Lights, Camera, Action

The first amateur movie – or ciné – camera was patented in 1898. But it wasn’t until 1923 that mainstream manufacturers began making cameras specifically for the amateur market. During their history, thoughtfully and thoroughly detailed in this authoritative text, a huge range of amateur cine cameras was made. The four major amateur movie film gauges are covered at length: 16mm, 9.5mm, Standard 8, and Super-8, along with some of their less successful rivals. Unique in a book on this subject is a major chapter on movie camera accessories, many of which found strange and complicated ways of bringing professional specifications to amateur equipment. The book is illustrated throughout with landmark cameras, those that epitomized certain eras, plus many other unusual and rarely illustrated models. A glossary of technical terms and an index complete the book.