An animation camera, a type of rostrum camera

Rostrum camera

A rostrum camera is a specially designed camera used in television production and filmmaking to animate a still picture or object. It consists of a moving lower platform on which the article to be filmed is placed, while the camera is placed above on a column. Many visual effects can be created...

, is a movie camera

Movie camera

The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film which was very popular for private use in the last century until its successor, the video camera, replaced it...

 specially adapted for frame-by-frame shooting animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

 or stop motion

Stop motion

Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...

. It consists of a camera body with lens and film magazines, a stand that allows the camera to be raised and lowered, and a table, often with both top and underneath lighting. The artwork to be photographed is placed on this table.

Since most animation is now produced digitally, new animation cameras are not widely manufactured. Image scanner

Image scanner

In computing, an image scanner—often abbreviated to just scanner—is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in offices are variations of the desktop scanner where the document is placed on a glass...

s, video camera

Video camera

A video camera is a camera used for electronic motion picture acquisition, initially developed by the television industry but now common in other applications as well. The earliest video cameras were those of John Logie Baird, based on the electromechanical Nipkow disk and used by the BBC in...

s and digital SLRs have taken their place.

Examples of professional animation cameras (35 and 16 mm)

A partial list of manufacturers of animation cameras includes:

• Acme Tool and Manufacturing (USA)
• Crass (Germany)
• Neilson-Hordell (UK)
• Oxberry (USA)

• Double M Industries (USA)
• A.I.A. Productions (USA)

The Bell & Howell 2709 (Design 27, first made in 1909) is the prototype of the Acme, and the Acme is the prototype of the Oxberry. Each employs a fixed pin and "shuttle" movement

Intermittent mechanism

The intermittent mechanism or intermittent movement is the device by which film is regularly advanced and then held in place for a brief duration of time in a movie camera or movie projector. This is in contrast to a continuous mechanism, whereby the film is constantly in motion and the image is...

 mechanism for film registration and film advancement, respectively. Other names associated with Acme were Producer's Service Corporation and Photo-Sonics.

Super 8

In addition, many consumer-grade Super 8

Super 8 mm film

Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....

 home movie

Home movie

Home movie may mean:*Home movies, referring to private or amateur motion picture photographic products shot and printed in any video or film format....

 cameras made in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s had single-frame, and therefore, animation, capability. Their wide availability on the used market (along with the continued manufacture of Super 8 film) make them a viable low-cost alternative to specialized animation cameras when paired with a suitable animation stand

Animation stand

An animation stand is a device assembled for the filming of any kind of animation that is placed on a flat surface, including cel animation, graphic animation, clay animation, and silhouette animation....

 (copy stand

Copy stand

In photography, a copy stand is a device used to copy images and/or text with a camera. The stand consists of a board onto which the media is placed and a tripod-mount parallel to it, usually with an adjustable height. Light is provided by bright lamps mounted on either side of the media at...

s are often adapted to this purpose).

16 mm

The 16 mm Bolex

Bolex

Bolex is a Swiss company that manufactures motion picture cameras and lenses, the most notable products of which are in the 16 mm and Super 16 mm formats. The Bolex company was initially founded by Jacques Bogopolsky in 1927. Bolex is derived from his name. He had previously designed cameras for...

camera is often used for amateur and semi-professional single frame filming, either using its built-in spring drive, or an attached electric single-frame motor

External links

• Animation camera movement mechanisms, from the personal website of a Finnish animator