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 Small formats were used by scientific staff in their studies
of research.
Basically, the small formats were two: 16 mm and Super 8. Super 8 format was
utilized by scientific staff in movie photography, because the cameras and
movie film were economical (1). Super 8 cameras
were adapted by scientifics for time-lapse photography
(2). This market was saw same as business opportunity by the some
companies of scientific instrumentation as Mekel Engineering or Lafayette Instrument Company.
Some apparatus were born for this small market. Also this type of equipment
was made by big company as Eastman Kodak. But this company not only
saw this scientific market, but also the surveillance market.These studies required two types of camera: a time-lapse camera as Kodak Analyst or a high-speed camera as Mekel 300 or VIC SP-1. And for film analisys was required a analyzer-projector for the frame-by-frame projection, as Lafatyette Analyzer. For these purposes, Eastman Kodak marketed the MFX Film with the Kodak Analyst camera. This panchromatic film was made with a thin-estar base. Therefore in the standard Super 8 cartridge of MFX had 100-ft film. The scientifics also adapted Super-8 cameras for time-lapse photography. In 1975 in Wyoming, 14 Super 8 cameras were utilized for studiying the grizzly bears. These cameras were built with a external intervalometer that was activated by photosensor (4). During seventies and eighties, cameras of this type were used in studies of animal behavior (5). In Adams Island, in the Arctic, a time-lapse camera system, based on a Super 8 movie camera, was used to record the evolution of ice conditions as well as the progression of break-up (6).
The second model of High-speed camera was the Mekel 300 Instant Analysis
Camera. This camera made by Mekel Engineering was marketed in 1985,
and it use the
Polaroid Polavision Super 8 system that Polaroid company marketed in
1978. It is an additive color film that
90 seconds after shooting is ready. The film is loading in a phototape
cassette and it is projected with a Polaroid Polavision Player. Mekel
300 is prepared for that
Eastman Kodak launched the Kodak Analyst in 1971. It is a time-lapse camera is designed for surveillance and scientific research applications. The filming speed is a frame from 1.25 seconds to 90 seconds. For this camera the company marketed a MFX Film. The film Kodak 4-X (400 ASA) was also recomended by teh company. It was utilized in several research studies (8). These research films needed a projector with frame-by-frame cadence. The Lafayette Instrument Company built projectors for Super 8 and 16 mm movie film. There is little information on the Lafayette projectors, but I know that the company manufactured two models: Analyzer 926 and Analyzer 1026. The Estman Kodak marketed the Ektagraphic MFS-8 projector, that was designed for educational and industrial purposes. In 1972, in a print advertisement of Kodak Analyst, they recommended buying the projector as companion to the camera. |
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Notes:
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High-speed
cameras were manufactured in few number of units. The first apparatus was
the VIC SP-1 that was marketed by the company Visual Instrumentation
Corporation from California in 1971-2, but it was made by Mekel
Engineering from California (7). The camera was the first product of both
a companies and a hundred were built. It employs a silent Super 8 cartridge
and the film can run up to 250 frames per second. The cartridge insertion in
the film chamber is different of standard Super 8 camera, because the film
has threaded around a large sprocket wheel and there is to pull out a longer
piece of film from the cartridge. The VIC SP-1 has a C-mount. In Europe, it
was distributed by Weinberger from Gemany as the Weinberger Cine-8
Model SP-1.
the
film can run up to 300 fps.