Television’s First Zoom Lens…
Television’s First Zoom Lens…
This is the Walker Electra Zoom lens and is believed to be one of the first Joseph Walker made by hand in the late 1940s. Walker worked as a cinematographer with Frank Capra on over twenty films and held almost as many patents on optical and film related inventions.
Over a span of some 40 years, he designed and made special lenses to be used specifically on over 50 of Hollywood’s leading ladies. He had dabbled with this zoom technology in the late 1920s but set it aside until electric motor technology began to catch up.
He sold his invention to RCA and Zeiss around 1949 and RCA kept the name Electra Zoom when they brought it to television. Due to the dominance of Frank Back’s Zoomar lens, Walker’s role in the history of the television zoom lens has been rather overlooked – but there’s little doubt that the Electra Zoom was a significant production tool during the early days of postwar television.
Thanks to Steve Raymer at The Pavek Museum in St Louis Park, MN for sharing the photos of this lens which is on display there at his museum. The lens worked electronically and had a push/pull rod as well for manual operation, much like the Zoomar. You can see that rod in the Hugh Downs photo. Enjoy and share! – Bobby Ellerbee
By the way, the RCA catalog listing is in the Comments section below.
I think I actually ran a camera like that
I think I just used one of those about a month ago on a shoot. The client bought all the equipment we were using on Ebay. It was like working in the museum of Broadcast.
…thank you, Bobby E. ! ! ..had you ever seen the B-roll film footage from JFK’s announcement on the Cuban Missile Crisis the main pool camera was a TK-30 with side vent holes on the panel, an orbiter, and equipped with an Electra Zoom ..very interesting information !
Here’s part 1 of the RCA Catalog listing
Here’s part 2 of the RCA Catalog listing