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Matthew F. Leonetti's Ultracam 35


Guest Nisar Bazmi

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Everyone is entitled to their opinion... even Tyler!

 

I’m totally kidding you buddy! I really appreciate and enjoy your posts! You are incredibly knowledgeable. 
 

G

 

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Edited by Gregory Irwin
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7 hours ago, Gregory Irwin said:

Everyone is entitled to their opinion... even Tyler!

 

I’m totally kidding you buddy! I really appreciate and enjoy your posts! You are incredibly knowledgeable. 
 

G

LOL ?

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On 4/2/2020 at 4:26 PM, Nisar Bazmi said:

Color reproduction or spectrum are correlated within a camera system, just like an automobile is correlated with a motor and transmission. But nice to know you worked with him sometimes. Ever seen his debut stance as a cinematographer in Child's Play 3?

I operated Steadicam on Child’s Play 3 ?

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On 4/2/2020 at 9:13 PM, Tyler Purcell said:

Many people think the reason why classic movies look a certain way is due to the camera system, but the reality is, that's a very "digital" way of thinking. Motion picture cameras are just boxes that move film, they don't create the image. The lens and film are what create the image. If you put 50 film cameras next to each other, all with the same stock and same lenses, they would all look identically. 

If you were to use one of these cameras today, with modern lenses and modern stocks, it would look like modern movie. 

I don't understand what this statement is suppose to mean, it's not a video camera. 

Who said it was a budget camera? I'm unaware it was available for general consumer purchases, I believe they only made a few in order to meet the demands of a few rental houses. 

I think only Leonetti rented these cameras in Hollywood.

At one time, I think there were 17 bodies in use.

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1 hour ago, Bruce Greene said:

I think only Leonetti rented these cameras in Hollywood.

Ohh interesting, so he was trying to pull a panavision with custom cameras. My friend didn't mention that, he said they were for sale. 

He said there were only 15 made, but maybe the two that Matthew owned, weren't counted in that. 

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21 hours ago, Tyler Purcell said:

Ohh interesting, so he was trying to pull a panavision with custom cameras. My friend didn't mention that, he said they were for sale. 

He said there were only 15 made, but maybe the two that Matthew owned, weren't counted in that. 

I think a couple of the bodies were destroyed in accidents...

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Nisar Bazmi

Does this image look like a good colored palette from a camera used back in '91?

8837_15_large.jpg

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Guest Nisar Bazmi

From a tripod excerpt:

A full featured 35MM production camera very similar in design to the Panaflex Gold.

Extreamly quiet, double pin registration, spinning mirror reflex, crystal controled, 360 degree orientable viewfinder, heated eyepiece, built in follow focus, built in de-anamorphoser, 4  500' and  4 1000' Mags, studio or hand held configuration,  extention eye piece, 5X6 3 stage swing away matte box,  video tap, and features:

 5 Ultranon Speed Prime lenses

These lenses developed specifically for the Ultracam 35 feature Ziess Super Speed optics with a Mitchell BNCR Hardfront Mount or Cook 25 - 250 Zoom Lenses

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  • 3 years later...

I know this thread is a few years old now but thought I would chime in.  I was never a huge film camera guru but we owned an UltraCam and a set of their UltraNon primes.  I've never used Panavision so I can't compare to those--we just had the UltraCam35 plus a few Arri 16mm and 35mm packages for local films and commercials.  The UltraNon lenses were just Zeiss glass with an extra ring on the mount so the UltraCam would accept PL lenses but the UltraNon lenses would not fit other PL mount cameras.  The late Martin Hill bought the full camera inventory and spare parts from Leonetti rentals (or perhaps there was another middleman in the process) and had them all at his place in NC.  He had quite a collection of cameras (and guns) including rare cameras like a Mitchell that was used on "Gone with the Wind".  We bought a full UltraCam package from Martin (who was a truly fascinating guy!)  We had the pick of the litter and ended up with a SN that was supposedly most used by Leonetti and most reliable from the 15 or so that were made.  I seem to recall it was perhaps one of the middle serial numbers in the run.  Again, I don't have years of experience to compare, but it seemed to work well and we never had jamming issues.  It was fun to have this a piece of Hollywood history and put it to work for a few years.  We sold the package as 35mm projects were just starting to decline a bit in favor of video. 

I ended up on this thread today because I found a complete rotating mirror assembly for our UltraCam in a little metal box (so ours never had a lens hit the mirror!).  I hate to just chunk it in a dumpster so if anyone ends up with an UltraCam and wants an extra mirror, contact me and I'll happily send it on.  (ACS Sound and Lighting, West Columbia, SC).  

I know I have some pics around of our camera and a few from Martin.  I remember one that showed two UltraCams set up side-by-side--I seem to recall being told this was the set of Commando (I could be wrong?).  I'll add pics to the thread sometime when I find them.

Dave. S.

 

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