Museum of the Broadcast Television Camera

Preserved LDK5 cameras:-

2 at TVcameramuseum, one BBC OB's (sr.No. 020105) and one Thames OB's

3 at Golden Age TV recreations. at least one is ex Thames OB's
4 possibly as part of the BBC Type 5 OB van UK based.

1 type NC 3922 406 15011 sr.No. 000126, owner Mark Ramsey
2 more are known to be in private collections in the UK.
1 see the LPU site in the UK.
1 in Holland at Marcels TV Museum.
2 in New Zealand owner "XDCAM"

1 sr. No. 020083, in private collection in Surrey, UK.

Index
Page 01 Philips LDK5 Television Camera
Page 02 Philips LDK5 Television Camera
Page 03Philips LDK5 Television Camera
Page 04Philips LDK5 Television Camera
Page 05Philips LDK5 Television Camera
Page 06Philips LDK5 Television Camera top View
Page 07Right side cover open
Page 08Left side cover open
Page 09Rear cover open
Page 10Viewfinder, BBC OB's version
Page 11Deflection & optical block
Page 12Deflection & optical block and prismatic beam splitter
Page 13Deflection yoke
Page 14Schneider Lens
Page 15Lens mounting arrangements
Page15A  Test lens unit.
Page 16Base station, reception and PSU units.
Page 17 Base station surveillance unit.
Page 18 base station, in portable case units.
Page 19 LDK5 spares case.
Page 20 Philips LDK5 additional optical filters
Page 21 BBC Colour Balance panel PA6/99B.
Page 22 Link type 182 Operation Control Panel for use with the LDK5.
Page 23 Optical filters in top of camera.
Page 24 NZBC LDK 5 TV Camera side view
Page 25 NZBC LDK 5 TV front view
Page 26 NZBC LDK 5 TV Camera rear view

Philips : LDK5 (A) Brochure 1971
Philips : LDK5 (B) Brochure 1981

 

DataSheet : LDK5

Detailed description of LDK5 attributed to BBC senior engineer A. Hudson

Poster for camera exhibition : LDK5B
"A colour camera with digital control", Mike Cosgrove, RTS Journal March/April 1975

Notes:-

Roger Neal, of BBC Outside Broadcasts, says that there was some resistance/reluctance to accept the LDK5 and the new way of registration with most of the controls at the camera.


Dave Le Breton, writes:-

I was interested in Roger Neal’s comment about BBC management's concern about adopting such a complex beast. Some years before the LDK5 appeared my boss attended a meeting between Philips product development and BBC engineering management (I was then too junior to be involved). Philips laid out their plans for a future camera with “everything in the camera head”- the BBC bosses were not at all keen on the idea. They wanted to keep as much of the circuitry as possible in the relatively benign environment of the CMCR vision area. At that time I was up to my ears in acceptance testing EMI 2001 and Philips PC80 cameras for the type 2 CMCRs so such exotic ideas seemed rather far fetched. Somewhat later, like Roger, I remember one of the managers in Television OBs (I remember who it was but “no names, no pack drill”) saying that they were liable to lose a programme if we bought the LDK5.

 

The path to using the LDK5 in a big way was really laid by our two PCP90 Minicams, which demonstrated the great flexibility that arose from having a self-contained camera that just needed local power and control data. The rest, as they say, is history. Some time later, when in Breda doing acceptance tests on one of Philips’ later cameras, I was having lunch with a development engineer who was responsible for part of the LDK5 and told him that one of the published modes of using the camera was a bit of a problem as a vital relay in the base station could not be operated as the PSU had been taken to power the camera at its remote location. After perusing the handbook, he came back to me saying that I was clearly correct, but no other organisation had exploited the LDK5 like the BBC, so no-one had ever complained!


Memories, memories, Dave Le Breton

The LDK5 and BBC OB van MCR21. I am told that late in it's career MCR21 was used as a "test bed" by the BBC to evaluate the use of the LDK5 with RTH Varotal 16 lenses as an outside broadcast camera. We would be pleased to have further information about this?


CMCR = Colour Mobile Control Room (remote pick-up in USA)

Further notes on the PCP90 and the development of the LDK5