07-09-2009

1922

Projector with film loaded in a charger. In December 1922, the Pathé Baby projector was presented by the Pathé Frères company. The projector was a small dimensions and ran with a 9.5 mm film with center perforations. The motion pictures were supplied in rolls 10 meters long and enclosed in a charger. The film was easily threaded and was automatically collected in the receiving reel. The motion pictures were cut-down versions of the silent cinema successes. This projection system also incorporated a way to read the titles. The person who turned the crank was advised by a notch in the film that produced a light jerk. Then the person stopped turning the crank and the public read the titles. With this system of reading titles, many meters of film was saved. Before long, 350,000 projectors had been sold. In 1981 the same principle was used by the Agfa Family system of Super 8.

1923

Cine camera with film loaded in a cartridge. The first 9.5 mm cine camera was launched and called "Pathé Baby" as the projector. It was of small dimensions and it operated with two turns of crank per second: eight frames by turn. The cartridge contained 8.5 meters of film: one minute filming. In 1926, a clockwork motor attachment was marketed and the pathé Baby was easier to use.

Clockwork motor camera. The Bell & Howell company presented the Filmo 70 A 16 mm cine camera, the first small format camera made with a clockwork motor. Months before, the 16 mm format hab be launched by the Eastman Kodak.

Variable filming speed. The Bell & Howell Filmo 70 A 16 mm apparatus also was the first small format made with 2 filming speeds: 8 and 16 frames per second. And in 1929, the same company produced the Filmo 70 D, first camera a folowing filming speeds: 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48 and 64 fps

Camera with coaxial take-up and feed reels. Geyer Werke company in Germany

1927

1932

1935

Triple lens turret. The Bell & Howell company launched the Filmo 70 C 16 mm camera that incorporated a turret with 3 lenses.

Sound recording on film camera. Eric M Berndt company in New York presented the first 16 mm camera with a optical sound system recorded on film camera.

Kodachrome movie film. Invented in the early 1930s by Leopold Godowsky and Leopold Mannes, the Kodachrome was first sold in 1935 as 16 mm movie film. And in 1936 it was made available in 8 mm movie film, and slide film in both 35 mm and 828 formats. This color reversal film uses a subtractive color method, in contrast to earlier additive methods such as Autochrome o Dufaycolor.

1936

1937

1938

Compatible projector. Bolex company marketed the Model G, a projector that was able to play three formats: 8 mm, 9.5 mm and 16 mm.

Reflex viewfinder. Eastman Kodak company marketed  a new model of Special 16 mm series,  the Ciné-Kodak Special 1, a 16 mm camera with reflex viewfinder and other features as variable shutter, variable filming speed (8 up to 64 fps), single frame exposure, twin lens turrret,  magazine of 100 or 200 ft, etc.

Electric motor camera. Eumig company introduced the Electric C-4 8 mm camera: the first amateur cine camera to use an electric motor. The introduction of DC micromotor film drive was slow and it was not until the arrival of Super 8 that the most of cameras were made with electrical motor.

1939

1946

1952

Built-in light meter. Agfa company marketed the Movex 8-L 8 mm camera with a built-in Selenium ligth meter.

Cartridge with drive mechanism. Pathé Frères company presented the Webo A 9.5 mm camera that uses a cartridge with the drive mechanism inside.

Spools rotated  90 degrees. Zeiss Ikon company presented at the 1952 Photokina the Movikon 8 camera. The spools were rotated 90 degrees and the movie camera looked a still image camera. The film twisted  to pass by the film gate.

1955

1956

Pocket camera. Jacques Bolsey presented the Bolsey 8, a 8 mm camera that was advertised as the world's smallest cine camera. It used a special cartridge and it also still camera with a full range of shutter speeds.

16 mm camera with automatic exposure control. Bell & Howell launched the 200 EE model, the first 16 mm camera with automatic exposure control.

Cartridge with coaxial take-up and feed reels. Meopta company in Czechoslovakia place on market the Somet 8 camera. In 1965, Eastman Kodak placed the Super 8 film in a similar film cartridge.

8-mm magnetic sound projector. Calvin Company of Kansas introduced the Calvin Sound 8, a sound record and palyback projector in Standard 8 mm. The 8-mm sound format was not met with commercial success until about 1960 when Fairchild Company introduced theirs sound camera and projector.

Clockwork motor into the handle. Carena AG company introduced a series of 8 mm cameras that incorporated the clockwork motor into the handle, wich was twisted to wind the spring. The first model was the Autocarena.

Fully automatic exposure control. Eumig company marketed the Servomatic 8 mm camera: the first amateur cine camera to offer fully automatic exposure control. The exposure system works with a Selenium photocell.

Sound recording on film camera. Fairchild company marketed a Cinephonic 8 camera with a magnetic sound system recorded on film camera. It uses a magnetic striped film.

CdS photocell. Minolta company presented the Minolta Zoom-8 camera, featuring the first built-in and coupled CdS exposure meter.

1964

Flip-over film chamber on dual-run 8 mm. In 1962, Sekonic Optical Company introduced the Sekonic Dual Run movie camera with a unique body design. Camera permits exposing 50 feet of 8 mm movie film without opening body and rethreading roll after first 25-foot run. Film chamber pivots around lens, allowing first one side and then other to be exposed. Pivoting action takes a few seconds.s quick and easy.

First 8-mm cine camera with reverse filming. In Japan Elmo introduced the Zoom 8TL series with 3 models: 4, 4S and 6. The film drive is governed by a magnetic micromotor that allows forward and reverse filming at 16, 24 an 32 fps.

Film cartridges with automating tasks. Super 8 and Single 8 systems use a film cartridges with notches for: film speed, laboratory process and daylight filter.

Polyester film base. Fuji Photo Film presented the Single 8 system with  polyester film base.

1966

1968

Compatible camera. The Elmo company  launched the camera C300 Tri-filmatic, that accepts the both cartridges of Super 8 and Single 8, and the spools of Double 8 mm and Double Super 8. This camera has 4 different magazines that they adjust in the back part, one for each format.

In Germany, Bauer company obtained a device of automatic film rewind for the Super 8 cartridge (90 fps approx), that incorporated the Bauer C Royal camera.

1969

1971

Recharge by photovoltaic cells. Ligonie company introduced the S-2000 cine camera, a 9.5 mm camera with 8.4-Volts NiCa battery that was recharged by 24 photovoltaic cells.

XL cameras. In August in USA, Eastman Kodak company announced its XL system cameras (name: eXisting Light filming). This system improved part of the camera mechanism to increase the volume of the light reaching the film surface. Camera shutters were produced with opening angle over 200 degrees, because standard shutters were made with sections between 160 and 180 degrees.

8-mm camera with optical sound recording. Fuji Photo Film presented the incredible Fujica ZS 400.

Sound recording on film camera. Eastman Kodak company presented the Super 8 Direct Sound System: sound recording on magnetic striped filmloaded into the cartridge.

Polaroid Polavision system. In 1978, Edwin H Land, th chief of Polaroid company  launched Polavision, instant cinema system. You could watch you could watch your film 90 seconds after shooting.

Auto Focusing system. The Sankyo Seiki company marketed the first super 8 camera with Auto Focusing system, the Sankyo ES 44 XL VAF.

1979

1981

Submarine cine camera. In Austria, Eumig made the Nautica, first submarine camera that was waterproof down to 40 m.

Agfa Family system. Sixty years later, Agfa gevaert presents a filming/vision system as the Pathé Baby.