Camjectors
CAMERA - PROJECTORS
Camera/Projectors
Camera projectors have always seemed to me to be a triumph of ingenuity and invention over common sense, even tho' many pioneers of the cinema did such things. But cinema was about making movies for many to see, a professional activity using tripods and such for big cameras. I could never see how something small (or of no use as a camera) would work for the amateur - size or weight or both must surely militate against doing at least the projection part as well as a dedicated machine. Still, the idea continued to attract people who should have known better.
First, a brief intro I picked up somewhere.
Now I shall try to be alphabetical.
Bolsey
I don't really know much about this one apart from what you see here. I think the info came from Trevor in New Zealand, an avid collector of strange devices.
Campro
Following a query about the power supply I looked at the a 9.5mm Campro camera/projector. I got the instructions from Warton Parfitt (I know, I should have gotten them ages ago, but it's not the Boy Way). From these I found that there were in fact two models of the Campro. The presumably original model has a very basic lens with 3 stops only - bright, dull but, as the third was project, only two really. The later version has a decent-looking lens. They were made by a company called Home Cine Cameras Ltd of 18 Gray's Inn Road in London.
I discover from the instructions that I have several parts missing. There should apparently be a little gizmo that goes over the lens for projection - I don't know, but guess this could be a supplementary lens. There should also be a rewind handle and a two-pin plug to fit in the back of the projector to power the lamp. I decided to make up a little plug, on the lines of a Pathé design - see pic right. I did actually try to run a film through, but the picture was small and dim. This may of course be due to the lack of the extra lens (if that's what it was) and the fact that I was not using the "special" lamp originally provided. This was 6v 6w, but the recommended dry-cell battery was 7.5v; maybe they relied on over-running it to get a brighter light. I could perhaps try a halogen, but it's certainly not worth bothering unless I can get my hands on a projection attachment.
Theo Ceelen from Belgium has kindly sent some pix of the lamp for use in the Campro in projector mode. Note the tiny scale as evidenced by the finger.
I am very impressed by the Campro motor, which will handle at least 30ft on a single wind, or so it claims. It winds nice and quiet - no ratchet and does indeed have a long run time. Sadly, however, the Campro is made of Mazac and the cover on mine has warped enough that it no longer fits correctly. One could in principle use it tho', as it takes a 9.5 charger and of course 9.5 cassettes.
Here is the machine in its two modes; as projector with 30 & 60ft cassettes and as camera with charger. Note that with a charger far more of the film gets exposed as a loop, than in other 9.5 cameras, hence presumably the stern injunction never to open the camera before a film is finished. The take-up spool core has a very prominent prong to grip a sprocket hole; care is needed not to rip the film when rewinding. The claw seems reluctant to engage easily and the instruction book does say to use the inching knob to start it. Seemed a bit tricky. It's fine once it's going tho'. There is a brass pin in the middle of the film compartment, immediately behind the lamp - it don't revolve with the mech and I'm not clear what it does. ACW reviewed the Campro in 1935.
There were several others similar machines; here is a picture from John Collins, who, much to my envy, has both Campro models and a pic from Son (ugh) of Gallery that Trevor Adams sent me; it shows the Screnus, the later-model Campro and the Midas(more on these below) The principal difference between the two Campro models is in the aperture control; the early model had a simple dim/bright slider - there's a name for these but I can't remember it, the later model had full aperture control. (Update. Got both now.)
I spose you might as well have the instructions, too. There are two sets in this pdf.
Although I have to say how disappointing it is that no-one has ever looked at them before. If they had, they would have pointed out that the original presentation of these Instructions was an out-of-order mish-mash of two different sets of Instructions.
Midas
The Midas, along with the Campro, is probably the most commonly found camjector, in the UK at least. I have a fair bit of material, including views of the fabled Super attachment. You're going to get it all, too.
Some spare cassettes I have for the Midas have stringy stuff round where it meets the casing - light-trap problems, maybe? It's quite ingenious in places. The second pic shows the rear viewfinder thing in its upright position (lowered in the first). Immediately below it is the lamp for projection; turning the viewfinder turns the lamp on and off. The thing that really worried me was finding this reel, which suggested a possible Super Attachment for the Midas. Surely not!? But I fear 'tis so - Dave Richardson has one and sent me pix and info.
And he's found some ads, from June and December 1937.
And you never know when you might need this..........
While the front is reasonably authentic, the reverse is all re-typed - all that has survived is the general layout.
Dave Richardson has come up with yet more Midas info.
The second image has an amendment slip that was pasted across pic 3; we have tried to read and reproduce the underlying text. David also drew my attention to Grahame Newnham's website, www.pathefilm.uk. This states:- "By 1937 the original Midas was being sold off (by 'John Browning - Scientific Instrument Makers' still using the Bush House address) at 35/- - that is £1.75 - and a modified model advertised which had a dropper resistance for mains use and 300ft spools mounted on a base-board with rollers to feed the film in and out of the camera/projector ..... prices were from £4-15sh-0d (£4.75) - see the ACW December 1937 page 339." The mains option is probably why there is a plug sticking out of the back of David's Midas-on-a-board.
June 2012 I acquired a Midas leaflet and price list.
Perfecta Pocket Cinema (PPC)
The PPC makes big claims for itself. Again, I owe what I know to Trevor Adams.
Screnus
I knew nothing of the Screnus (one 'e' - included in a pic above with a Campro and a Midas), until Trevor Adams, him from NZ, lightened my darkness.
Trevor's pix are particularly helpful in making sense of the pic in the ACW review I found recently, by showing separately the removable lamp unit. Trev says:-
"I think the case is made from pressed aluminium - so it's just a bit flasher than a tobacco tin I guess. The faceplate is marked SCRENUS Cine Camera. To the right of the nameplate is a wee lever which you adjust to "Take" or "Project". This device simply changes the aperture. The camera viewfinder is a simple reflex one which would have been a dog to use in sunlight!
Without a decent flywheel, cranking film is quite jerky. The barrel-type shutter and single claw seem to work adequately and the machine, in motion, yields a foot-wide picture. The projector's tubular lamphouse is quite clever and contains the condenser lens and light source. It is easily removed and replaced. I use a standard 6 volt bulb.
Can't help but think that using a Screnus would have been quite an expensive way to learn about movie making. Even used carefully it tends to abuse film! The firm's motto, 'From scene to screen in one machine' - is probably the best thing about this device!"
Wittnauer
I know even less of the more modern Wittnauer, but it does show you can't keep a bad idea down!