Jan 1947 ad for the 16mm version of the famous Mitchell 35mm camera
Toronto. Did you ever see a movie in the days when movie scenes were captured on 35 or 16 mm film? Well the chances are a Mitchell camera was used! Mitchell Cameras took over from Bell & Howell a few years before ‘the talkies’ – they were much quieter by design.
This ad in the January 1947 issue of Popular Photography was spotted by my good friend George Dunbar while he was doing some photographic history research recently. A Michell’s 35mm camera was the camera to be used in movie film shoots in Hollywood and around the world for over half a century. The cameras were designed and made in Los Angeles.
Modern day movies are shot digitally and the files are downloaded ready for projection with no urgent time limit demanding their return whether the movie ran to a full house or not!
Time passes; things change, but the old Mitchell cameras are still valued by serious collectors and professionals. An indication of their excellent design is the wilful copying by the U.S.S.R. to capture Eastern Block films. NB the Eastern Block used a different sprocket set up than the west, affecting film choice and film projection.
