View source for Eyemo

{{short description|35 mm motion picture film camera}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2016}}
[[File:Bell & Howell Eyemo camera.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Bell & Howell Eyemo camera]]
The '''Eyemo''' is a [[35mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm]] [[Movie camera|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&nbsp;mm motion picture film camera, having a 100-foot film capacity. Its small size and ruggedness made it a favorite choice for [[newsreel]] and combat cameramen (it was used throughout [[World War II]] and [[the Vietnam War]], the War Department providing special manuals for it), and also found use for fiction and [[Documentary film|documentary]] filmmakers whenever a portable, rugged, and inconspicuous camera was needed.
The Eyemo is still in use by some filmmakers. It is often used these days as a "crash-cam" for filming dangerous [[stunt]]s and explosions, and [[Shot (filming)|shots]] in which the camera must be dropped from a building or other elevation.
The 2000 film 'Requiem For A Dream' utilized an Eyemo camera with a Nikon lens mount for POV 'snorricam' shots where it was attached to the actors.
[[File:Single_lens_Bell_and_Howell_Eyemo_35mm_motion_picture_camera.jpg|thumb|a single lens model of the Eyemo]]
==Construction==
[[Image:EyemoMotorNikon.jpg|thumb|250px|Eyemo with Motor and Nikon Lens]]
The Eyemo is a non-reflex camera: viewing while filming is through an optical [[viewfinder]] incorporated into the camera lid. Some models take one [[Photographic lens|lens]] only. In 1929 there was the first three-port Eyemo, while the "spider model" features a rotating three-lens turret and a "focusing viewfinder" on the side opposite the optical viewfinder. Eyemos feature a 1½" diameter [[lens mount]] except the 71-k model, which is slightly different.
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[Image:Eyemo winding.jpg|thumb|right|Winding up the Eyemo's spring motor before a shot.|{{deletable image-caption|1=Tuesday, January 6, 2009}}]] -->
Eyemos feature a built-in [[clockwork]] (spring wind) motor which, when wound by a [[Ratchet (device)|ratchet key]], can shoot about 20 seconds of film per winding at standard 24 fps ([[Frame rate|frames per second]]) speed, and also runs at speeds of four through 64 fps, depending on the model. The camera can be hand-[[Crank (mechanism)|cranked]] with a manual crank accessory. Several optional [[electric motor]]s are available; some use [[Direct current|DC]] [[Battery (electricity)|battery]] power while others use household [[Alternating current|AC]] current. There is currently a synchronized motor available for [[sync sound]] filming, but no commercially available [[camera blimp]] to reduce the camera's noise.
The Eyemo takes an internal load of 100 feet (30,5 m) of [[Film stock|film]], which lasts for slightly over one minute when filming at 24 fps. Some models also accept a 400 ft or 1000 ft [[Camera magazine|magazine]] that is attached to the back, and can hold 4⅓ and 11 minutes of film respectively. When used with a 400 ft magazine, the Eyemo is cumbersome (but not impossible) to operate without the use of a [[Tripod (photography)|tripod]], while the use of a 1000-ft magazine requires tripod support.
Some camera shops have modified Eyemos for reflex viewing, attached [[video tap]]s and motors to them, and modified the proprietary lens mount to allow the camera to use different optics (such as lenses made for still [[Nikon]] cameras).
Bell & Howell also built the successful 16 mm "[[Filmo]]" which became first available at the end of 1923. In the 1930s, this camera was marketed as a 'semi professional' camera while the [[Filmo 127]] was introduced as an amateur camera using [[8 mm film]].
Various government and military organizations used specialty motion picture cameras based on the eyemo mechanics for scientific tests and filming. One manufacturer being MultiData. NASA was a notable organization that used such cameras in one case for testing with lasers.
==Notable uses==
* ''[[With the Marines at Tarawa]]'' (1944) – shot by Marine Staff Sergeant [[Norman Hatch]] during the [[Battle of Tarawa]]
* ''[[Day of the Fight]]'' (1951) –  short shot by [[Stanley Kubrick]] on a rented Eyemo{{r|kubrick}}
* ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]'' (1960) – Multiple cameras used to film shower scene<ref>New York Times, Dec, 27, 1959</ref>
* The Blues Brothers (1980) - Multiple crash scenes and explosions
* Requiem For a Dream (2000) - All POV shots
* ''[[Wuthering Heights (2011 film)|Wuthering Heights]]'' (2011) – shot by Robbie Ryan
== See also ==
* [[Aeroscope]]
* [[Konvas]]
* [[Filmo]]
* [[Debrie Parvo]]
==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="kubrick">{{cite book|title=Stanley Kubrick: Essays on His Films and Legacy|date = December 13, 2007|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5A-BCgAAQBAJ&dq=eyemo+stanley+kubrick&pg=PA24|publisher=McFarland|access-date=March 26, 2016|page=24|isbn = 9780786432974}}</ref>
}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Eyemo film camera}}
* [http://www.intervalometers.com/bh/index.stm Eyemo Operating and Repair Manuals]
* [http://www.eyemo35.com/ Eyemo Page]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110707102948/http://www.alangordon.com/s_filmcam35_slamcam.html Eyemo Rental]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110515143807/http://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/australian_journeys/gallery_highlights/slideshow_5_1.html#slideTop#slideTop Wartime Eyemo, National Museum of Australia]
* [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tj4bJytKTEtK7F14mZ56tlyCr9rUyIiE/view?usp=sharing/ History of Bell & Howell Eyemo camera]
[[Category:Movie cameras]]