Museum of the Broadcast Television Camera

EMI 203 Image Orthicon Television Camera

EMI 203 Image Orthicon Television Camera

This camera uses the 4.5inch Image Orthicon tube.

It could be used on :-

625 lines, CCIR/OIR or 525 lines, IRE/EIA or 405 lines to BBC/TV80 specifications.

Camera weight 50Kg. ex lenses. Maximum cable length = 1000ft.

The EMI 203 4.5” Image Orthicon camera was made by EMI from 1960 to 1965/6, evolving to suffix 7 as improvements were made. This camera Sr. No. 101 is believed to be the first off the production line. The first design prototypes date from 1958.

The slim camera with diecast front and rear castings, aluminum side panels and integral 7” viewfinder was, at the time, considered to be quite small and proved popular with the BBC and the ITV companies.