Questions about Gun Camera's and Film

[Mark Allen M]

Did a little research online, but I'm sure WIX will fill in some blanks. Got to thinking about Gun Camera's and the origin of them, Seems the 1920's is when they became known. The use of gun cameras first became common for gunnery training in the 1920's though examples were used during World War I by the British Royal Flying Corps. A special version of the standard Lewis Machine gun was manufactured as a Camera Gun.
WW2 era is my main interest for a few reasons. What Allied and Axis air forces used them? I can't seem to recall if Japan used them. Did Russia impliment them? And what, if any, process today is used to protect and convert film to a modern medium.

[John Dupre]

I know for certain that the US, UK, Germany and Finland used them. Not sure about the USSR but doubt they were used widely. Not sure about Italy either.

Obviously many feet of gun camera film has been saved and transfered to digital but I have no idea if that is an organized process or just the result of it being done in order to resell the imagery to enthusiasts.

I heard somewhere on these forums that hundreds of feet of US gun camera film were destroyed at an Air Force installation during some kind of clean up or draw down.

[Tulio]

The Japanese certainly manufactured and used their own cameras. I have seen two or three of the same type, in museums, and one in the personal collection of a WIXer.

Eastman manufactured a Lewis-MG look-alike [similar to the last image].

I have been researching the subject matter, looking for an elusive gun-camera type operated by the Guatemalan Army Air Corps in the late 1930s.

Here's some information:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl= ... D%26sa%3DG



http://www.geh.org/fm/mees/ htmlsrc/mE13000687_ful.html


BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES:
"John A. Robertson, Popular Camera Works Manager, Dies; Active in Community Efforts.", --Democrat & Chronicle--, 1922 February 7.//
Auer, Michel. "The Lewis P. photographic machine-gun.", --Camera--, 1967 March. p. 50.//
Auer, Michel. --Collector's Guide to Antique Cameras.-- Monceaux-le-Comte, 1981. #636.//



Thornton Pickard Photographic rifle.

Hythe Gun Camera MkIII

Williamson camera gun


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http://www.scienceandsociety.co.uk

piclib@nmsi.ac.uk

Saludos,


Tulio

I plucked the photos from the internet. I do not have the photographer's names for proper crediting them.

Attachments

[Dan K]

Note this Japanese example attached to the wing of an A6M2 for training purposes.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/6813/f11pc.jpg

[Zachary]

The AirVenture Museum has an example of the Japanese gun camera in its collection.

Zack

[tom d. friedman]

i'm the guy tulio is talking about with the lewis style japanese gun camera. mine still works, it shot 8mm film, made by nikkor (today's nikon company) mine is missing both aiming sights & the bubble thing.i have cut away pics of the japanese twin engined irving fighter & it shows 1 minus the hand grip & trigger mounted in the irving's wing! interesting as so little actual japanese gun camera footage exists.