The international photographer (Jan-Dec 1939)

down arm is fitted with four fingers — two on each side — and these fingers and the pilot-pins overlap, one entering before the other slips out of the perforation. All of this gives a quiet, accurately registering movement. The camera is partly acoustically insulated with a layer of sound-absorbing material between the inner and outer walls. The magazines are also insulated, and they are further insulated from direct contact with the camera-box, which in turn is insulated from the tripod-head. All told, this design has produced a camera which can under many conditions be used unblimped, or with only a quilted fabric "Barney" for most shots, though it requires a blimp for closer work. It is deservedly popular, and by now there about 150 "NC's" in use in major studios in Hollywood and all over the world. However, this camera, excellent as it is, still fell below the ideal Mitchell engineers had set for themselves. So there followed a further period of technical reesarch and — equally important — careful observation of what the studio cameraman wanted in a de luxe studio camera. Finally in 1934 — yes, it came as far back as that! — appeared the Studio Model, officially termed the Mitchell "BNC." This consists basically of the NC mechanism enclosed in its own, integral sound-proof housing, and with every possible feature for convenient operation. The camera itself is built into a compact soundproof housing — one that is too small to be called a blimp, and one, too, which is a permanent part of the camera. But with the single exception of loading, everything connected with the cameras operation can be done without having to open this housing! The single lens is mounted on the front of the outer case and there is no more shooting through glass windows! The mount is of the bayonet type, quickly detachable but positive in its action. The lens can only be put on the one correct way. A single locking lever at one corner swings the focus-operating gears free of the lens for lens-changes. The focusing mechanism is substantially the same as that used by Mitchell for twenty years. Inside the outer case, the camera-box containing the camera mechanism, shifts sideways at a turn of a familiar-looking external handle, and brings the ground glass and magnifying system into place in the usual way; the focusing eyepiece is at the rear of the outer case. The controls which give either 5X or 10X magnification are also placed outside, close to the eyepiece. Nearby are buttons which lift either a panchromatic or a blue monotone filter into this optical system. The lens itself may be manipulated from any one of three controls. Two are at the front of the camera, on the right and left sides, respectively, and by means of concentric knobs give either a coarse or a fine movement. The third, a fine movement only, is at the left-hand rear corner, close to the eyepiece. The finder, which is almost as close to the lens as in pre-Vitaphone Mitchells, is automatically focused and corrected for parallax by an ingenious system of cams. A set of cams, individually matched to the lenses used on the camera, is fitted under the finder. The cams not in use remain in this position, out of the way; the one for the lens in use, and those for lenses of any shorter focal length, are swung over to bear on a roller which moves on a helix fitted to the rear focus-operating control. The built-in cams match the common range of lenses from 35 mm to 6-inch; the less frequently used 24 mm lens calls for a special, separate cam which is put in place only when needed. The finder itself swings out of the way automatically with the opening of the outer door when, as in reloading or checking the movement, it is necessary to open the outer or inner case doors. Closing the door returns the finder to its original setting. The adjustable shutter is retained, and its SMPE Hollywood Meet Another successful semi-annual convention of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers was recorded in Hollywood last month with a five-day presentation of papers on a host of subjects, an exhibit of latest color stills in various mediums, visits to the Paramount and Warners studios by the delegates from the East, and concluding with an interesting evening devoted to latest television developments. Like the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, the SMPE has set up a permanent committee on television, and the organization's plans for detailed study and reports on this potential new entertainment giant were outlined in detail in a paper by Dr. A. V Goldsmith, chairman of the committee. The editors of International Photographer regret that lack of space causes us to temporarily suspend our practice of publishing complete abstracts of the papers presented. However, the convention program, with list of papers and their authors, appeared in our April issue and we suggest that any of our international readers, who have been in the practice of following these abstracts as a guide to their individual interest in the complete text of certain papers, communicate with Sylvan Harris, editor of the SMPE Journal for information as to the Journal issue in which such complete texts will appear. Most practically impressive aspect of the