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Old 05-16-2010, 10:16 PM
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Camera Count

Has anybody done a count of British Television Cameras left in the world like the a Americans have done with their RCA,s
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Old 05-16-2010, 10:44 PM
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You might want to contact the people involved with Golden Age TV Recreations http://www.golden-agetv.co.uk/ and Museum of the Broadcast Television Camera http://www.tvcameramuseum.org/ I am sure they would have a figure on what exists of British cameras.

I personally have been lately considering doing a survey of what old cameras exist here in Australia, both British and American and making website in regards of our old cameras as I've lately become so fascinated with them. I personally want to find out if any RCA TK-31s used by QTQ-9 Brisbane and NBN Newcastle still exist today in the hands of museums or collectors of the stations themselves.
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Old 05-17-2010, 04:49 PM
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We've never attempted a formal survey of surviving cameras in the UK but we do have a pretty good idea of who has what! There's always surprises though and you can never say never on any point. For instance, there's only two Pye Mk6s left (I used to own one and sold it back to the BBC!). These were a 'special' for the BBC and failed to 'live on' after use with the corp. Are there any more out there? The same goes for the Marconi MkVI but for different reasons - it was a mono Plumbicon just as colour was coming in. Then there's the EMI 2005 - 'a 2001 with the sharpness taken out' as the critics said . . .

I wouldn't like to set down a formal estimate, I'd only be proved wrong!

Cheers,

Paul M
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Old 05-17-2010, 05:19 PM
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Good luck

I hope you have more luck than me ! Television in New Zealand (TVNZ) is 50years Old(1/06/10) and their NO History left .Nobody knows Anything ,except Old TV Presenters & Programs .I know more (Have more ) about their History than they do, This is Great shame as this is the last opportunity we have to talk too the these people (Founders) of TV !
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Old 05-17-2010, 05:44 PM
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What is your pretty good idea of who has what!
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Old 05-17-2010, 05:48 PM
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I always get the feeling that other than us, nobody in the industry really cares...We see the old cameras & stuff as neat historical artifacts, they see it as crummy old gear that gave a lot of trouble..."I burnt my fingers MANY TIMES changin' tubes (Valves to our Aussie, Kiwi, & Brit friends) on that ol' damthing..."
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Old 05-17-2010, 06:14 PM
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There seems to be more incomplete Cameras( Heads ) than full Camera Chains !
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Old 05-18-2010, 03:27 AM
austvarchive austvarchive is offline
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well for starters...i dont really know what exactly i have as i never have the time to actually sit down and catalogue EVERYTHING i have

...then again some things you dont like to tell the world everything you have either.

a rough guide as to studio cameras and other gear i have here in australia

- 2 x RCA TK60's - complete heads and 4.5" orthicon tube (no CCU, power supply etc) ex WOAI-TV/KMOL-TV (USA)

- 2 x RCA TK45 Color Cameras, ex ATV0 Melbourne(studio)/ CTC7 Canberra (OB?) - complete and working? chains, with lots of spares and associated items.

- 3 x Marconi MK8 and MK8'B's Color Studio Cameras, complete and (working?) only 2 lenses and CCU's, but 3 power supplys, EX HSV7 (OB?)

- 2 x Pye MK3 orthicon cameras, complete with CCU's and power supplys
ex ATV england PYE OB Van, then CTC7 Canberra, interestingly 405/525 line switchable mods added, suspect they were from an "international" van.

- 1 x Marconi Mark IV Orthicon Camera, almost complete..missing operators panel ex ABC (queensland?) - possibly has BBC parts inside as found a couple faint BBC notes on boards.

- RCA TK-22, telecine camera, TP66 projector, Slide Projector...missing ccu/cable for the tk22.

- Various Portable Cameras, Ikegami Handy Looky HL-77 (1978), JVC KY-2000 (1981) KY-210 (1984), ITC 730A (silver) JVC KY1900E, Ikegami HL-79E's

- Assorted Vidicon Based industrial/educational type Cameras, Panasonic Ikegami, ITC, Sony AVC series.

