MOY & BASTIE 35MM MOTION PICTURE CAMERA
Ernest F. Moy, Limited, London,
England
circa 1911
Based on the 1909 Patent No. 4534 cited on its gear work
frame, and information on other known serial numbered examples from Sam Dodge's Antique Motion Picture Studio Cameras website, this Moy & Bastie
35mm Motion Picture Camera was probably manufactured about 1911 by Ernest F. Moy, Limited, London, England.
Like other English "upright-style" cameras of the period, the Moy
& Bastie became popular worldwide, just as the
cinema industry was emerging. An earlier Moy & Bastie
model (pre-1909 Patent) would be used by Captain Robert Falcon Scott in 1905
(or 1901-1904) CONFIRM to document his Antarctic expedition. And, according to Sam Dodge, a Moy & Bastie was used to film the first Hollywood motion picture.
The camera's notable features include a "drunken
screw" movement, forward and reverse capability, a film punch and a viewing
port at the rear for focusing through the lens. But its unique multi-sprocket
chain drive system is probably what the Moy & Bastie
is best known for today. As it was for most any motion picture camera of the
silent era, modifications occurred over the course of production. The Moy &
Bastie is no exception, and even its signature chain
drive would eventually evolve.
According to Sam Dodge, Moy & Bastie's
serial numbering scheme (like that of some other makers of the period) began
with number "100". Having Serial No. 300 places this camera's
manufacture earlier in its production run, reflected in the more advanced
configuration of this example's chain drive setup. Earlier examples such as
Serial No. 150 from the Australian War Memorial website have less sprockets and
no feed magazine sprocket, lacking the ability to reverse the film. As time
progressed, a feed magazine sprocket was added to provide this capability.
By Serial No. 171, a three-pulley arrangement with a
spring belt is connected to the chain drive at the central pulley. With a
spring belt attached to the central and lower (take-up) pulley, the film is
pulled through to the take-up magazine. Moving the spring belt from the lower
pulley (take-up) to the upper pulley (feed) permits the film to be reversed
into the feed magazine:
On later production units (sometime beyond Serial No. 300
and probably about 1918/1919 per Sam Dodge) the chain drive was eliminated,
replaced with a more precise (and very attractive in its own right) system of
rods and gearing seen on Moy & Bastie Serial No.
511 from a May 10, 2005 Bonham's auction:
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/11997/lot/208/
Eventually, additional sprockets were added to improve
the drive's function in either direction, culminating in the arrangement seen
here with Serial No. 300. Of note, this camera's sprockets have a flat finish
as opposed to more highly lacquered brass finishes seen on the majority of Moy
& Basties:
Another example, Moy & Bastie No.
313 can be found on the Science Museum Group website:
On later production units (sometime beyond this example
Serial No. 300 and probably about 1918/1919 per Sam Dodge) the chain drive was
eliminated, replaced with a more precise (and rather attractive in its own
right) system of rods and gearing seen on Moy & Bastie Serial No. 511 from
a May 10, 2005 Bonham's auction:
https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/11997/lot/208/
This camera's right side door (gear drive compartment)
also contains two circular openings which provided access for reasons not yet
determined. Also, the purpose of a
wooden mounting block at the bottom (lower circular opening) and an additional
spool on the gear side which lies near the path of the chain are unexplained.
This is the only Moy & Bastie I've encountered
with these modifications:
Although the Moy & Bastie's
film magazines reportedly have a 400-foot capacity (approximately 120 meters),
the footage counter on this example registers a 300-foot maximum for one
revolution:
The Moy & Bastie (1909
patent model) was reportedly priced at 108 British Pounds, with an upgraded
Cooke lens available for an additional 5 pounds. This camera is equipped with a
Gundlach-Manhattan Optical Company 50mm Ultrastigmat F1.9 Series 1 Lens, patented November 30,
1920. This date refers to U.S. Patent
No. 1,360,667 granted to Charles Clayton Minor for the lens' design. With
the camera having been manufactured about 1911, this Gundlach-Manhattan
lens was added sometime after 1920. In support of this, and even more
interesting, is that this camera was apparently being used into the mid-to-late
1930's based on dates noted on the film magazine's ivoroid
plates.....incredible, given that Mitchell's Standard, NC and BNC models were
state of the art cameras by that time, making the Moy & Bastie
a bonafide antique.
Accompanying this camera are seven numbered wooden film
magazines, scene cards, the remnants of its spare 120-degree shutter blade and
both original crank handles. Missing is the leather carry strap and sidefinder (or viewfinder). The camera's original wooden
front panel now has an aluminum replacement, a common practice with the Moy
& Bastie and a few other cameras of the period,
to eliminate problems with warping.
Despite its early popularity, few examples of the
chain-driven Moy & Bastie are encountered today, and the later "rods
and gear" driven version is almost never seen.
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