VIC SP-1 Cine-8

designed between 1971-2 (1)

manufactured since 1972 until 1982

production: 110 units

silent super 8 cartridge (2)

lens: C-Mount type

viewfinder: single-lens reflex with adjustable eyepiece

viewfinder information: ?

exposure: manual exposure control

CCA filter: not built-in 85A filter

filming speed: variable speed 10-250 fps (3)

shutter opening angle: 90 degrees

film transport: intermittent pin-resgistered (4)

sound: no

film counter: 1-50 ft

built-in heater: yes (5)

film drive motor: DC micromotor

power source: ? V DC

weight: ?

dimensions: ?

made in Usa by Mekel Engineering (6)

• First high-speed Super 8 movie camera.

• (1) The VIC SP-1 is a high-speed camera designed by Maurice Amesbury and Jack Van Vonderen for scientific applications that can run Super 8 film up to 250 fps using the silent Super 8 cartridge.

• (2) This movie camera uses the silent super 8 cartridges, including the film Kodak MFX, that had 100 foot of film in silent cartridge.

• (3) The running speed is variable in one frame increments from ten frames to 250 frames per second. In addition, the camera will respond to pule inputs for timelapse work down to one frame per second. Outwardly the camera resembles other super 8 cameras, but the inside is very different. The speed is accurately controlled by a drift-free system that controls the width of a constant frequency pulse supplied to the permanent magnet of the DC motor. A tachometer driven by the film transport mechanism provides the servo reference (Mark Mikolas and Gunther Hoos: ''Handbook of Super 8 Production'', Usa, 1976).

• (4) First Super 8 camera with intermittent pin-registred film transport. This intermittent mechanism holds the film stacionary during exposure. It ensures frame-to-frame registration and sharp images. Detail is clearly visible in examination of single frames.

• (5) The camera is also well suited for cold weather applications. A 50 watt heater is built into the film chamber. By means of a sensor mounted near the film plane, this heater will keep the film chamber between 50 degrees F and 65 degrees F at external temperatures as low as -65F (Mark Mikolas and Gunther Hoos: ''Handbook of Super 8 Production'', Usa, 1976),

• (6) Built by Mekel Engineering and distributed by Visual Instrumentation Corporation, this camera was the first product of both companies. 110 cameras were made between 1972 and 1982. The serial numbers begin at 1200 and end at 1310 when the last unit was sold. Marketed in Europe by Weinberger Deutschland GmbH under Weinberger Cine-8 SP-1. Circa 10 units were sold by Weinberger.

•  In 1985 Mekel Engineering designeed other high-speed Super 8 camera, the Mekel 300, that used the Polaroid Polavision phototape cassettes.

• Some scientific studies were filmed with the Mekel 300, the VIC SP-1 or the Kodak Analyst and the film was analyzed frame-by-frame with projectors as Lafayette Analyzer.

• Photographies by eoopilot, more in http://www.flickr.com/photos/eoorider/5582681579/