American cinematographer (Jan-Dec 1942)

THE BULLETIN BOARD "Pro-Jr." Shiftover A long-needed accessory for use with the Spider-turret model Eyemo 35mni. hand-camera is the "Professional Jr.," Shiftover Alignment Gauge just announced by the Camera Equipment Co., manufacturers of the well-known "Professional .Jr." tripod. This shiftover permits the user of a spider-turret Eyemo equipped with the Eyemo prismatic ground-glass focusing accessory to line up focus and framing in the same accurate way as is done with a studio-type camera like a Bell & Howell or Mitchell. The camera is mounted on a laterallysliding base so that for focusing it may be slid to the left. In this position the lens, when in front of the prismatic focusing eyepiece, occupies the identical position it will be in when camera and lens are shifted back into photographing position. The male element of the shiftover's dovetailed slide attaches permanently to the camera-base, and peiTnits using the I'egular camera-holding handle for handheld operation is desired, and may also permit the camera to be mounted on an ordinary tripod when the shiftover feature is not needed. This male dovetail mates with a female dovetail slide on the shiftover base and permits the camera to slide smoothly from photographing to focusing positions for parallax adjustment, etc. The camera can be locked in either position by a positive locking device. The shiftover has a stop-bracket which prevents the camera from sliding off the dovetail base. Dowel-pins are provided to position the device accurately on the "Professional Jr." tripod or on any tripod having either % or 1/4-20 camerafastening screws. Colburn Moves The George \V. Colburn Laboratory of Chicago, well-known specialists in all kinds of substandard laboratory work, announces its removal from the offices it has occupied for many years in the Merchandise Mart Bldg., Chicago, to new quarters two floors lower, in the same building, in Suite 995. The Colburn Laboratory, as is well known, specializes not only in Kodachrome duplicating and sound-printing, but in making 16mm. or 8mm., prints from originals on 35mm., 28mm., 17.5mm., and 9.5mm. film, as well as reducing 16mm. to 8mm. and enlarging 8mm. to 16mm. Emmet Camera Cases At a time when wartime restrictions have made it difficult to obtain many lines of photographic equipment and accessories, it is more than interesting to note that the several lines of precisionmade camera and accessory cases made by the Frank A. Emmet Company of Los Angeles are still available. Among the several types of cases offered by this firm are Cam-A-Cessory Gadget Bags, and Everready, Slip-in and Pouch-type cases for cameras. Prices range from .$19.50 for the largest and finest of gadget-bags to as little as $1.50 for the simpler pouch-cases. 8mm. Kodachrome Duping Announcement from the Pacific States Film Laboratory, 1027 North Highland Ave., Hollywood, California, informs us that this firm has perfected a method of making reversal duplicates of 8mm. film, in either black-and-white or Kodachrome. The method used is stated to assure perfect definition and register. "Certified Sound" Some details of the "Certified Sound" 16mm. recording system recently announced by J. A. Maurer, Inc., have at last been released. "Certified Sound" consists of a double-system 16inm. recording system which has been engineered to a degree of operational simplicity which can be described, the manufacturers state, as very nearly foolproof. The system consists of three units : the recording mechanism, the amplifier, and a portable power-supply. The recorder is a refinement of the well-known Maurer "B-M" recorder which has become virtually the standard for professional 16mm. recording. The amplifier is the heart of the "Certified Sound" system. It is equipped with a remarkable volume compressor circuit which automatically reduces amplification when the sound-input level passes beyond a predetermined point. This effectively eliminates the danger of overmodulating the sound-track when unexpected volume peaks must be recorded. This action is stated to virtually eliminate distortion in recording, and to permit recording sounds of normal volume with a higher amplification or "gain" setting, yet with no danger of "overshooting" the sound-track. The amplifier is of course equipped with the necessary ground-noise reduction circuit, a 4-input mixer, microphone pre-amplifier and the necessary indicating meters which, incidentally, have also been greatly simplified. The portable power-supply unit of the "Certified Sound' 'system is available in either a 115-Volt AC model or a 12-Volt DC model for field use. Films Aid War Effort There are no less than ten distinct fields in which 16mm. motion pictures are aiding in the defense effort, according to an attractive red-white-and-blue illustrated broadside just issued by Bell & Howell's Pilmosound Library. War reports by American and United Nations cameramen, civilian defense, democratic principles, aviation, indus trial training, emergency first aid, victory gardening, life of friendly neighbors, religion, general education — and morale-building recreation — are the headings, and outstanding new films are listed under each. There is also a discussion of "how to get equipment," and an offer of a free film "How Motion Pictures Move and Talk." Copies of the "Films that Fight for Freedom" folder can be obtained free by writing Bell & Howell, Filmosound Library, 1801 Larchmont Avenue, Chicago. New G-E Photo Data Book The new edition of the G-E Photo Data Book, completely revised from the 1940 edition familiar to more than 50,000 users, is now available. While dealing in a large part with still photography, the new book has a great deal of material useful for movie camerawork as well. Included in the book's contents are practical picture-making tips, useful tables, essential technical data and helpful suggestions for both black-and-white and color photography. Subjects covered in the book's 112 pages include measuring exposure for copying, metered flash work, color-filters, latest film-speeds (G-E and other ratings) simplified exposure guides, Photoflood and Photoflash exposure data, color-sensitivity classification of films, developer formulas, projection-distance data, and full technical information on the G-E exposure-meter, Photoflood, Photoflash and projection lamps, etc. The book is conveniently pocket-sized, and sells for 50 cents. It is available through photo deale''s everywhere. New Films Several extremely interesting new 16mm. sound-films have recently been announced by as either immediately available or in production. Among these may be mentioned two 3-reel Kodachrome sound-films made by Ramsey Pictures of Oklahoma City for the American Hereford Association of Kansas City, Mo. The two films are released as a single production under the title "Herefords. the Beef Breed Supreme," but each section is complete in itself. The first reel deals with the ancestry and development of the Hereford since the first importation by Henry Clay in 1817. Scenes of outstanding Hereford herds and ranches in every part of the country are shown. The second reel tells the story of commercial beef cattle from the baby Hereford calf through to the meat-packer. Both films are available from the American Hereford Association on a free loan basis. American Cinematographer September, 1942 415