In 1948, Australian audiences were introduced to television at the Sydney Royal Easter Show. The British electronics company Pye had brought its 405-line cameras and monitors to encourage interest in the new medium.
While it would be eight years until Bruce Gyngell famously welcomed Australia to television, the Pye company was still essential to the burgeoning industry.
Pye cameras like this were used across Australia in newsrooms and in the field by journalists at GTV9 and ABV2. They are lightweight and compact, making them easy to transport, and they feature an extended focus range switch for extreme close-ups.
Curator Notes
Designed in 1951, the Pye MK III Orthicon boasted a range of features advanced for the period. Its turret was not only constructed with a peripheral ball brace that enabled it to withstand the weight of the largest lenses, it was also motorised, meaning it could be fully remote controlled. The MK III could also be tilted and pan up to 280 degrees with the right attachments, and it was adaptable for both left and right-handed camera operators.
It is no wonder that these cameras were chosen to capture Australia’s 1956 Olympic Games. Australia’s first TV station TCN-9 Sydney was launched on 16 September 1956 with HSV7 Melbourne and the ABC following in early November, just two weeks ahead of the opening ceremony. While not officially operating until the following January, Melbourne’s GTV 9 was also granted permission to cover the Games as part of test transmissions. Part of the Bob Phillips Collection acquired by ACMI in 2005, this MK III originally came from GTV-9 and is one of only two original TV cameras that shot the entire 1956 Olympics. The popular broadcast camera eventually withdrawn from sale in 1960 after an estimated 250 were sold worldwide.
– Curator Chelsey O'Brien
Related works
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
Collection
In ACMI's collection
On display until
16 February 2031
ACMI: Gallery 1
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
E000056
Curatorial section
The Story of the Moving Image → Moving Pictures → MI-06. Language of Film → MI-06-C01
Measurements
175 x 122 x 122cm
Object Types
Camera/ Camera crane / Camera lens/Film and television equipment