- Portable Vidicon Based Cameras, National, Panasonic, Sony, with associated EIAJ format working machines.

- Sanyo V-CORD camera and portable recording system

Numerous other cameras ...new and old..i have seriously lost track!

Video Machines (VTRS)

- Various domestic Beta recorders, (sony, sanyo)
- Broadcast Level S-VHS decks, (panasonic, JVC)
- Sony Broadcast Umatics..(Low/High Band and SP) - (most models)
- 3x Sony BVH-3100's 1" Type C
- 2x Sony BVH-2000's 1" Type C
- IVC 761P 1974 1" type B? VTR
- BETACAM SP BVW-60P etc

...ok now i am getting worried as i cant remember the rest as its all become part of the scenery or packed in storage...scary!


next post is about what cameras were used where in australia and what is known to exist
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Old 05-18-2010, 04:35 AM
austvarchive austvarchive is offline
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But back to the topic of cameras....what were used where and what are known to exist and where last seen??

Victoria - Australia

ATV0/ATV10 Melbourne
(RCA Kit Station)

Prior to 1975:

RCA TK-60's, RCA TK42?- was on loan as an NTSC model for color test in late 60's from a usa station.

1975 to approx 1995, RCA TK-45's, (main studio) RCA TK46's (drama studio)
TK76's for some location material in the early days but mostly 16mm film prior to around 1983/4 when BETACAM arrived.

Known to have survived?

- no known tk60's survivors today although one appears to exist as late as 1994 as a sad looking prop on a tv special, most tk45's from anywhere else in australia were were sent as spare parts to atv10 melb in the early 90's to refurbish their cameras when they moved...story goes there was a whole skip piled 3 or 4 deep of cameras, a couple "May" have been rescued by staff but most were trashed. Same goes for the TK46's it is assumed they were also dumped in the early 90's when neighbours (drama/soap) upgraded to newer cameras.


BTV6 - Ballarat, Victoria (RCA kit station)

Station "May" have opened with RCA TK-12's (rather than tk60's) as early photos show the tell tale signs of no "chimney" and other slight design differences, the date the station opened also points to being too early for the TK60's official release. However in all other photo documentation and station literature, (as of early 70's) they boasted of 2x TK-60's and two EMI-203 4.5" orthicon cameras, and an EMI 201 in the news studio.

1974-75 onward, RCA tk45's, one or two TK76's for location (but primarily film) at least one TK760 used for sports OB's or extra studio cam.

Late 1990 to 91, saw the TK-45's retired as spare parts to ATV10, and over a million spent on 3 new BVP-370 3CCD Cameras and peds.

What exists today?: No known TK-60's, someone thought they may have been donated to the school of mines, but i have never found any trace of what happened. Similarily the EMI cameras fate is unknown, in mid 90's techs talked of a camera head still sitting out the back, but when i looked there was nothing there. Its unkown why a primarily RCA kit station was doing with EMI cameras...possibly they were cheap UK purchases after they went to color.


GMV6 - Shepparton

Station opened with two Marconi B3095 vidicon type cameras
which lasted them through until color, after which time they appear
to have also had the popular RCA TK-45's and TK76's

- what survives today?

Thankfully the two marconi cameras were rescued by a private collector and exist today and are being lovingly looked after in their retirement, unfortunately the ccu and support gear is long gone as were the lenses and a few parts missing inside. The TK45's were likely also sent as spares to ATV10 melb and mostly trashed.

BCV8 Bendigo

Similair Marconis were also used here according to old photos, but some photos suggest even a fernseh orthicon camera may have existed at a later stage. From color onward its sketchy what was used due to lack of any history surviving from the station. Some photos suggest in the mid 80's marconi mk8's were in use, and later years ikegami's. Nothing is known to have survived at this stage (to my knowledge)

GTV9 - Melbourne

The station opened using PYE MK3 cameras, and i am told there was a total of 8 across the whole station. By roughly 1962, they had upgraded (at least in the main IMT studio) to MK5's - there was also at least one known fernseh IO camera in use in later years.

