Aeroscope was a type of compressed air camera for making films, constructed by

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

inventor

Kazimierz Prószyński Kazimierz Prószyński (4 April 1875 – 13 March 1945) was a Polish inventor active in the field of cinematography. He patented his first film camera, called Pleograph, before the Lumière brothers, and later went on to improve the cinema pr ...

in 1909 (French patent from 10 April 1909) and built in England since 1911, at first by Newman & Sinclair, and from 1912 by Cherry Kearton Limited.

Background

Patented in England in 1910 by the

inventor

, Aeroscope was the first successful hand-held operated film camera. It has been powered by compressed air pumped before filming into the camera with a simple hand pump, similar to the one we still use to pump bicycle tyres. Filming with Aeroscope, a cameraman did not have to turn the crank to advance the material filming, as in all cameras of that time, so he could operate the camera with both hands, holding the camera and controlling the focus. This made it possible to film with the Aeroscope hand-held in most difficult circumstances, as well as made possible to film from airplanes, also for military purposes. Camera carried of 35mm film and, once pressurised, could work with no further pumping for up to 10 minutes. The Aeroscope was known for its simplicity and reliability.

Popularity

Hundreds of light and relatively compact Aeroscope cameras were used by the

British War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from th ...

for the combat cameramen on the battlefields of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and by all

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

cameramen all over world, until the late 1920s. Aeroscope has been used among others by Arthur Herbert Malins recognized by Kelly (1997, Page 60) as “the most famous of the war cinematographers” who used it at the battle of the Somme. As several of the cameramen died filming from the firing lines Aeroscope got a name of ''camera of death''. In 1928 Prószyński built an improved version of his camera, with an air pressure meter, but the more practical spring cameras like

Eyemo The Eyemo is a 35 mm motion picture film camera which was manufactured by the Bell & Howell Co. of Chicago. Background Designed and first manufactured in 1925, it was for many years the most compact 35 mm motion picture film camer ...

and later

Bolex Bolex International S. A. is a Swiss manufacturer of motion picture cameras based in Yverdon located in Canton of Vaud. The most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. Originally Bol, the company was founded by C ...

took over. However, even by the beginning of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, some of the improved Aeroscope cameras were in use by the British combat cameramen.

References

{{reflist

External links

Photograph of the Aeroscope camera
by

National Media Museum The National Science and Media Museum (formerly The National Museum of Photography, Film & Television, 1983–2006 and then the National Media Museum, 2006–2017), located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, is part of the national Science Museum G ...

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Profile of Kazimierz Prószyński
at "Who is Who of Victorian Cinema"
"The Cameraman Who Filmed The Western Front", by Dr George Bailey, 2006, Published in Mars & Clio, the Bulletin of the British Commission for Military History, Summer 2006.

"Waging The Movie Battle on the European Powers" by Ernest A. Dench, The Macmillan Company, New York 1915 (now in the Public Domain)
Film and video technology Movie cameras Polish inventions Science and technology in Poland

Background

Popularity

See also

References

External links