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Buying a Krasnogorsk K-3


Jason Reimer

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I'm looking into buying a K-3 on Ebay, and was wondering what people's experiences have been like buying them there, from sellers in Eastern Europe and Russia. Anything to look out for in particular? My goal is to end up with a body, a couple of lenses, and a Super 16mm gate. I've seen the American website that sells them converted already, but it's just more than I can afford right now, so I'm hoping the Ebay route is actually feasible.

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I know people have done it.... Given the drops in prices these days, and the cost of 16mm film, you're probably better off buying an Arri, Aaton or Elcair. If you're patient, you can get a good deal. I got my Arri 16S off ebay for ~$500 (granted, it's regular 16), with an angie zoom. I've gotten most of a good set of Schneider primes for ~$200 each, over time.

 

If you're buying old Soviet gear, look for stuff that looks beat up from heavy use (yet still looks functional). It's counterintuitive, but quality control was often hit or miss. So the defective stuff tended to stay pristine in the box (because it was junk) and the stuff that worked well was used until it fell apart. If it's new, it's always a crap shoot.

 

Otherwise, buy from someone who has a lot of positive reviews. If they only have a couple of reviews up (<100), pass on it. Ebay is generally reliable. Never spend more than you'd be willing to waste on a good weekend (you know your budgets better than I do).

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Thanks, Zac. Eventually, I'd like to work up to something a bit higher end, as I've seen the prices on Arri and others coming down, just not far enough yet. And for now the things I'm thinking of can be a bit more raw. I ran across the films of Ben Rivers recently and it was liberating to realize that you can make something simply and it still be compelling. For now, it's a chance to experiment somewhat cheaper and get my hands dirty with motion picture film, coming from medium and large format stills and artist book making.

Good tips, though, thanks again!

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G'day,

 

I bought a full K-3 kit for $158AUD and the camera runs very sweet! From the variety of sources around the net the word seems to be if you get a good one it will last forever, if you get a bad one you will have to give it a little TLC and adjustment.

 

I bought a couple of Takumar primes for easy $

 

Be sure to get a camera with an M42 lens mount. I am yet to convert my camera to super 16.

 

cheers, Gareth

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Ebay is great for a lot of older film equipment. I've purchased a lot of stuff off of there and there are some excellent ebay stores that you can get new & used equipment for good prices.

 

The only thing I would be very careful about is buying optics off of there. I purchased most of my lenses from Visual Products and took a chance on one 9mm Cooke Kinetal that I saw on ebay. Luckily it proved to be a great buy, but make sure there is an extensive description of the product and lots of pictures.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Re the lenses. Be clear on whether you really need S16 or not. 16mm should be cheaper.

 

For buying (relatively) inexpensive 16mm S16mm lenses, in order of quality and price, my off the cuff thoughts....

 

Zeiss super speeds, MKII or III,

Zeiss super speeds MKI,

CP super speeds,

Cooke Kinetals,

Schneider.

 

These all tend to come in certain mounts, though MKII sspeeds can be either Arri-B or PL, which presents it's own issue/opportunity when looking to buy.

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  • 2 months later...

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