Film Cameras in Movies 

Following up with some corrections that people have pointed out: 1. Its a canon new f-1 that tom is using in spoderman. 2. Kiev 4 is a contax copy, not leica 3. Leica m3 also had 90mm and 135mm framelines 4. The lens from walter mitty i suggested didnt exist yet, its likely a 400mm, or possibly the 200mm f2. Aperture still wouldnt work on the f3 though and im furious about it

Woof! budget Ryan gosling is back!

Finally, I'm so happy I'm not the only one that obsesses over figuring out ever camera I see in a film.

Something I think is interesting about the Kong camera is the director basically said “this is your personal camera”. Brie was encouraged to actually use it as a camera and play with it rather than use it as just a prop. There’s a whole little album of the photos she shot while on the sets.

Cracking open a flaming hot mountain dew and finding a dark corner to watch this in

Literally every single time. I pause the film, and get right up close to the screen to investigate. My wife loves it when I tell her all about the camera. She pretends that she doesn't, but I know she does really....

9:18 That's indeed a Kiev 4a, which imitated the Contax IIa, not Leica.

The best and most accurate depiction of a film camera utilized in film/show was in the second season of The Crown (episode 4, "Beryl"). In the first scene of the episode, Antony Armstrong-Jones is shown photographing a wedding that Princess Margaret is attending, and he is using a Leica M3. What impressed me so much was that he correctly used a double-stroke film advance version, which was period-accurate for the year of the wedding. I LOVED that little detail, I am sure so few viewers caught onto it, but this nerd did. You never see the double stroke advance, but you hear it.

Hopper's character in Apocalypse Now has the 4 cameras because notice they all have different length lenses. He doesn't want to be bothered with swapping them. Maybe in the jungle environment he is worried about dirt or rain or whatever.

That’s a New F-1, the og F-1 cannot take that AE finder.

Fun Fact: Upon getting the job as the on-set still photographer for Apocalypse Now, Chas Gerretsen upgraded his kit of Nikon Fs to F2s, then sold the Fs to the production so they were the cameras used but Dennis Hopper in the movie.

The reason they carried several cameras while documenting combat zones is because it would take too much time to change a lens and switching a lens in the tropics causes the rear element to fog-up. The choice of most, during the Vietnam war was 2 slrs and a rangefinder, military reporters used leicaflex and the Leica m2s (the m2 was custom made for the us armed forces), AP used Nikons, Nikon was the only SLR at the time to have high shutter speeds, often these were also mounted remotely and fired with a cable release, another reason for carrying multiple cameras. More recently in Iraq and Vietnam reporters carried 2 DSLRs with 2 telephoto lenses. Love the video!

Nobody painted out the Nikon logo on the F3, it's clearly taped off on the front. Also fun fact, the cameras Dennis Hopper has are actual Vietnam veterans, they were purchased from Chas Gerretsen who was a war photographer, and was connected to the production as an advisor

We need more of this. Next film: Ferrari by Michael Mann. So many scenes with press photographers who have clearly no idea what they’re doing. Looking at the back of their film cameras like it’s a phone.

"watching a movie with your partner..." Let me stop you right there.

Old time photographer here. I often had at least two cameras on me (both TLR and 35mm) mostly in order to have a couple of ISO choices on hand. Back in the 60's, using Speed Graphic's it was easy to have backs ready with both fast and slow film, but TLR and 35mm didn't have changeable backs, so required more than one camera to have fast and slow available at all times. It was a hangover from sheet film days, and even today I still do it with film.

The lens they're using in Jurassic Park is the Nikon Nikkor 85mm 1.8d. One of my favorite lenses to use on my D700. Thanks for the fun video! 📸

The F5 shutter is so a quick *cha-kunk* and you can feel the camera torque to the side. It's insane.

The Nikon lens is a 400mm 2.8 VR - that seems kinda mental as you'd have no aperture control - also that Gitzo traveller isn't what anyone would be using with a 400mm 2.8 ;)!

Fun (boring) fact: Dennis Hopper's character in Apocolypse Now is partly inspired by real life photojournalist Tim Page, who died recently. His autobiography 'Page After Page' is a fantastic read and a cool perspective on the Vietnam war from a photographer's POV - albeit an absolutely mental photographer who did all kinds of psychedelics and got shot/blown up several times and survived. IIRC he did carry several camera bodies in the field at once, usually at least a Nikon F and a Leica M3. There's a part in the book where he's on a US Navy patrol boat that gets strafed in a friendly fire incident - he ended up floating badly burned in the South China sea, and he laments in the book that his Leica got lost and sunk to the bottom of the ocean. Cool guy.

