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Mitchell Standard S/n 100 Warner Bros for sale

Posted: Fri Mar 17, 2017 11:20 am
by DEI
Mitchell Standard Rackover 35mm Camera with Motor, Lenses, Accessories, Case

For sale: Extremely rare and valuable 35mm Mitchell Standard movie camera complete with original case, four Cook lenses, matte box, viewfinder, accessories, motor, and case. Serial number 100 is marked on the turret behind the lenses and Warner Brothers camera number 26 is labeled on the case, camera, matt box, the motor and motor case. Mitchell Standard #100 was made in the early 1920s prior to the sound era. In addition to the lens turret it is able to be hand cranked. It has a built-in disk to shoot in-camera effects (binoculars, keyholes, etc), as well as a vertical and horizontal matte controls to enable the shooting of split screens, and an iris control which allows iris fades to be carefully positioned and controlled. All of this functions. There is also a dissolve mechanism on the back which appears disconnected. The camera uses rackover viewing.

The lenses all have geared rings on them which suggests that at some juncture the camera was operated inside a blimp and used for sound shooting. The motor is a variable speed and allows for speeds up to 60 frames a second. The camera runs smoothly for live action photography throughout its range of running speeds. It uses standard Mitchell magazines. The camera was used by the computer animation company Digital Effects Inc. during the late 1970s and early 1980s and most of the first commercial computer animations were filmed using it. For these operations the lens turret was temporarly removed, the camera was coupled to a full-color Dicomed CRT recorder, and a stepping motor was used instead of the live action motor. The stepping motor is not available at this time. It is unlikely that a collector will find a more special piece in terms of serial number, markings, or completeness than this very unique item. Additional pictures are available which detail the motor assembly, the camera from all angles as well as its innards, and the accessories.

Re: Mitchell Standard S/n 100 Warner Bros for sale

Posted: Wed Mar 22, 2017 7:52 pm
by mediaed
A nice early Mitchell find! It should be noted here that the actual dating and information for this camera has been corrected on the E-Bay listing but not here. Correction is: this is a late 1927 camera purchased by First National which was soon absorbed by Warners.

Remarkable that at that late date a full-out Standard could be purchased with the optional mask wheel and movable iris. Must have been ordered for doing sound but, I guess, still hedging their bets with a complete package. ED.