Just got a 70s Concord NEI-17 B&W camera, need info on it!!!

[Aussie Bloke]

G'day all.

I recently won off Ebay over here in Australia a vintage Concord NEI-17 B&W vidicon tube TV camera dating around the late 60s to early 70s and it is working quite nicely after a bit of a warmup which is excellent. Here's the Ebay auction http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/150856370477 .

Now I have not been able to find ANY info or pics on this camera at all, not even on Labguysworld.com and I am wondering if any of you here have ever encountered this particular model of Concord camera and have any tech info, service manuals, date of manufacture etc. on this particular camera?

Here below are some pics of this camera in operation, have made some videos which will soon go to YouTube too.

[cbenham]

Originally Posted by Aussie Bloke

G'day all.

I recently won off Ebay over here in Australia a vintage Concord NEI-17 B&W vidicon tube TV camera <-->
Now I have not been able to find ANY info or pics on this camera at all, not even on Labguysworld.com and I am wondering if any of you here have ever encountered this particular model of Concord camera and have any tech info, service manuals, date of manufacture etc. on this particular camera?<-->

I've seen and worked on lots of Concord cameras but never one that looks like this. I wonder if it ever made it to the US? It is a very high end camera compared to most Concord/Panasonic/National cameras I've ever seen.

I hope you find a manual and operating information.

Cliff

[Aussie Bloke]

I've posted this thread in the oldvtr Yahoo group and this camera has even got Ed Sharpe of SMECC http://www.smecc.org/ stumped as he too never has seen these cameras, I wonder if Richard Diehl and Chuck Pharis have seen this model of camera, will soon find out when they reply. According to the plate underneath of the camera it has the company name Magnecord International PTY Limited on it which is located in 276 Castlereagh St in Sydney, NSW Australia. I am guessing that company imported and distributed these cameras within Australia.

Anyways... I've just added some videos of this camera in operation to YouTube, they can be viewed in the following links:
http://youtu.be/fzUwJ5N5fhQ
http://youtu.be/DE5uxtpGQiE
http://youtu.be/9iTNUg2OYaI
The 3rd video is still uploading as I type so it's not viewable for the next
hour.

First video is a demo video made on my mobile/cell phone camera which I power up
the TV camera for the first time and it has some picture problems to begin with
but after warmup the picture comes real good!

Second video is a direct video recording from the camera which I speak in front
of the lens, due to narrow angle of the lens I could only do a face shot.

The third video (currently uploading) is some filming around my messy bedroom.

[NewVista]

Smooth pictures, (Maybe 1" tube?)
Speaking of Vidicons, Just reading a 1965 RCA Broadcast News* I picked up with feature article on TK-27 Telecine camera which used 3 x 1" tubes for RGB and a big 1.5"vidicon for separate hi res Luminance channel (the RBG tubes could be shut down for continual B&W operation if the operator desired)

*Broadcast News, Feb 1965

[Aussie Bloke]

I have opened up the camera and it definitely uses a 1" vidicon instead of a 2/3", I expected given the size it would be 1". Yeah I have heard of the 1.5" vidicons, have yet to see a general studio type camera that uses them, even the broadcast grade vidicon cameras like the RCA TK-15, the Marconi B3095 and others use 1".

[NewVista]

This particular issue of Broadcast News* has more to say
on this 4-vidicon (4-V)camera in opening pages outside main article:

They say it is built on basis of 1944 RCA patent of 4-Iconoscope camera

So a prototype "4-V Live Camera" was shown "At the 1962 NAB .. and asked
broadcasters for their reactions (oh boy, did we get them)"

Edit: Seems from pages 4,5 they are talking about original TK42 - "4-V" being a misnomer
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(this seems to imply that there was fatal negative impressions to prototype)

(impelling RCA to switch to redesign TK-42)

then..
"At the 1963 NAB the first 4-V Film Camera to be exhibited anywhere"

*Broadcast News, Feb 1965, Pages 2,3

[Aussie Bloke]

Thanks for the info.

4x Iconoscope tube colour camera, imagine that??? I would love to somehow get a hold a copy of the patent/design for that proposed camera, will be interesting to see it's design work!

[NewVista]

Here it is-
http://www.google.com/patents?id=SRB...ed=0CDgQ6AEwAA