Another great film for photography and cameras is The Killing Fields with John Malkovich playing the photo journalist in Cambodia with a bunch of Nikon Fs around his neck. The scene where they have to develop a passport photo for their interpreter friend using out of date chemicals is one of the most intense I've seen.

The shutter sound of the F is 100% accurate.

Walter Mitty is the movie which brought me to film photography 💫

I think Dennis Hoppers representation is the best. There are plenty of photos of people like Larry Burrows and Tim Page with 3 or more cameras around their neck. I always thought it was to not have to change lenses but maybe different film stocks make sense too. Definitely sounds like a Nikon f

I hope you do more of these! I always enjoying trying to ID cameras in movies and tv shows, so this was really fun. Your knowledge and dry commentary are perfect for this format 👏🏻

The F-1 peter parker is using is the New F-! Which has a hot shoe on top of it's AE finder. Also we definitely need a part 2 please

The Kiev 4 is actually an exact copy of the Contax II made in the 30s. They were identical because the Contax/Ikon plant in Germany was relocated to Kiev after the Second World War as reparations.

The husband in Lost in Translation has a bunch of Pentax 6x7 cameras, with the wooden grip. I forget which versions he had. There are more cameras throughout it as well iirc. Part 2!

One great film camera movie was The Road to Perdition. Jude Law plays a crimescene photographer. He uses a 4x5 Graflex, and we get to see him setting up a shot. We see it on the ground glass back ofbthe camera which is on a tripod. We get to see the scene inverted and reversed as it actually would be on the ground glass, a nice touch for authenticity. We also get to see him load a Zeiss folding camera, probably an Ikonta, while casually talking with another character. It appears as if he is used to loading the camera since he does it while talking, and seems like he actually knows what he's doing.

i used a Canon F-1 in 1972 when i was an Army photographer...a beautiful piece of kit...much easier to use than my personal Nikon Ftn. Very quiet for a focal plane camera.

For vintage camera lovers, I recommend watching Michelangelo Antonioni's "Blow Up". David Hemmings plays a photographer in the Swinging Sixties in London, using all kinds of Nikons, Rolleis...,

Fun video. I’d be interested in more of them. Bonus: In Walter Mitty, Sean Penn has a Leica in the picture of him at Walter’s work and he has “F5” written on his field itinerary. Presumably, a Nikon F5 was his intended choice for shooting a volcano while strapped to the top of a plane. Solid choice.

That F3/T is freaking gorgeous. Just stunning.

As someone who owns a lottt of Nikon F, I'm about 80% sure that's the correct shutter sound, but man Apocalypse now is such an amazing movie. Those Vietnam wartime photographers all use a wide selection of cameras, but I've noticed the Nikon F and the Leica M4 types were the ones that were used the most. I've also seen photos of other photographers using a Nikon SP, A Leica M2 with and without a visoflex, A Hasselblad 500 series, even a Canonet, and the craziest one I saw was a photo of a photographer using a Contarex Super. But even with the Nikon F, I've noticed some wild on the field customization, like a photographer was using one NikonF that he Panda-ed, with a cold shoe bolted onto the top. What a wild time for cameras it was.

Dennis Hopper was decoraded with these Nikon F’s by Dutch photo journalist Chas Gerretsen. Look him up. He had a career in both journalism as in working on cinema filmsets like Apocalypse Now. Hence he got his own camera hung on Hoppers neck.

Been a fan for years and I’m glad you are making the videos that no one else is making. There’s plenty of film RU-vidrs out there but this is different than anyone else is doing. Glad you are posting more lately. Keep at it and you will be just fine. Thank you for being a real film nerd talking like a real nerd to us. Keep making stuff like this man. You are absolutely on fire. Good job

The Bang Bang Club would be another great movie for this video format!

That F3 is paired with a 400mm f2.8 G VR lens which can't be used on the F3 at all because it cant control the aperture. It will always stop down to the smallest like f22 or something no matter what you do.

Great selections! Would love to see these for round two: 1. The Master 2. Persona 3. Almost Famous 4. Lost in Translation 5. Jaws

The Spider-Man camera is the new f-1 for sure! I bought the og one as my very first camera back in October and this channel has been on repeat in my apartment ever since. Makes youtube premium all the more worth it. Anyways, I can’t believe Tom used an F-1, those babies ran for a couple grand back in the day and he was in high school. What a baller

Minamata. Excellent movie with film photography as one of the main characters. You are welcome for the tears.

When I watched Apocalypse Now and saw Dennis Hopper's character, all I could ask was, "Where is he getting his film and where is it getting developed?" He's a "photojournalist" who defected to Kurtz and they're in the heart of the jungle in the middle of a warzone: they're not getting supply drops and it's not like he can just bebop down to a film lab in Ho Chi Minh City. Part of me wonders if he was even taking photos at all, maybe he was a journalist, joined the cult, has since exhausted his supply, but thinks his cameras are still loaded. He could have a few ammo crates full of film and I'm just overthinking it, but the rate at which he shoots and that he's got four cameras on him at all times, I'd be shocked if he had any left.

