super 16 + ultra 16 krasnogorsk conversion

[Jakub Buczynski]

I just got my Krasnogorsk K-3 camera. I wanted it converted for super 16, so I disassembled camera and taken gate out if it. And when I was holding that gate, and thinking about widening it, a strange idea came into my mind. What about widening gate both sides? Like super16 + ultra 16? Or double super16. So not only widening it 2.26mm to the left, but also 2.26mm to the right. It would give me the biggest possible area for 2.35:1 from 16mm film. I've never seen anybody doing that, so is there possibilty to damage camera by doing that? I know that nobody would transfer that kind of format, but it's not a problem for me, because i'm going to make diy telecine. And on the other hand it would be still possible to transfer it like super 16 and ultra 16, since this format would cover both of them. And also there would be no need for centering lens. What do you think about that?

[Jock Blakley]

You may find a very pesky bit of film damage by the name of a "perforation" in the way of widening the gate on both sides ;)

 

This is the reason you can't use 2R film for Super-16. 1R film, on the other hand, reserves that side of the film for an optical or magnetic soundtrack. Since 99% of 16mm shot nowadays never goes near a projector, the soundtrack area is not needed and you can use it for picture.

 

On the other side though you still have a perf, so no luck with widening. And even if you by some luck didn't have a perf in the way, you'd still run into the Keykode printed into the film.

 

Ultra-16 only gets away with the both-side-widening by widening between the perf areas on both sides so you end up with a centred aperture that doesn't use the full height of the Regular 16 frame.