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!