Really enjoyed this one! Thanks for putting it together.

Bill Murray's camera in Ghostbusters, awesome! Under fire, great movie. Nick Nolte. Blow up. 1960's classic. One hour photo, Robin Williams By the way the 80's video, Freeze Frame by J. Giles band absolutely made me buy a motor drive. :-)

I liked following up the cameras and lenses shown in the Hitchcock movie ‘Rear Window’ with James Stewart in.

You missed the most amazin film camera szene ever made. The famous Leica scene where the saleswoman in the camera store is charmed by a Leica M7 ! Scotty doesn't know. :D

Really growing into that ‘wealthy youtuber’ look man, suits you Just having a laugh and a joke mate, your channel is one of my faves honestly, wishing you much deserved continued success

The greatest camera scene of all time has to be the guy with the Pentax SFX photographing Arnie get thrown through a wall of a shopping mall by Robert Patrick at the blistering 2.5 frames per second that the Pentax can fire off.

Very enjoyable video. I thought it was only me that watched out for cameras in movies. I like it when I see a relatively unusual one that I also own, such as the little Rollei 35B that is used in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' by the female character.

a fun episode (not the usual), bro! keep making videos. been subbed for a couple years now, and i am happy you’ve kept growing!

The F3T works with the lense depicted: It's an Electronic diaphragm lense, therefore it will only shoot wide open. Still works. Manual focus only.

At 07:37 NEVER put a lens in the sun. It will remove the brown color, but may also damage the lens. The heat is not good for the adhesives. The oil and grease may run and make the aperture blades sticky. Use a small LED desk light from Ikea instead. Place the lens on a mirror and position the LED light just above. Turn the lens over once in a while. Works great.

For the record .. The Lens on the 6x7 was the 75mm f4 and the sound that the camera made was supposed to mimic old school one time use flash bulbs. Old school flash bulbs made a very distinct sound that you'll never forget ...clink,pop, sizzle ..

AWESOME! I always wonder about this things when I see a character using a camera. Thank you for this I love it!

Im an engineering student taking a nuclear engineering course. I have some 35mm takumars I brought into class to measure the radiation and it was giving off 1.60 microseiverts per hour, if I remember correctly.

I’m totally geeking out to this video, as I always wonder what camera is being used when I watch movies that feature photography/photographers. ❤

My man, when you do the invariable part II of this series, might I suggest this masterpiece of a film called Nomads (1986). Whole experience will change your life…

I'm collecting film camera scenes in movies too. The father in "ordinary people" (1980) used an Olympus film camera and its kinda refreshing because Nikon and leica camera everywhere

That was more fun than it should have been.

this was fun! you should watch Carol and analyze the way Therese does film photography in that movie. she takes shots and develops them herself in a darkroom. it’s a prominent part of the movie.

A brilliantly shot movie that includes film photography is The Return dir. Andre Zvyaginstsev Film isn’t featured prominently in the plot but it does show pictures taken throughout the film just before the credits

Thank you for this very interesting video. My favorite film camera moment is in Antonioni's 1966 film Blow-Up, which is about a photographer who inadvertently photographs a murder, the photographer uses one of the original Nikon F''s, which would have been current with the making of that film. As for war photographer's, I think the primary reason for the multiple camera approach was focal length of lenses, since there was often no time to switch lenses when things started popping off and zoom lenses either did not exist or were rare at the time.

I’ve read so many Vietnam War Nikon F stories where the camera is effectively obliterated but somehow still works

There was another camera used by a character in the Harry Potter movies. It was the Argus C-3 Match-Matic. The Argus C-3 was kind of a weird camera in that it was originally designed in 1939 and they never really changed it. Every time Argus tried to discontinue it, sales went up so they kept it going into the mid 1960s with only minor changes. It has a really old-school "scientific" vibe, especially in the black leatherette finish (the Match-Matic had a propitiatory light meter and tan coloured leatherette). I have one or two Argus C-3s (or three or four or...LOOK I can stop any time I want!) It's not a bad rangefinder 35mm. You could even get different lenses (although they used an Argus-only mount). It was never considered a commercial photographer's camera, more a consumer grade, but you can get good results when it's set up properly.

Always love to see the notification pop up about a new video! Never disappoint! May I ask you what these grey coloured sample plates are? (Top Right) They look interesting

The camera that stopped the bullet was owned by Don McCullin, War Photographer (although he hates that title). I've had the good fortune to meet him a couple of times and he's such a lovely man.

