Which Camera on a low budget for a Ski Movie?

Easton Sheahan-Lee · January 9, 2007

You DO NOT want a Scoopic for shooting in the cold and the snow.

For $300 get the K3. No batteries required. Practice loading it before going out.

95 percent of ALL registration problems are due to improper loading.

Properly loaded, the K3 will beat anything in the $300 category.

SC

But just out of curiousity I am wondering if it is really true that the export version is actually better than the original made in Russia....?

Is this at all true or does it even matter?

You DO NOT want a Scoopic for shooting in the cold and the snow.

For $300 get the K3. No batteries required. Practice loading it before going out.

95 percent of ALL registration problems are due to improper loading.

Properly loaded, the K3 will beat anything in the $300 category.

SC

But just out of curiousity I am wondering if it is really true that the export version is actually better than the original made in Russia....?

Is this at all true or does it even matter?

You DO NOT want a Scoopic for shooting in the cold and the snow.

For $300 get the K3. No batteries required. Practice loading it before going out.

95 percent of ALL registration problems are due to improper loading.

Properly loaded, the K3 will beat anything in the $300 category.

SC

But just out of curiousity I am wondering if it is really true that the export version is actually better than the original made in Russia....?

Is this at all true or does it even matter?

You DO NOT want a Scoopic for shooting in the cold and the snow.

For $300 get the K3. No batteries required. Practice loading it before going out.

95 percent of ALL registration problems are due to improper loading.

Properly loaded, the K3 will beat anything in the $300 category.

SC

But just out of curiousity I am wondering if it is really true that the export version is actually better than the original made in Russia....?

Is this at all true or does it even matter?

Scott Cohen · January 9, 2007

But just out of curiousity I am wondering if it is really true that the export version is actually better than the original made in Russia....?

Is this at all true or does it even matter?

It is not better. It is newer. You may get a cleaner camera that has been used less.

I have had both "versions" and I haven't noticed a measurable difference.

Actually, the more time your K3 racks up, the quieter it runs and the easier it is to wind.

Of course you want to keep it clean.

I have a minty older K3 that runs quieter than my newer version.

This kinda is like what happens to engines as they break in... At 60,000 miles of normal operation your cars engine will put out more horsepower than it did right out of the factory. Right out of the factory it will be tight. After some normal wear and internal friction will reduce and it will start to feel it oats.

As your K3 gets older it is always a good idea to time a run of 10 feet through the camera and see if the camera speed selector is correct at 24fps or if you need to dab some paint on your speed setting if it has changed.

10 feet of film should run by in 16.7 seconds at 24 frames per second.

Using a normal stop watch, you can time this pretty well. No need for a strobe light or anything fancy.

SC

Easton Sheahan-Lee · January 10, 2007

It is not better. It is newer. You may get a cleaner camera that has been used less.

I have had both "versions" and I haven't noticed a measurable difference.

Actually, the more time your K3 racks up, the quieter it runs and the easier it is to wind.

Of course you want to keep it clean.

I have a minty older K3 that runs quieter than my newer version.

This kinda is like what happens to engines as they break in... At 60,000 miles of normal operation your cars engine will put out more horsepower than it did right out of the factory. Right out of the factory it will be tight. After some normal wear and internal friction will reduce and it will start to feel it oats.

As your K3 gets older it is always a good idea to time a run of 10 feet through the camera and see if the camera speed selector is correct at 24fps or if you need to dab some paint on your speed setting if it has changed.

10 feet of film should run by in 16.7 seconds at 24 frames per second.

Using a normal stop watch, you can time this pretty well. No need for a strobe light or anything fancy.

SC

Is there any particular Version of the K3 I should look out for because it is potentialy better? Why would it be that the front plate is not black but is instead silver?

Tom Doolittle · January 13, 2007

Just wanted to add my two cents here...

I have a K-3, and I like it. "Rough and Tough" probably characterizes it best.

I also have a couple of Filmos, and I like them much better. They too are "rough and tough", but far better put-together than the K-3, and smaller too. They lack the reflex viewing of the K-3, but for sports cinematography, you probably don't need or even want that. They also lack the TTL meter but you're nuts if you trust those things on any camera, especially a K-3 in the snow- now THATS a recipe for disaster! :blink:

Get a Filmo with a good lens and learn to estimate distances between yourself and your subject. I usually set the focus scale by guestimation, and rarely get it wrong-- wide angles and small apertures help there.

Another thought: I don't know what the requirments of your specific project are, but have you considered Super8? You can pick up a good Super8 camera for pocket change and mix it in with the 16mm footage. The film is slightly less expensive, so depending on your overall budget you might be able to pay for the extra camera AND stretch your running time. The footage will be slightly grainier, but depending on the flavor of your project that might be a good thing.

-Tom

Scott Cohen · January 13, 2007

Another thought: I don't know what the requirments of your specific project are, but have you considered Super8? You can pick up a good Super8 camera for pocket change and mix it in with the 16mm footage. The film is slightly less expensive, so depending on your overall budget you might be able to pay for the extra camera AND stretch your running time. The footage will be slightly grainier, but depending on the flavor of your project that might be a good thing.

-Tom

Tom's suggestion for you to consider Super 8mm is VERY good advice.

It seems like you are just learning the film thing... Super 8mm is a good idea.

If you put Vision2 200T in a Super 8mm camera you can fool a lot of people into thinking they are looking at 16mm.

In the snow, your 85 filter would knock this film down to 125 speed. You would have high f-stops making your depth of field large.

You would have a VERY LARGE margin of error when focusing.

Plus you just pop a cartridge out, then pop another in.

Reloads in seconds.

SC

steve hyde · January 15, 2007

Super 8 would be a distinct way to go. Velvia has long been a film stock of choice for ski photography and you can get Velvia on Super 8 from Spectra Film and Video in Los Angeles. The ski movie, I have envisioned for a long time, but will never make, because I think the market is saturated, is a black and white film on backcountry telemark skiing in the cascades. I wouldn't do any of the boring freestyle stunt photography that is so popular. I would attempt to create a black and white dreamscape where every shot records a telemark skiier cutting through untracked powder. All the shots would be on a tripod and I would use a long lens and record from a distance at fast frame rates. I would try to focus on faces as much as possible.

I think the key to a good ski film is making one that stands out from the rest of them. I am a backcountry skier and I love getting out into the mountains in the winter, but I usually find ski movies dreadfully boring.

Bill Heath made a good one a few years ago. The powder skiing segments are sublime. He used an Arri SR super 16 and filmed in slow motion. The last time I checked he had a trailer up on his website:

yes, he still has it up:

http://www.bhandf.com/2007/qt%20video/sinners.mov

Steve