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Lee Utterbach Cameras closes after 31 years


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Jonathan,

 

Been watching him sell off his rental inventory for the last six months now. Thought he was getting out of the rental business so he could concentrate on his video tap and camera accessory end of the business. I wonder if he is closing that down too.

 

Best,

-Tim

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Been watching him sell off his rental inventory for the last six months now. Thought he was getting out of the rental business so he could concentrate on his video tap and camera accessory end of the business. I wonder if he is closing that down too.

 

Seems like he's retiring completely, but I can ask and see if he plans to keep LU alive in some shape or form once the shop has closed for good. The closing isn't so much to change gears as it is a telling of how little film is being shot in the bay area nowadays. They've been losing money for some time now.

 

All the custom accessory stuff is mostly, I believe, Adolph Esposito's doing, the in house machinist. It'd probably be a good idea to stay in touch with him. But I can find out from Lee.

 

The house manager Ryan Wilmot is on this forum as well. I'm sure he could chime in on any questions anyone has :)

 

btw, they'll be liquidating their gear fairly soon. And some big name DP's & camera houses are already calling dibs on gear.

Edited by Jonathan Bowerbank
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Sad news from San Francisco...

 

I wish Lee Utterbach the best; he conducted his business honorably.

 

This, along with the sale of Joe Dunton's Camera company, appears

to be the beginning of an end of an era - the era of photo-chemical

35mm film production.

 

-Jerry Murrel

DP, Little Rock

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Sad news from San Francisco...

 

I wish Lee Utterbach the best; he conducted his business honorably.

 

This, along with the sale of Joe Dunton's Camera company, appears

to be the beginning of an end of an era - the era of photo-chemical

35mm film production.

 

-Jerry Murrel

DP, Little Rock

 

 

But the beginning of an exciting new Digital Era...

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But the beginning of an exciting new Digital Era...

 

If paying $12-$14 plus another $13 for food to watch garbage digital projection that would look better on your smaller home theatre screen is exciting, or watching a scratched up 35mm print that's only been in the theatre for 3 days because the 16 year old minimum wage monkey they hired doesn't know how to work a 35mm projector is exciting, fill your boots.

 

The future should be film and digital, hand in hand working together. Each complimenting the other. If we go total digital projection outside of art house and repretory theatres, then I'll predict movie theatres will go the way of the drive-in over the next 10 years.

 

I will not pay $14 plus food to watch inferior "prints" of Inception etc. I'll just watch it at home instead.

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