This video made me feel very seen. Thank you for this.

Thanks for this. So good. Also, thanks for calling out all the bs in Asteroid City. I'm reasonably sure Anderson was very involved with the choice and rebranding of the Kiev. He spends more time on production design than he does on scripts. And it shows.

Sigourney Weaver uses also a Nikon F5 in „Gorillas in the Mist“.

My wife and I really enjoy and appreciate your videos! Keep up the amazing work.

I can't say exactly why but this is easily my favorite RU-vid video Ive seen in a while!

Great subject!! You did forget one very good addition: ‘No Small Affair’

That was great fun. More please!

Don’t doubt yourself. This video is great. Love. It.

Best line. The camera was made out of titanium to make the camera look more TIGHTanium. (Forgive the paraphrasing). Great video. Just subscribed. ✌️

Thanks Mr. Days! I too am trying to figure out the cameras I see in movies and television shows. I like when it is a real camera and not a mishmash or heavily modified one. Either way it’s cool to see film photography on the screen.

more of this please & thank you

i've got a nikon f3 and bought a replacement viewfinder for it which is a black titanium hp version. I also have a motor drive for it and i have an 80-200 f2.8 AF-D lens that i use sometimes on it.

Love the video, great info and entertainment

This was great, film photographer reacts. Love it.

Sorely disappointed the Budweiser camera didn't make a debut in any of these, a boy can dream

Here's a content idea: Large format + Baxter

This was fun, man, I love the slightly off-axis film content. Keep it up!

Feeling pedantic, might delete later but the Kievs are continuations/copies of the Contax and was probably chosen for the film due to the Contax's association with Robert Capa. Also pointed out the rangefinder thing in the theatre and it was not a well-received comment. I've never seen a Contax used correctly on film and it fills me with a quiet seething rage.

this video was actually really cool. Do more!

please do more of these i loved it

As much as I love Oppenheimer, when seeing that scene in the theater, I was thinking something like "oh, come on Chris. All of that effort into getting everything else right, but this is an afterthought?"

Video feels like watching one of the youtube weapon channels analyzing movies but with cameras inestead, love it

This is a dope change on the format we're used to. Good shit

cant wait to watch this

My family just grins when I watch a movie. If I am not trying to figure out the camera, I'm geeking over the firearms... its always something. We notice what we have interest in and or know a little about because it is part of the fun. I was stoked when I saw you'd dropped a new video! cool.

Great video. Very fun!

Will we get to see a vid about your trip to Andalusia soon? And the mysterious photo book! Love your work!

Need more. Need it 🙏

Jason, GREAT video! I loved it. I also geek-out when I spot a cool camera in a movie. A few comments: Kong. 14:54. The editor flipped the image, flip as in mirror image of the actress and M3. Self-timer and goggles are backwards. Interesting. Walter Mitty. 2:54. Looks as if there is electrical tape covering the Nikon logo. Popular move for street photographers who don’t wish to advertise their expensive gear. But for wildlife photography? I don’t think so. The producers probably didn’t want to give credit to Nikon. Maybe Nikon didn’t pay up for the "product placement". Harry Potter. 6:17. The “cross bar thing” likely indicates the TTL prism finder. The finder wouldn’t necessarily indicate which 67 model this is as the finders are probably interchangeable among the various 67 models. Jurassic Park. 12:53. I don’t think that’s a 50 mil lens. I own 3 Nikkor manual focus 50's and the front glass is not as big as the one on her camera. The 50 f1.2 has bigger glass but the 1.2 looks totally different. My guess is an 85 f1.4 or the 85 f2.0. Both have big front glass. Apocalypse Now. All Nikon F’s. Correct. There are so many movies featuring film cameras: Blow-up, One Hour Photo (Robin Williams), Closer, Rear Window, The Offer (the making of the Godfather movie on Paramount+). So many more. Would love to see your next installment with comments. Steve

I enjoyed this.. thanks dude. I had an F5 It was lovely.

I usually have 3 SLRs on me at once but they’re always in my bag, definitely not swinging all around me smashing together.

Wonderful vid. I have quite a few of these including the Nikons, Graflex and Kiev. The Kiev 4 has a wonderful Jupiter 50mm/2.0 lens. Takes beautiful pictures. The Graflex Speeds and Crowns are like shooting cameras made for the SteamPunk crowd. Difficult but rewarding. Any good Film Noir must include a press or police photographer with a Graflex changing the cut film back. Super cool. Again, thanks for the video. One film of particular significance that should be covered is Hitchcock's Rear Window - with an Ihagee Exacta. Very exotic. Thanks again!

Jason: "There's no way that photo came out okay." Augie: "My photos ALWAYS come out."

Please do more of these ❤