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Mike,

You might be interested in this copy of an advertisement from "Film Monthly" of
1950.The "Camera Technician" was a shop run by a Terry Boylan devoted entirely to
9.5mm equipment, even though 9.5mm had been overtaken by 8mm. His opposition
was "Heiron and Smith Ltd" run by the redoubtable Miss Taylor. Terry said many times
he'd put Miss Taylor out of business. Sadly for him the reverse happened. Heiron and
Smith was mainly interested in billiard tables but part was the movie section.

A large photograph of a gent using a Pathé "Baby", and a glass display case framed in
brass tubing inside which were all the goodies formed the centrepiece of the shop.
There were many other memorabilia items which I've since forgotten. H & S also had a
really good 9.5mm library which included the 5 reel version of "Metropolis", probably
the best I've seen.

I must say I never really warmed to Terry, but he did his best I suppose. Looking at the
prices of the "Gem" reminds me how expensive they were in relation to my meagre
salary, but they were something of a breakthrough in the post war world. Nevertheless
my "Specto" is a much better machine. l had the "Gem" fitted with a Som Berthiot lens
later and modern lighting, and I still use it occasionally, but it is hard on the old films.

When my cousin joined the air force in 1941 he gave me his Kodak movie camera. I
took it on a school excursion and promptly lost it. So that was the end of that!

In about 1949 a couple of fellows I knew who ran the "Wynyard Photo Shop", they told
me they had a movie camera I might be interested in. lt turned out to be a Pathé
Motocamera, of which I'd never heard. In fact I'd never even heard of 9.5mm. Anyway I
bought the camera and by various means was led to Heiron and Smith .

The camera had a very good Zeiss lens and I spent many happy hours with it until I
bought a Pathé National II some years later. I used 9.5mm for many years until Super
8 came on the scene and 9.5mm was all but dead. Nevertheless I am glad to see it still
lives on in England.

Best wishes

Alan Saunders

“Camera Technician” ad on opposite page

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