Subscriber Discussion

Old Analog Box Cameras Still In Use

JS
Jason Spielfogel
Aug 15, 2016

Found this in a book store in Ashland Oregon. Three of them, all in good shape and all of them still operational according to the clerk.

Got a big kick out of that. Easy to see where the term "Box Camera" came from :)

http://imgur.com/a/PJ0dO

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Aug 15, 2016

Don't go searching for SVS dummy cameras..... all I get is Cookie Requests and Virus alerts...

This is a dummy, not really "in use"

JS
Jason Spielfogel
Aug 15, 2016

ahhhh

(1)
U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Radwell has them listed as a "camera system assembly", and available from multiple suppliers, from 1 to 4 hundred bucks each.

It also lists the manufacturer as SVS-Vistek, which is apparently a reputable machine vision camera manufacturer, though I'm not convinced they made this. (the blue box color is similar to their current offerings, but thats about it)|

Note the suspicious coax "tongue" on the drywall side of the plate.

Regardless, it is still very much in "use", and since dummies tend to lag 10 or more years in design and apparent feature set, points to an earlier day.

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Ari Erenthal
Aug 15, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Yup, they were the size and shape of a shoebox. And they ran on video tubes (usually either Vidicon or Plumbicon). There were no top mounts or J hooks in those days, so if you wanted to hang the camera from, say, an eave, you had to open up the camera and reinstall the tubes upside down. Tubes were prone to burn-in, and could burn out by being exposed to bright lights, even for short periods, so you had to remember to aim it away from the sun.

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Brian Rhodes
Aug 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

I took this picture at a university in 2011:

Those are black/white RCA Vidicon box cameras looking at a Bursar's payment office window. They still worked then.

Here's a teardown video from Youtube:

U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

What a yoke!

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Brandon Knutson
Aug 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

What's a book store?

(2)
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Ari Erenthal
Aug 15, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

It's basically a combination library-coffeshop.

(1)
U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 15, 2016
IPVMU Certified

What's a book store?

Come on you know, it's a place to find Pokemon!

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Aaron Saks
Aug 16, 2016

I love this monster that is still at Chicago O'Hare. Yes the camera is huge, but the lens is the same size as the camera. Not sure what the monster lens is for. The camera is at baggage claim, looking at the exit doors to the street. My guess is that it is something to compensate for bright daylight coming in the doors/windows...

U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 16, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Looks like it's on a PTZ mechanism, though the cables would indicate a un-endless pan capability.

Maybe the camera is operated manually when needed to zoom in on someone, though it would be a bit unnerving if it all of a sudden pointed towards you. :)

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Ari Erenthal
Aug 16, 2016
Chesapeake & Midlantic

Looks like it's on a PTZ mechanism, though the cables would indicate a un-endless pan capability.

Correct. Endless pan is a relatively recent innovation that had to wait for the introduction of speed domes.

As for the operation, these pan-tilt heads had no intelligence of any kind and were completely controlled by the keyboard or joystick (and probably connected to a matrix if it was in an airport). Some joysticks and some matrix controllers had the ability to scan, and some even had very basic guard tour functionality (crucial if you wanted to prevent burn-in). Others could only be controlled remotely with no auto functionality, although some of those had a home position the camera would go back to if not used for a certain amount of time.

U
Undisclosed #2
Aug 16, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Speaking of un-endless panning, I always liked how JVC was so upfront about their limitations; you would think non-endless was a good thing:

(1)
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Mark Jones
Aug 16, 2016

That is actually two cameras. The one on the bottom is a much older Panasonic chip camera with zoom lens, no pan/tilt, just zoom(vintage 1988 or so). The one on the top is actually an old 1970's 35mm film camera. Hard to tell, but probably a Dresser and Barnes. Neither light is burning, so it has no power and the other light was to indicate film in the camera. Obviously there is no film either.

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Aaron Saks
Aug 16, 2016

Which one are responding to? The camera at ohare is 1 camera. A panasonic camera with some zoom lens attached and the whole thing is mounted on a pt head.

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