Millisecond Camera

The camera is shown mounted on a Worrell head with a Nikon ED 50-300 zoom lens. The overall diameter of the camera is 81 cm (32 inches).

Behind the black faceplate are the relay optics and rotating mirror that relay the image to the film. The round black cover just above the viewer assembly is the port for the film cassette.

The camera accepts Arri PL, Panavision PV or Nikon lenses. The viewer system has a 10% pellicle viewer and a TTL video tap for simultaneous video recording.

Complete specifications are listed in the specifications page.

Camera Controller

The controller manages the speed of the camera, the timing triggers for taking a shot and the vacuum pump power.

You use the controller to set your desired speed which can be anywhere from 120 to 12,000 frames per second. The controller will ramp the camera up to speed and hold it to accuracy within 12 fps.

Light Source

This is the flash system used for shooting at the fastest speeds. The system generates an extremely bright square pulse light which can be set to last exactly one revolution of the drum. (It does not pulse for each frame.)

It has one flood light head and one spot light head. It can drive one or both of the heads, though the total amount of light energy produced is the same either way.

Timing Package

The timing package is used to synchronize the camera system with events. It includes laser triggers, sonic triggers, electronic triggers and a manual trigger.

The package also includes a proportional time delay generator for more complex set-ups, and a digital oscilloscope to test and monitor timing signals.

The timing package is not always required. It depends on what you are wanting to capture.

Film Loader

The film loader takes a 100 or 400 foot roll of film and measures off the proper length of film for a shot, which is about 228 cm (90 inches).

The film loader puts film into the cassette, which then loads the film into the camera. Loading can be done in daylight conditions.

Cassette in Loader

This is the film Cassette after a strip of film has been measured, loaded and cut from the Cassette Loader.

You load unexposed film from the loader into the cassette. You then use the cassette to load film into the camera.

Film Cassette

The cassette loads the strip of film into the camera, and recovers the film after a shot. It stays in the camera during a shot.

The cassette is open to show the film inside, but of course you would never do this during operation since it exposes the film.

Cassette in Camera

The film cassette loads film into the camera. The cassette is inserted, rotated one click, and then opened. The cassette cannot be removed by accident while open. Then the cassette is rotated again one click, which engages the cassette's rollers against the drum of the camera.

The crank on the cassette turns the rollers, which turns the drum as the film loads into the film track of the drum. The cassette is then moved away from the drum to take the shot. The process is reversed to recover the film.

Film in Camera

This image shows the strip of film loaded into the drum of the camera, sitting end to end.

The cassette has been removed to show this, which of course you would never do during actual operation since it exposes the film.