Labs

Chadwell O’Connor developed the Fluid Head pan and tilt system in the late 1940s while trying to solve the problem of panning smoothly while he pursued his passion of filming steam locomotives. His invention only became a marketed product when Walt Disney himself saw Chad O’Connor using that Fluid Head, and placed an order for 10 of them. OConnor Engineering Laboratories was born.

Today, OConnor specializes in fluid heads, tripods and camera accessories, and though the founder has passed on, OConnor employees all over the world continue to observe the art and craft of cinematography, in order to invent, innovate and improve products to further the art and help ease the craft. With a nod to Chad and the amazing legacy he left us, we created the Labs - a technical section of our website, designed to share our experiences with you. It will feature tips & tricks on how to use, tweak and fix OConnor products in the field, complete with pictures, videos and short editorial pieces.

Welcome to the OConnor Labs!

Labs #9

Labs #9: NAB 2012

Eric J. Johnston talks about OConnor's new products live from NAB 2012.

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Labs #8

Labs #8: NAB 2012

Eric J. Johnston talks about OConnor's new products live from NAB 2012.

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Labs #7

Labs#7: NAB 2012

Eric J. Johnston talks about OConnor's new products live from NAB 2012.

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Labs #6

Labs #6: Scarlet-X

Eric J. Johnston accessorizes the new Scarlet-X with OConnor.

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Labs-5-O-Grips

Labs #5: O-Grips

The adjustment range of the O-Grips is defined as one half-sphere per module. This half-sphere is the result of having one full circle of movement in a primary plane around the mounting point and one half-circle of movement in all planes perpendicular to this primary plane.

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Labs-4

Labs #4: Lens diameters

Often we receive questions about fitting lenses to the OConnor O-Box mattebox. To help identify the right step down rings, we have created a chart of the most common PL-mounted outer lens diameters.

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Labs-3

Labs #3: NAB 2011

Eric J. Johnston wrapping up the NAB 2011 show for all of us.

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Rod standards

Labs #2: Rod standards

There are three commonly used rod standards for professional motion picture camera equipment. While these have been around for years; the difference between them often causes confusion.

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About OConnor Labs

About OConnor Labs

Company founder Chadwell O’Connor developed the Fluid Head pan and tilt system in the late 1940s while tinkering in his garage. His goal had been to solve the problem of panning smoothly while he pursued his passion of filming steam locomotives.

Find out more