BristolUK

Okay, so I've been watching the excellent BBC TV series The Game and it reminded me of something I've always thought strange.

I had a Kodak Instamatic camera like this

and Cannon Sureshot like this


With both, especially the first one, it was very difficult not to move the camera when pressing the button. The slightest movement caused a less than clear result.

Now, in The Game and many other older spy movies, you see someone photographing documents using a camera that looks a bit like this.


The spy takes the picture by holding the camera above the document - never looking through a viewfinder - and the picture is taken by pressing one end towards the other end.

Surely this must mean it's almost impossible to keep it steady and thus produce a blurred picture, or even one out of shot or out of focus.

Maybe these spies develop incredibly steady hands and take a great shot in one go, turn the page and do it again without even thinking.

Do we have any former spies here to comment?

Or maybe Magnum PI?

Shard

It's about shutter speed, lens aperture and film sensitivity. Presumably the spy the camera would have a high sensitivity, high definition film, and a very "bright" lens (which lets in plenty of light)...that way the shutter speed could be high, eliminating any camera shake. - Shard 007

BristolUK

You just earned yourself a poster - Number 24

Piff Poff

I can ask my friend tomorrow, if his hearing aids are working � ���� he has lots of spy stuff and cameras!

BristolUK

Does he have an U.N.C.L.E. briefcase with the hidden camera?

dave_j

It's all a question of investment.
Imagine you're a peace loving country somewhere but you have a pathelogical mistrust of everyone else, then you'll spend whatever it takes to spy on everyone. It makes no difference whether you invest in technology that enables you to takes unbelievably clear photographs from near earth orbit today, from high flying jet aircraft in the 60's or fast moving photo reconnaissance piston driven aircraft of the 40's, you'll pay whatever it takes.
So the humble spy with his miniature camera won't be carrying a Kodak with ASA100 film, he'll have the best equipment that an inquisitive agency, backed by a frightened government, can provide.

Piff Poff

He might have...there are exhibitions with a lot of his stuff in, he still has quite a collection at home too. The Combined Military Services Museum in Maldon Exposition Guerres Secrètes

OH has just come back from visiting and the dog has eaten one of his hearing aids, which means he won't hear anything I or his wife says

magnumpi

It's best to video documents then take the pics from the video later at home or at your office. We do this mostly when collecting images of counterfeit items.

We also use this to document pics of claimants from video, that we can then insert into reports. We don't sit taking still pics anymore, that stopped in the 90's.

FWIW I have 2 of these, almost everyone I know use these.

http://www.isro-solutions.com/en/dvr...-isr-d110.html

Aviator

The pic above is thew Minox EC, which is the poor mans spy camers, being made of plastic. The Minox C was the more famous spy camera, the open close did not fire the shutter, it has a shutter release. The lens was not that fast fixed at f3.5, although it could go up to 1/1000 shutter spreed, 1600 asa film would give an acceptable image. They even came with a measuring chain attached so it was quick and easy to get the right distance to copy a sheet of A4.

BristolUK

@ Aviator

If you are "Q" remind me not to borrow your ballpoint pen.

not2old

Where can you buy one of these in Canada (maybe in the GTA) & how much are they in Canadian dollars?

Shard

You're blowing my cover M*



* Man from Moncton

Almost Canadian

I was always led to believe that spies used infra red flashes and appropriate film so that they could snap away without anyone seeing them.

magnumpi

Any spy shop will sell them, but we usually club together and buy in bulk off of EBay. The last one I got was $179, great discount ehh !!

Just type in PV900FHD on EBay or Amazon. Price varies, usually upward of $400

Novocastrian

Is that what you used to film this classic?