From the color era onwards, Bosch KCU-40's seemed the stations staple, as well as at least one KCN type portable used for some of the don lane show hand held segment shots outside in the late 70's. The KCU-40's were in use as late as 1992/93 in studio 9, and then when replaced with the sony BVP375's, they were demoted to the nearby smaller "whats cooking" studio until finally being phased out.

what exists today? - well some of the PYE MK3's exist (albeit in a sorry looking state) and were last seen at the ACMI tv history exhibition, having being under the care at the bob philips museum. Its unkown where they are now, last reports were these were sitting out the back of GTV9 degrading further. The KCU-40's are unkown, some may have been donated to bob philips, but someone claimed some were still under the gtv9 building, some say they were thrown in the dumpmaster, at least one similair looking model was on display at the acmi exhibit, but no ccu or cables...just a prop.


HSV7 - Melbourne

They were mostly marconi, starting with the giant marconi MKIII and MKIV
later for their color demo in 1968 they bought (a couple?) of philips type plumbicon cameras (sold under norelco in the US) - from the official intro of color they used the marconi MK8's which werent phased out until the very early 90's.

What exists? - well some of my cameras came from here, one of the philips exists as just the camera head and was last seen at the ACMI exhibition (on the wrong tripod and scratched & scuffed and appeared to have damage to the lense housing) its unknown about the MKIII's, and storys vary wildly about the MKIV's, apparently one was seen in a collectables store for a wild price many many years ago, and another story says one was spray painted white? and used as a prop in a play and later trashed. Another still exists in a private collectors hands but needs some TLC, one was also donated in perfect working nick to the bob philips museum, and was seen as part of the acmi exhibit some years ago, although looking worse for wear as well.


ABC - Melbourne

Marconi MKIII's very early on, and then EMI-206 or 207's, then in 1974,75 philips LDK5's...in the late 80's to 90's it looks like ikegamis were substituted in the studio..even as late as 1999

the emi 206, 207's were owned by an ex employee? and at some point he had to clear space and they were trashed, so none exist. Unknown what happened to the marconis...or the philips ldk5's...possibly were sent interstate to sydney and sold at auction..as the abc did with a lot of its gear.


other stations:

Sydney:

channel 10

Marconi MKIV's for number 96 etc, later for color MK8's
some MKIX's were also apparently used.

ATN7 - Marconi MKIV's & MKIII's seemed common as were MK8's for color

TCN9 - appeared to use very early fernseh type camera and then the philips ldk5's through the color era into the mid 90's


other stuff

AMPEX BCC1 or BCC10 was apparently used at some mildura station?

Sydney Film and TV School had bosch KCU-40's and other models in their studio

RMIT melbourne had at least one PYE MKIII

EMI-203's were used for some places at WA ABC?

EMI-2001's were never in australia..however...

NBN television appears to have been using the EMI 2005 cameras
for studio and OB use in the 70/80's ...not known what happened to them
however a lense turned up recently in a scrapyard for an exhorbitant price!

PYE MK 4's were used at TWV7 WA

SES-8 MT GAMBIER - appears to possibly have had an TK-44 bought very early on to get in on arrival of color tv, before the tk45 was released.

TK-11's were used at QTQ-9 Queensland

TAS-TV used tk-45's in the color era

9 Perth had PYE MK5




more as i think of it...or people jog my memory

by the way i am only just over 30...so most of all this was before i was born!!!
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Old 05-18-2010, 07:12 AM
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I wish I had the space you have. I have 2 Marconi Mrk4s Series A (405/525/625 )Chains from TVC London studios TC 2 and TC 3. I know this as the Tech who sent them here also worked on them in England .
These cameras also had Marconi mods done to the CCUs by inserting (Valve Sockets) into the boards & BBC operators panel .
Also a EMI 206 which is Missing one EHT Board and one connector lead other than that it is in great condition. Just found 2 days ago a EMI 201 head with no lenses in Average condition .
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Old 05-18-2010, 08:55 AM
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Stemming off the information James provided on cameras used in Australia, here is some additional cameras to list:

TNT-9 had a B&W RCA TK-15 vidicon camera according to a video still James sent me years ago:
http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/z...tnt9camera.jpg

