Dumont Iconoscope Camera Chains

Pictured here are two complete chains for studio and field use. Everything on the cart can be placed in a truck or control room, but notice the two elements at the foot of each tripod. Those had to be with the camera head…one element is an amplifier and the other, a power supply. Dumont made a pedestal that housed both, and that pedestal was nick named ‘the ice cream truck’ for some reason. When the camera was mounted on a tripod, things got a bit tricky because you either had to be stationary or have a special wheel set that included a solid base to set these elements on.

I think the electronic viewfinder was a fantastic addition and have no idea why RCA did not do this early on too. It may have been because of the extra outboard gear as I think at least one of the elements located with the camera head was involved in powering the viewfinder. Does any one know more about these cameras and which pieces of gear do what?

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