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June 1899: The Biokam
Hot on the heels of Birt Acres' Birtac came a second camera intended for use by the amateur film-maker. Cecil Hepworth, now working for the Warwick Trading Company, unveiled that organisation's answer to Acres' machine at a meeting of the London Camera Club this year. Warwick's machine was called the Biokam, and was advertised as 'a combined cinematograph and snap-shot camera, printer, projector, reverser and enlarger fitted with two special Voigtlander lenses.' The Biokam could also be purchased as a stand-alone projector for 'projecting, reversing and enlarging.' The Biokam was designed by Alfred Darling, who had joined the Warwick Trading Company the previous year, and, like Acres' Birtac, used 17.5mm film with central perforations between each frame. Selling from June 1899 at £6. 6s, the Biokam was considerably cheaper than the Birtac, and effectively killed off Acres' invention as a viable commercial proposition. [ADD]
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