# Need Help Identifying This Old Camera



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 19, 2021)

Greetings, everyone!
Just as the title suggests, I need someone to help me out with identifying this old camera spotted in one of my favorite movies (from 1990) - I need the make, model & year of the camera. I captured all the important stills from the movie in which the old camera shows up (a total of 18 screenshots). In the movie, the old camera is described as being *(quote)* *"one of the great cameras of all times"*, though it doesn't give out any specific info on it, other than the fact that it's a 35mm-film camera. You can find my album with all the 18 screenshots here: Old Camera - ID
If there are any experts in old 35mm-film cameras around here on this forum who are able to identify it and point me in the right direction, I'd sincerely appreciate it.
Screenshots with previews (click on them to enlarge them):


----------



## smithdan (Mar 19, 2021)

Universal Mercury II.  Here's mine, lots of info on the net.





decent pix as well


----------



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 19, 2021)

smithdan said:


> Universal Mercury II.  Here's mine, lots of info on the net.
> 
> View attachment 204635
> 
> ...



That is correct - that's the one! Thank you kindly, @smithdan! I appreciate it.


----------



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 20, 2021)

P.S. For anyone interested, the screenshots are from the 1990 movie "The Ambulance" (one of my favorites - "one of the great" movies "of all times"!), and the old man taking pictures of The Ambulance & holding the camera is Red Buttons (as Elias Zacharai), while the other guy is none other than Eric Roberts (as Josh Baker).

Josh Baker: Hey does that old thing still work?
Elias Zacharai: Are you kidding? *This is one of the great cameras of all times!* I once took a picture of Louis 'Lepke' Buchalter, strapped in the electric chair with this thing!

The Ambulance (1990) - tagline: You'll be in perfect health before you die!


----------



## smithdan (Mar 20, 2021)

Curiously, Red must have got the bulb to fire by pushing a test button on the flash attachment.  Of the two mounts on the Mercury, the middle one has a hot shoe and no pc socket - rare in the late 40's - and the one with the flash on it is meant for an accessory rangefinder.  Red looks just as bewildered as I was when I first picked this thing up.


----------



## webestang64 (Mar 20, 2021)

Oh man, I remember renting that movie back in the VHS video store days. Fun stuff.


----------



## smithdan (Mar 20, 2021)

Hey guys, its on You Tube!


----------



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 20, 2021)

smithdan said:


> Curiously, Red must have got the bulb to fire by pushing a test button on the flash attachment.  Of the two mounts on the Mercury, the middle one has a hot shoe and no pc socket - rare in the late 40's - and the one with the flash on it is meant for an accessory rangefinder.  Red looks just as bewildered as I was when I first picked this thing up.



Just copy & paste this YouTube link I created in your address bar, and then hit 'Enter' - it'll take you right to those specific scenes I was referring to (the ones in which the Universal Mercury II camera shows up): youtube.com/watch?v=lQAW8GcETnc&t=2359s



smithdan said:


> Hey guys, its on You Tube!



Yes, and here it is, for all of you who want to watch it: 



.


----------



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 20, 2021)

Enjoy!


----------



## TV_or_not_TV (Mar 20, 2021)

By the way, here's a color shot of The Ambulance, taken with the old Universal Mercury II camera, by Elias Zacharai (Red Buttons) - I own the movie on Blu-Ray Disc:


----------



## vintagesnaps (Mar 20, 2021)

I recognized Red Buttons, and the camera... and was wondering how Red Buttons ended up in a movie like that (no, that doesn't sound at all like a cult film! lol should be on TCM Underground sometime). May have to check it out, I like a good movie/TV episode with vintage cameras.


----------



## The Barbarian (Jul 11, 2021)

Supposedly, one of the normal lenses for the Mercury II was better than most Leica lenses.    I have one, but I never ran film through it.   Might have to do that, soon.


----------



## smithdan (Jul 11, 2021)

The Barbarian said:


> Supposedly, one of the normal lenses for the Mercury II was better than most Leica lenses.    I have one, but I never ran film through it.   Might have to do that, soon.


By all means take it for a test drive.  I found the pix to be pretty good considering it's a half frame.  Because of dissimilar metals or dried lubricant the lens focus is hopelesly stuck at 20 ft. or so.  I even soked it in liquid wrench for days with no result. Luckily, at f8, DOF is 5ft. to Inf.


----------

