Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/04/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Additional follow-up to Jay's comments: I read this after my response to you. The man is right. We are using gear that was made last week as well as 30 years ago. This stuff must last. High speed cameras have heavy duty movements that will get hot however the shot durations tend to be short and they cool quickly. BOB Jay's Comments: "Hi-speed cameras (frame rates over 150fps) had a tendency to sometimes over heat, but not your normal production cameras. Actually, Panavision cameras come with a heater for cold weather to insure proper lubrication of the gears and motor. And with 35mm camera bodies being so expensive (you can not even buy Panavision, only rent) folks would be a tad bit upset if they went through multiple bodies on a show. Having been a Panavision and Arriflex technician in my somewhat checkered past, the only cameras I saw quit on a shoot had been abused, batteries died, bodies dropped and even one where a plane struck the camera on take off (remote camera - no operator). Even one where the operator had a battery die and decided that since it was 12 volt - he would hook it up to his car battery and run it that way. Well, he swapped the polarity and burn out every wire in the body, which gave off acrid fumes which etched every bearing surface (except the jeweled bearing) requiring a complete rewire and rebuild. Very expensive. No, these bodies are very robust. Jay Ignaszewski"