American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 55

Overheard on location
Aaton, "What

:

sort of camera

German sound-recordist, pointing at my
is that?" German cameraman, "The

best".

Un my first day in Afghanistan we marched for fifteen hours
non-stop. It was August and very hot. We crossed two passes - a total of
5000 feet going up and 6000 feet coming down. Throughout that time my
Aaton perched comfortably on my shoulder, and I know of no equivalent
camera which is so easy to carry. It is a tribute to the Aaton's ergonometric design that I ended the day just with blisters and not a heart attack.
r\aton magazines are child's play to load and unload. Too many
other cameras leave you struggling in the changing bag with a roll of film
that is liable to uncoil as it comes off the spindle. Normally that only
results in irritation all round and a few minutes' delay, but get caught like
that as a helicopter gunship clatters over the brow of a hill and the delay is
liable to be permanent.

It
filming

is

a

a war

misconception that the camera best-suited to
should be built like a tank. The trouble is, those cameras
common

make a noise like a tank on the sound-track. Even in the middle of a
battle there are moments of quiet when a well-blimped machine is just as

important as on location in the home counties. One of the most valuable
qualities of the Aaton is its silence.

When

filming

experience than seeing
rifle and a
is a grave
disadvantage to be left lugging a heavy or unbalanced camera, trailing
battery cables. The Aaton is light, neat, and easy to run with, even with
legs that are turning to jelly.
a

battle, there is

no worse

one's companions making a hasty exit. Men carrying just a
bandolier can disappear with unnerving rapidity, and it

With all the other cameras I know, the day you drop the thing in
a

river in the middle of nowhere, is the time to go behind a rock and

quietly cut your throat. With an Aaton you simply produce half-a-dozen
Allen Keys, strip it down, and give it a good clean. Blow the electronics,
and it takes five minutes to replace them with a set of "Red Spares".

When

you're freelance, and about to invest thousands of hardearned pounds in a camera, you think for a long time before chatting-up
the bank manager. I bought my Aaton after I'd tried all the other
comparable makes, usually under fire, and the Aaton was the only one
which met every

specification.

An Aaton is like a good woman
emerge

after prolonged acquaintance.

: some

of the best qualities only



American Cinematographer - December 1980

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 1980

American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 1
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 2
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 3
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 4
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 5
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 6
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 7
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 8
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 9
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 13
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 18
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 19
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 20
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 21
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 28
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 29
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 30
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 41
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 45
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 46
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 47
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 53
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 54
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 55
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 56
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 57
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 58
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 60
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 61
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 62
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 63
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 78
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American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 96
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 97
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 98
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 99
American Cinematographer - December 1980 - 100
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