The RCA “Ultra” Portable Camera System
The RCA Ultra Portable Camera System
Much like our friend Don “Peaches” Langford, who was one of ABC’s pioneers in portable camera work, this is NBC’s Don Mulvaney. You’ll see Mr Mulvaney below in photos from 1956 on, with RCA’s first mobile cameras and with that experience, he became the first to operate the RCA “Ultra Cam” at the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City. This configuration became available in June of 1964 and weighs in at 22 pounds. The back pack is lighter as some of the components are now on the front mounted viewfinder as are some of the adjustments. This is still a black and white Vidicom camera and 12 years will pass before RCA introduces the TK76 color ENG camera. By the way…these cameras do take a toll on the body. With Peaches, it was his knees, with Mulvaney, it was his back.
The RCA Magazine once highlighted the story of how the CTV Toronto station, CFTO-TV, converted a TK-44 into a portable camera for use in commercials and sports.
I think that political conventions were very important for the development of cameras.
Much like the steadicam which also takes a toll on a steadicam cameraman’s body.