MARK IX - A CAMERA SYSTEM FOR THE 80s.

This article describes a camera system designed to cover all foreseeable television production requirements for the next five to ten years. The Mark IX system includes both a studio and outside broadcast camera head employing 300 mm lead-oxide camera tubes, and a lightweight portable head using 1-in tubes. The portable head may be shoulder-mounted, or fitted to a light tripod, with either a 1 in or 3 in viewfinder. It may also be mounted with a 7 in viewfinder on a camera dolly for studio use. Both standard multicore cable and triax cable may be used. A new feature is a dynamic gain control circuit, enabling the picture contrast to be improved where detail would otherwise be lost in the black or white regions of the picture.