany/Japan , 1938




There is a nice take when the protagonist looks into the distance, closing the finder blindly:

 

[Helge]

There is a tonne of cameras shown in Rocky IV, but they are very hard to get a good clean look at.
This is however definitely an MF Minolta, curiously with a Sunpak flash. So was it still product placement, or just what they had laying around?
Either a X-370 or a X-570, likely the latter.

Stallone with a Panavision Panaflex Gold used in the filming of IV, with the matte box containing the ubiquitous star and diffusion filters used throughout the movie.

 

[AgX]

This is however definitely an MF Minolta, curiously with a Sunpak flash. So was it still product placement, or just what they had laying around?
Either a X-370 or a X-570, likely the latter.

Maybe not that curiously, as Sunpak offered adapters for flash TTL, though I do not know whether also for these two Minolta models. My archive says no though.
Using non camera-brand flashes was most usual then.

 

[Helge]

Maybe not that curiously, as Sunpak offered adapters for flash TTL, though I do not know whether also for these two Minolta models. My archive says no though.
Using non camera-brand flashes was most usual then.

It would just be strange for Minolta to allow a third party flash on the camera, if they paid for product placement.
So maybe it wasn’t.

 

[AgX]

It stands against Minolta product placement but for Sunpak placement...

By the way, product placement seems not often to be hinted at in this thread. I did so once or twice. One time I hinted at a Linhof placement.

 

[Helge]

Rolleiflex Standard (1928)

"Die Tochter des Samurai" , drama/propaganda , Germany/Japan , 1938

View attachment 301946
View attachment 301954

There is a nice take when the protagonist looks into the distance, closing the finder blindly:
View attachment 301950

View attachment 301952

Quite an interesting movie, with some advanced cinematography.
Although I can see why it was disliked.
https://archive.org/details/DieTochterDesSamurai1937TheNewEarthENFRSPRUSubtitles
https://archive.org/details/the-daughter-of-the-samurai-1937

 

[StevieB]

classics and it might be a "dorf" and not the guy that "does golf"

 

[BobD]

View attachment 301944
There is a tonne of cameras shown in Rocky IV, but they are very hard to get a good clean look at.
This is however definitely an MF Minolta, curiously with a Sunpak flash. So was it still product placement, or just what they had laying around?

I worked for 10+ years as a Hollywood movie/TV "extra."

Most of these cameras are supplied by the prop department and are just what they happen to have on hand that fit the era and situation. Product placement is possible, of course, but I doubt that is done very often.

Extras are also paid an additional amount for bringing their own cameras (if approved by Props) so some are private property. Myself, I have worked on too many movie jobs to bring any personal property of value to a set so I never used my own cameras.