Filming the Saamis Teepee on VHS Camcorder

Last night I decided to finally test out the 1985, shoulder-mounted, ONCE state-of-the-art VHS camcorder that I picked up earlier this year. Who needs 4K footage when you can shoot foggy 360p in a really cumbersome and inconvenient way? 

Shoutout to anyone who actually captured home videos with one of these things back in the day. You really had to want to document those memories to lug one of these beasts around.

I imagine this would've been the quality of footage you would've captured when the Saamis Teepee first opened back in 1991. Sorry it's so shakey, but need I remind you, it's really difficult to see what you're filming through a tiny black and white viewfinder that cuts out half the time.

Hitachi VM-2000A VHS Movie Camera

I just added some serious Cold War era tech to my arsenal of movie-making equipment with this vintage Hitachi VM-2000A VHS movie camera. Released the same year as Back to the Future and weighing as much as a Buick, this Hitachi camcorder comes with state of the art auto-focus technology and VCR compatibility.

I've also been adding unopened brands of blank VHS tapes to my collection during my province-wide thrift hunts, which might further prove that this "vintage media wall" I've been building really is (at least in part) just a big art installation. Do you remember ever seeing these giant VHS cameras in the wild? This one still had a tape with a little league game from 1991 in it.

1960s Kodak Brownie Camera

I've never been much of a show off my new equipment kind of photographer. I've always been more of a show off my new, old equipment kind of photographer. I picked up this early 1960s Kodak Brownie today. Complete with original box and unused flashbulbs, I'm a real sucker for that vintage Kodak branding. She's a real beauty!

The Godfather Exhibit at the Academy Museum

A few visuals and artifacts from the production of Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather, a new exhibit on display at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles, California. 

 

8mm Bell & Howell Model 256 Film Projector

The latest film projector to find its way into my collection is this vintage 8mm Bell & Howell Model 256 movie projector. Made in the 1950s, this projector was made for screening home movies filmed on cameras like this other Bell & Howell I picked up earlier this year. I've yet to screen anything with this 8mm projector yet, but after a thorough clean she looks as good as new.

 

16mm Revere Model 48 Film Projector

Aside from being nice to look at, the initial reason I purchased this 1952 16mm Revere silent film projector was because of some of the 16mm reels I shot while in film school. Even though most of the work we shot was digital, we did play around with various film stocks to get a feel for the medium, and it hit me one day that I had no way to watch these past projects.

Still in excellent working condition, admittedly this Revere Model 48 film projector does not get switched on often, but because it's a beautiful piece of vintage equipment I do display it proudly. These 16mm projectors can be acquired relatively cheaply today, but they are expensive to ship because of their weight and bulb replacements can be tricky to come by. As we move further away from analog photography, vintage projectors like this one will only become more interesting.    

 

1950s Bell & Howell Movie Camera

Believing this vintage movie camera to be from the 1950s going by the undated paperwork it came with, this Bell & Howell is a double 8mm cine camera. What "double 8mm" means is that it filmed on one side of a 16mm film strip (essentially 8mm) and could then be flipped over to expose the other half (another 8mm). The 16mm film was then split when developed and would give you 50 ft. of exposed 8mm film to play in your projector. 

Unlike some of my other vintage finds, I have no intention of filming anything with this one. I was really impressed because this camera was in practically brand new condition and included the original manual for only $20. For now this vintage Bell & Howell will make a nice prop. 

 

1960s Kodak Instamatic 300 Camera

Released between 1963 to 1966, the Kodak Eastman Instamatic 300 was a simple camera intended for casual snapshots. Manufactured in England, the Instamatic 300 had an automatic light cell to help with the camera's exposure system, a pop up flash holder, and an exposure warning flag that would appear in the viewfinder in low light situations. 

Although not a particularly rare piece of equipment, this small Kodak Instamatic 300 camera was a great find and one that I was excited to add to my vintage camera collection.

Aerial Views of Red Rock Coulee

The incredible Mars-like surface of Red Rock Coulee in Alberta is only made more dramatic when seen from above with the help of a drone. After filming some material for another project in the area earlier this year, I stopped off at Red Rock Coulee to shoot some aerial photography and footage of this amazing landscape. Here is a short highlight reel.