Mitchell VistaVision Cine Camera No 30

VistaVision cine camera No 30 with ancillary equipment, manufactured by the Mitchell Camera Co, 1953-1959. Camera Model VV No 30. Fitted with two film magazines, L79 and R79. With 75mm lens MVV 30, Model VVE No 28.

This camera, referred to as Camera No. 3 by EON Productions, was used during the filming of 'One-Eyed Jacks', directed by and starring Marlon Brando. Brando was photographed with the camera during production in 1959.

Paramount Pictures format. This camera, dubbed the "Lazy-8" because it pulled the film across horizontally in 8 perforation frames, provided a total negative area 2.66 times greater than the conventional 35mm camera with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. Paramount went to work filming White Christmas in late 1953, while ordering radically new cameras from the Mitchell Camera Company.

The Elephant Ear turned out to be one of the quietest cameras Mitchell produced up to that time. Still, for dialog recording, the camera would require a massive blimp. Normal 35mm cameras typically used a 1,000 foot load and VistaVision required twice as much to shoot the same amount of time. Also smaller VV ‘butterfly’ camera used for location shooting with 400ft reel.