Imaging Working Group

  • 1.  Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-22-2025 09:25
    Edited by Kyle Norris 08-22-2025 09:35
      |   view attached

    Hello all,

    I am on the hunt for some parts/optional modules for an old vidicon Hamamatsu C1000 IRR camera. This tech is very much past its EOL but I wanted to know if anyone had some connections to people or institutions that might have spare parts or things laying around. I have spoken with the techs and service individuals at Hamamatsu and even the literature is currently unavailable. I was able to find a brochure and apparently at one time there were optional modules that could be installed into the control unit to go digital which would be fantastic. I would be interested to hear anyone's thoughts out that that has some more experience with this old IRR set up or if anyone might know someone I could speak with related to these older modules. The brochure in question is attached below. Thank you all and I look forward to chatting with you.



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    Kyle Norris
    Graduate Fellow (Class of 2026)
    Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU
    Trenton
    United States
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    Attachment(s)

    docx
    Hamamatsu Camera.docx   4.54 MB 1 version


  • 2.  RE: Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-25-2025 16:59
    Dear Kyle,

    We have the same camera at MoMA. I had hoped to be able to use it for image capture, but after weeks of troubleshooting with help from A/V, Media Conservation, and many hours on the internet, I could not any images out of it; they are only available in real-time in the eyepiece.

    The conversion to digital video is a challenge, and even then it would be a low-resolution image. Ours has now been sidelined for use as a 'viewing only' instrument.

    Adam


    --

    Adam Neese (he/they)

    Senior Collections Photographer for Conservation

    The David Booth Conservation Department


    The Museum of Modern Art

    11 West 53 Street, New York, NY 10019

    +1 (212) 708 8455

    +1 (817) 703 9101 mobile

    adam_neese@moma.org


    Change is Modern. Discover something new every day at MoMA.






  • 3.  RE: Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-26-2025 10:16

    We do have a Vidicon C1000 also. We do not have any digitizing modules. There are manuals. Not sure whether folks here still have an attachment to it. I understand you are working at Peebles Island. Is this their old equipment?



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    Evan Read
    Manager of Technical Documentation
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters
    New York
    United States
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  • 4.  RE: Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-26-2025 11:17

    Hi Evan,

    Great to hear from you. This is actually the Williamstown Art Conservation Center camera. They hadn't used it in ages and were thinking of getting rid of it. I volunteered to look into it while I am in the area at Peebles this year. I think the main question was can we get it on a computer screen and not the old TV unit. I would love it if some manuals could be found, that would be great. Thanks for reaching out. Do you still use it or have any functional use for it anyway?



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    Kyle Norris
    Graduate Fellow (Class of 2026)
    Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU
    Trenton
    United States
    ------------------------------



  • 5.  RE: Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-26-2025 11:28

    I don't believe it has been used in ages. Certainly not since I came to the department (2012). After the Vidicon we used an Indigo Merlin which still gets a little use because of the live view. It's pretty quiet in the department this week so I will have to wait until next week when their are others around who can answer whether we still want to keep the Vidicon. I will report back.



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    Evan Read
    Manager of Technical Documentation
    Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Cloisters
    New York
    United States
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  • 6.  RE: Hamamatsu C1000 parts, modules, etc.

    Posted 08-26-2025 11:21

    Hi Adam,

    Thank you so much for the response. I am glad to hear that we are having the same luck trying to dig through the internet. I think we could ultimately live with the resolution issue if there isn't any way around that. I think the hope is to get away from the viewing only to an output that we can manage. The TV setup still works but that's where I think we want to get away from in the 'digital' sense. 



    ------------------------------
    Kyle Norris
    Graduate Fellow (Class of 2026)
    Conservation Center of the Institute of Fine Arts, NYU
    Trenton
    United States
    ------------------------------