Akeley Gyro Geared Head & Wood Tripod for 35mm Movie Camera - SOLD

Akeley Gyro Geared Head & Wood Tripod for 35mm Movie Camera

SOLD

Superb! Wonderful patina. Absolutely lovely antique piece.

Extends to 70-inches, Retracts to 45-inches

About Akeley Tripods

Carl Akeley, a great explorer designed and built what became the precursor of fluid heads only they had the precision of a fine watch. The fluid motion was provided by an intricate set of gears that are more complex than those found in the finest watches. It fell out of favour with feature filmmakers because the gear sound interrupted sound production. This gear head is fully functional and not only functions as a camera head but a work of brilliant engineering and art.

Akeley's were used by the best documentarians as the Akeley head could be used both as a gyro head and a gear head. Carl Akeley invented this head so he could document fast moving animals while on safari in Africa. This head works well and makes the most wonderful gyroscopic gear whine when panning and tilting. The zero gear lash built into all Akeley heads makes them a favorite tool for motion control. The heads are adapted to receive computer driven stepper motors. This makes precisely repeatable moves possible. There are many Akeley heads still working the industry today.