television session was the information on solving the problems of television projection of motion picture film and we plan to present technical information on this subject in an early issue. controls carried to the outside of the housing, while the monitoring miniature shutter is always visible through a small glazed window. But in addition, by popular demand, the shutter of the BNC is of the dissolving type. The dissolve may be made manually, from the outside of the case or, by using a button, a fourfoot fade in or out may be made automatically. The frame and footage counters have naturally been mounted so as to be visible from the outside. In the earlier models, one of these was a dial type, counting only footage; the other a Veeder-type, with a frame-counting disc as well as one counting footage. In this model, both are of the Veeder-type, and located just above and below the focusing eyepiece. One of these may, as usual, indicate magazine footage; the other, scene footage. The regular Mitchell internal four-way mattes are retained in the BNC, and their controls placed in the usual positions on the inner case. A convenient filter-slide is provided. The mattebox is of the usual type, mounted, of course, on the outer case, but with its supporting arms at the side, rather than the bottom. This assembly swings sideways out of the way for lenschanging and the like. A single rod holds it in place and permits quick removal. A special, supplementary sunshade is provided for use with 24 mm lenses. The motor housing is substantially the same as that used on the NC type, consisting of a complete door-plate combined with the n)r housing. The internal wiring is such that v n a new motor is put on no wiring changes I necessary; a single standard connector conies the motor to the power-line, which comes n through the right side of the outer case. » usual Mitchell anti-buckle trip is provided, i the re-set and manual trip carried to the o j case. A large knob, in the center of whic s a crank fitting, enables the assistant to n the motor manually for loading, or to h,\ crank slates if desired. This, like all of t other external controls, is normally separ;'d from contact with the inner mechanism, and r use must be pressed inward to contact its oi> site member extending from the inner case. i| inner camera-case is also fully insulated f'i direct contact with the bottom of the oi|t housing, yet is mounted in such a way that't is held rigidly in place. Access to the inner camera is through doors: one on the left side of the outer c like the usual camera door; the other open the entire left rear quarter of the outer ma;, zine-housing, giving ample room for reloadi . Several convenient folding handles are supplll for lifting the whole assembly. While the B'. is naturally heavier and bulkier than a yVitaphone camera, it can in a pinch be hand I by one man. It is of course infinitely ligl • and more compact than any blimp. Now, what does all this mean in terms practical camerawork? Well, no one has ever accused Warner Broth executives of spending money foolishly; i, within the past few months Camera Departm Head Mike McGreal has just completed a p> gram of replacing the studio's first -string camd (all relatively young Mitchells) with ten of 1 new BNC's — a 1100,000 investment in more ( cient camerawork ! All of us at the studio have completed &\ eral productions apiece using the new earner and we're pretty well agreed that they are practical advantage. First, like the original Mitchell of twer years ago, they are faster operating. You c go through a whole day's work without e\ having to open the outer case except for loading. You can indulge in those last-seco checks through the ground glass just as you d before sound came. The operative crews fi follow-focus and dolly shots a world easier wi the parallax-correcting finder and the handi focusing methods. On exterior scenes, where now-a-days we t frequently have to pan or dolly from dire' sunlight to heavy shadow and back again, b ing able to adjust the shutter from outside tl case, during the shot, is a real life-saver. It ' paying triple dividends in smoother photograph easier camera work and simpler laboratory wor Of course, this is just one of the many poin where we are at a disadvantage using conve; tional blimped cameras, and where only this ne Mitchell will help us out. The lighter, smaller camera also gives us bac most of the mobility we enjoyed in pre-micn phone days. The absence of the objectionabl glass porthole gives us better photographi quality. In addition, our soundmen have had som nice things to say about the noise-free operatio. of the BNC. The more critical ones point on that if you are on a bare stage, with no peopl or anything else to create background noise and if you then bring the microphone to withi a matter of inches of the lens, you can picl up a tiny trace of noise; but even they admi this imperceptible sound is in a frequency rang; . which is automatically filtered out by the regu lar dialogue equalizers. So, for all practical purposes we now hav< a camera as flexible as the best pre-Vitaphow outfits, which is yet so quiet no soundman cai, point a finger at it. And it crept up on u: while we were busy wondering when we'd hea' about a really silent camera! «