Heavy Baby

This optical marvel is not, as you might think at first glance, one of those machines used by your ophthalmologist when you go for an eye exam. It is an old 16mm movie camera, made in Austria by Eumig, and weighing almost as much as a newborn baby.

I bought this some time ago on eBay, and though it is about fifty years old, it still runs like new. It has a prime lens, and two supplementary lenses that are so marvellously engineered that when you rotate one of them to fit over the prime lens, the corresponding viewing lens will also move over the prime viewfinder. It has a built-in light meter, which also appears to be accurate, and a clockwork motor that, though not exactly quiet when in operation, is strong and dependable. No batteries at all. With the exception of the leather trim, the entire machine is made of metal and glass, which is what accounts for its weight.

Handling this baby requires strong arms and dexterous, non-arthritic fingers. For those whose vision might be less than 20-20, the eyepiece of the viewfinder has a very accurate dioptic adjustment.

I have heard that you can still get 16mm film these days, though at an astronomical price.