Krasnogorsk 3 suitable for time lapse?

[Patrick Cooper]

I will likely be shooting some 16mm colour negative film on an island in early January with my K3 and I plan to do at least some time lapse filming there. What I would like to do is conduct a time lapse test with the K3 with some Plus-X or Tri-X beforehand and see what the results are like. However, there could be a possibility that I may not get the film back from processing soon enough - to see if this camera really is suitable for time lapse work - before the main filming commences.

 

So I am wondering what others' experiences have been when using the K3 for single frame shooting. I do know of somebody who experienced light leakage with their K3 with long interval times. However, I have also conversed with someone who has done time lapse with their K3 using long interval times and he experienced no problems at all. I plan on doing some one minute intervals. It is well known that camera performance varies from K3 to K3 so perhaps some of these cameras are able to do time lapse more efficiently than others. With the latest Tri-X film that I had just got back (exposed with my K3) there was a 'flash frame' every time the camera stopped and started when running at 24fps so I guess this is not a good sign for effective time lapse?

[Alessandro Malfatti]

If your intervals are more than 6 seconds, you may want to cover the lens. Apart from that it shouldn't be too much of a problem with intervals of a second or two. Oftentimes the reason for the last frame being fogged is that the shutter doesn't cover the frame if you let it run out. If you don't, the light leakage isn't that bad, as I said, takes about six seconds at least to fog the frame.

[james smyth]

there was a 'flash frame' every time the camera stopped and started

 

As I understand it, this is just because the camera isn't made to stop at the end of a frame, it just stops wherever you happen to let go of the button (which is usually with the gate partially open) and has nothing to do with light leakage problems.

[Jeremy Farkas]

Yeah, the flash frames shouldn't have anything to do with it. That's just from the motor getting up to speed when you turn it on, and slowing down when you turn it off. Spring motors don't stop and start on a dime. If you're shooting single frame, though, you don't have that problem. Keep in mind that the shutter speed at 24 fps on a k3 is 1/60th of a second, but single frame is 1/30th.

[David Venhaus]

K3's do usually leak light (at least the ones I've used did) if the interval is longer then about 10 seconds between frames. For time intervals above 6 seconds, I would recommend covering the lens and the eyepiece, if you want to be on the safe side. If you take the rubber eyecup off, a cover from a 35mm still film canister(the black kind) should fit over it snuggly.

[Olex Kalynychenko]

I will likely be shooting some 16mm colour negative film on an island in early January with my K3 and I plan to do at least some time lapse filming there.

 

A some technical information.

The high quality a time lapse camera must fixed film on stop position with high precision.

This must be camera with registration pin.

From other side, This camera must have shutter disk parallel of a line of film.

This must be not reflex camera or camera with dual shutter disk, one mirror set with angle , other black, parallel the line of film.

 

The time lapse motor must have possibility a set any time of shutter disk open and any time between shoots, but, the time of opening of shutter disk must have high precision of setting.

 

From other side, the time on procedure of opening and closing a shutter must have minimum volume.

 

About K-3.

K-3 have transport mechanism with one transport pin.

K-3 have mirror shutter disk with angle position from plane of film.

K-3 have spring motor with mechanical control of single shooting and fixed shutter speed at single mode.

But, the mechanical control of single shooting can be modify and camera can have manual setting of time of

Shutter disk open, but, the time of closing and opening of shutter will fast and fixed.

 

About harmful bright areas of film at long time waiting.

You can set mechanical or electrical shutter from large format camera on front side of lens.

This shutters have cable release and you can close a lens on time of waiting.

If you create of simply electronic system, this procedure can make automatically.

 

The idea a use of K-3 camera for time lapse shooting very good, and need make test.

I shoot a test with single frame shooting and have not bad result.

 

I hear about good result of use Konvas-2M for time lapse shooting. Konvas have no registration pin and have mirror shutter disk too. But, The footages had not bad quality.

[Patrick Cooper]

"If your intervals are more than 6 seconds, you may want to cover the lens."

 

That is interesting. Someone else who has done time lapse with a K3 says that he gets 'flashed frames' with intervals longer than 4 seconds. Or perhaps his K3 leaks a little more light than others. Anyway, I'll do some tests with 4 second and 6 second interval times with an out of date Plus-X film.

Edited December 8, 2006 by Patrick Cooper