NBN had RCA B&W TK-11/31s and I think TK-60s as well. In an 8mm home movie clip of the Hardie Ferodo (Bathurst) races 1973 a TK-31 can be seen behind one of the spectators at 2:15 into the clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFhvy3CXxBo

STV-8 Mildura had B&W PYE Graduate vidicon cameras in their studio during the 60s and early 70s which can be seen in this YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvl8ksLnqA0
The PYE Graduate can be seen on the TV Camera Museum site http://www.tvcameramuseum.org/pye/pyethumb.htm

Also according to another friend of mine, a B&W PYE 2018 vidicon camera was used in Crawfords TV Workshop in the 50s.

Now for experimental purposes and other applications we had:

1948 TV demonstration: PYE B&W MK1 photicon camera which can be seen in this clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdMp62X0H-A

1953 TV demonstration: Marconi B&W MK1 IO camera
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/miscpics/gid/slv-pic-aab13849

In 1960 St Vincent Hospital Melbourne was supplied with a Marconi BD848 medical colour television camera unit for televising operations
http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/hwtports/gid/slv-pic-aaa86119

1963 colour TV demonstration: EMI 204 vidicon colour cameras were used at Sydney Showgrounds for demonstration, when I posted a thread on colour in Australia http://videokarma.org/showthread.php...lour+australia the EMI Broadcast Technical Manager provided some valuable information on the usage of these cameras, refer back to that thread for the details

The fate of most of these cameras is unknown but fortunately one complete EMI 204 vidicon colour chain survives at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum and can be viewed on their site, here's a link to the camera head:
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&images=&c=&s=

Powerhouse museum also has a host of other broadcast cameras from the 50s to the 70s:

1955 Fernseh B&W IO camera chain http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&search=camera

Mid/late 60s Marconi MKVII colour camera chain http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&search=camera

1968 Philips EL8020 B&W plumbicon camera http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&search=camera

1956 Marconi MKIII B&W IO camera http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&search=camera

1970 Philips LDK2A colour camera http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&search=camera

1965 Marconi MKV B&W IO camera chain http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...mages=on&c=&s=

1970s Marconi MKVIII colour camera chain http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...mages=on&c=&s=

1950 Australian lab built 250 line B&W TV demonstration system:
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...mages=on&c=&s=

1950s turret lense B&W vidicon camera:
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...mages=on&c=&s=
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Old 05-18-2010, 09:53 PM
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I once saw in a 1968 edition of Herbert Zettl's Television Production Handbook that the U.S. equivalent of the EL8020 (marketed as Norelco, of course) was the PM-40.
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Old 05-25-2010, 08:51 AM
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Just found another surviving camera at Powerhouse Museum Sydney, a 1950s PYE 2018:
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/coll...&images=&c=&s=
The camera is one the right.

It might possibly be that Crawford's TV Workshop camera used in the 50s.
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Old 06-03-2010, 04:15 PM
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Hi Aussie Bloke and austvarchive

A very interesting and informative postings, Would you mind if I used your information in my web site, www.tvcameramuseum.org ?

I do enter "used by" information into the Data sheets associated with each camera and there is much useful information in your posts. I also keep private list of who has what cameras.

As Paul said earlier there is no formal list of camera owners in the UK, for some strange reason the Brits don't like to list there collections, but like Paul I know who has got what. Paul said that 3 Pye Mk6 survive, I Know 3 have survived.

I do intend to list details of my personal collection on tvcameramuseum when I get round to it, that is! The cameras shown in the formal pictures are mixture of mine, other peoples, and pictures from documents.

There is great deal to be done in recording all the camera details.

I was in contact with XDcam about Mkiii's and failed to send a picture attached to a PM so here it is. It is a picture of one of my Mkiii under restoration.

regards

Brian
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Old 06-03-2010, 10:09 PM
austvarchive austvarchive is offline
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your welcome to use the info i provided providing you credit my oldtvgear.com website - but with the disclaimer the info may not always be totally accurate

Your MKIII restoration looks good!
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