What kind of camera is this?

Benelli · Mar 10, 2009

Hi all!

I dont know if this is posted in the right subforum, but I dont know where else to put it, so here it goes:

Today my dad got me a strange photographic device (at least to me its strange) He found it somewhere and he doesnt know what it is either.

If you look closely, youll find a Mamiya Sekor-CU 65mm F5.6 lens and a polaroid back with the Mamiya brand on it. The whole thing is made of metal (except for the polaroid back) and its about 30cm long. I think theres something missing at the front, because there seem to be 4 contacts on the front (with wires inside leading to the lens) and some 'hinges' (dont know if I use the right word) where there should be little door I think.

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Is there anyone who can tell me what this is? Ive searched but couldnt find any helpful information

I hope you APUG-users can help me!

Sirius Glass · Mar 10, 2009

Looks like a camera for photographing an oscilloscope.

Steve

nemo999 · Mar 10, 2009

Sirius Glass said:
Looks like a camera for photographing an oscilloscope.

Steve

Yes, or a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Terrence Brennan · Mar 11, 2009

Sirius Glass said:
Looks like a camera for photographing an oscilloscope.

Steve

Ditto that; it definitely looks like some type of instrumentation camera.

bdial · Mar 11, 2009

Yes, it's a 'scope camera. The hinge allows it to swing away from the screen it captures. The pins probably allow the instrument to trigger the shutter. The hood on top lets you see the screen with the camera in place.

keithwms · Mar 11, 2009

Yup it's for a sillyscope. Would make a nice duping camera... maybe you could put slides on a light table and dupe to fuji instant film?

Benelli · Mar 12, 2009

Thanks for the info all! Never would have thought that, but now it makes sense, because it appears to have belonged to a guy that practised medical photography.

@keithwms: I think it would, but I can't figure out how to release the shutter! And wouldnt I need some sort of magnifier then?

keithwms · Mar 12, 2009

Oh it could be a camera for an endoscope then.

Does it not have a press shutter? Maybe it has no shutter at all? (in which case you could get a press shutter...)

archphoto · Mar 12, 2009

NO, Keith, this is a camera that you can hook-up to a monitor of any kind.
Think of an echo during pregnancy.

In case of an endoscope you will need a ccd camera that is hooked-up to a monitor.

Peter

keithwms · Mar 12, 2009

So it's got no shutter?

archphoto · Mar 12, 2009

It should have, there is an electric cable comming from the shutter of the lens.....
Some parts are missing here: power-supply and switch/operationg-box of some kind.

Peter

cowanw · Mar 14, 2009

It could be an device for early (1980's) recording of pregnancy ultrasound pictures.

Sirius Glass · Mar 14, 2009

keithwms said:
So it's got no shutter?

Probably a focal plane shutter.

Steve

archphoto · Mar 14, 2009

Electronic leaf shutter, verry simple.....

We had this type of camera when I was studying electronics at the Universaty of Delft to photograph electronic signals. Those had mechanical shutters, but they are pretty well the same.

keithwms · Mar 14, 2009

archphoto said:
We had this type of camera when I was studying electronics at the Universaty of Delft to photograph electronic signals.

Oh you were at Delft too? I was there for 3 years as a postdoc. Applied physics... Cees Dekker's group.

archphoto · Mar 14, 2009

I left in 1975, we were bussy with 2GHz signals and piping, incredeble stuff, the early day's of IC's, chips as they are called now.
I was on the 23rd floor of the high-rise, wonderfull view........

Lost quite a bit now and times have changed too much, understand the basic's still.

Peter

Ralph Javins · Mar 16, 2009

Good morning, Benelli, Keith, and Peter;

Agreed that it is an oscilloscope camera. I have two models by Tektronix here; one that uses Polaroid pack film, and an earlier version that used the old Polaroid roll film. I do not know how many rolls of Polaroid Type 107 3000 ASA film I ran through those things back in the 1960's. I do remember that I bought them by the box from the supply people. From their refrigerator to mine on the second floor of Building 53.

The sample that Benelli (nice Italian motorcycles) has may be a special modification for a medical application.

Benelli · Mar 17, 2009

Thanks for all the info! Now the whole thing makes sense

I wonder if I could ever use it, but I doubt it. Maybe theres someone here thats really interested in the (to me quite) weird thing, because I don't think I can get it complete and get it to work. Its probably not worth much, so let me know if you could put it to good use!

Thanks again!

Benelli (indeed great Italian motorcycles, but I drive a 1976 Benelli GTV50 moped )

Philippe-Georges · Mar 17, 2009

archphoto said:
NO, Keith, this is a camera that you can hook-up to a monitor of any kind.
Think of an echo during pregnancy.

In case of an endoscope you will need a ccd camera that is hooked-up to a monitor.

Peter

Yes, its an echo camera, I have seen it when I became father for the first time...

removed-user-1 · Mar 17, 2009

Benelli said:
I wonder if I could ever use it, but I doubt it. Maybe theres someone here thats really interested in the (to me quite) weird thing, because I don't think I can get it complete and get it to work. Its probably not worth much, so let me know if you could put it to good use!

Years ago, I inherited a Polaroid CU-5 close-up camera... a friend of mine and I removed the lens (a Tominon 127mm in a press shutter) and I used it on LF for a little while. Maybe you could do the same, since this 65mm must cover at least 3x4 (certainly enough coverage for roll film backs).

What kind of camera is this?

removed-user-1

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