Krasnogorsk-3 thoughts

Taylor Greathead · February 3, 2004

Hi,

I'm thinking about buying a Krasnogorsk-3. I'm told that they are used quite a bit and are very reliable. Has anyone had any experience they can share with me about this camera?

--easy to load?

--reliable?

--how long does a full winding last?

Thanks:)

--Taylor

Mitch Gross · February 3, 2004

They are only reliable after you send it to Reel Trading/Kiev USA in NY or Connecticut (I forget where he lives now) and have the edges repolished and the guide rollers realigned or removed. These cameras were good in design but poor in construction, so this fellow cleans them up and markedly improves them. Still, the speed governoe is not very accurate so even set to 24fps it doesn't hold speed too well, which leads to jerky movement. This is going to be different on each individual camera. It is easy to load and use (after modification) and there is someone on eBay selling an adapter to use common button batteries for the internal lightmeter (the original battery style is no longer made). The lens is surprisingly okay considering it costs next to nothing. I believe a spring wind will last about 25 seconds but again this varies by camera.

The big problem will be parts and accessories for such a camera--they don't exist. Clive Tobin used to make a crystal motor for it but it is no longer available. I don't even know if Reel Trading is in business anymore. You'd probably be a lot better off with a Bolex or even a Bealieu. Pro-8 is refurbishing Bealieu cameras and selling them as the Classic-16, like they were some sort of retro-chic.