The ebay auction for this photo
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Drink-Coca-Cola-PHOTO-Coke-Button-Sign-Bottle-Photograph-TV-Station-Live-/301862080756?

dates it as 1960s, but the camera looks more ancient. The Coca Cola site says 26 oz. bottles were introduced in 1955:
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/11-facts-about-the-contour-bottle/


Can anyone identify the camera? Image orthicon or perhaps vidicon? Make?

WALB's web site only has a photo of a much later "old" color camera that was donated to the Smithsonian.

The ebay auction for this photo
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Drink-Coca-Cola-PHOTO-Coke-Button-Sign-Bottle-Photograph-TV-Station-Live-/301862080756?

dates it as 1960s, but the camera looks more ancient. The Coca Cola site says 26 oz. bottles were introduced in 1955:
http://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/11-facts-about-the-contour-bottle/


Can anyone identify the camera? Image orthicon or perhaps vidicon? Make?

WALB's web site only has a photo of a much later "old" color camera that was donated to the Smithsonian.

Could be a GE and probably B/W.
A lot of stations in smaller markets didn't have the capitol to invest in color equipment, until years later. :scratch2:

This article about Sarks Tarzian shows several fairly similar cameras used at low-budget stations. These are vidicon & plumbican devices...close but no cigar.

http://www.smecc.org/sarkes_tarzian.htm

jr

This article about Sarks Tarzian shows several fairly similar cameras used at low-budget stations. These are vidicon & plumbican devices...close but no cigar.

http://www.smecc.org/sarkes_tarzian.htm

jr

I never realized Sarkes Tarzian was into studio equipment. I even have one of their FM radios.
I knew about their involvement in semi-conductors. The seemed to make the best, longest lasting selenium rectifiers.
I thought the firm was named after two persons, like Blonder-Tongue. :scratch2:

The smaller TV stations' engineers were probably like us, in that they did whatever it took to keep the old cameras running, until something expensive or unobtanium broke.

The ebay auction for this photo
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1960s-Drink-Coca-Cola-PHOTO-Coke-Button-Sign-Bottle-Photograph-TV-Station-Live-/301862080756?

dates it as 1960s, but the camera looks more ancient. .

WALB went on the air in 1954, and I'd guess these were the original Videcon cameras that signed the station on the air.

Albany, GA was a small town of about 40,000 souls at the time, so no big bucks here.

Several manufacturers of economy TV equipment built slightly oversized cases to make their Videcon cameras look more impressive and look like the big IO cameras used by the larger stations.

Smaller stations often bought the used cameras and equipment when the larger stations upgraded.

James.

That style of Coca-Cola bottle (with white ACL logo and embossed glass lettering below the logo) is definitely from the late 1950s, and not the 1960s.