About OConnor Labs

Welcome to the 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. O’Connor’s invention only became a marketed product when the famed Walt Disney himself saw Chad O’Connor using that Fluid Head, and placed an order for 10 of them. OConnor Engineering Laboratories was born.

Through the years since that date, first in his garage, then in his small first factory in Pasadena, OConnor kept working, inventing, and improving his products. When he had time, he would go out on location with camera operators, watching them using camera support equipment from his own firm and others. He saw and heard the challenges they faced, and tried to develop a solution back at his “engineering laboratory”.

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, and invent, innovate and improve products to further the art and help ease the craft.

O’Connor (the engineer) and OConnor (the company) have always been heavy into research and development, and so, with a nod to Chad and the amazing legacy he left us, we’re creating the Labs – a new 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. We’d like to give you a peek backstage – a behind the scenes look at our secret and not so secret technology.

Welcome to the OConnor Labs!