Issue with Krasnogorsk 3

[Thibault Ravina]

 

Hi there,

I purchased a K3 in March 2021 from a highly rated seller on eBay and shot 5 reels since then. The camera came in great condition and the first 3 reels came back perfectly fine, no light leaks and no scratches. 

Most of the footage from the 4th reel came back shaky and split, (as you can see on the video below), however some of the last shots on that reel came out fine and stable. I thought it was a matter of me not loading the film properly or the pressure plate not sitting tightly in the camera. I shot the final reel a couple weeks ago and it came back with the same issue, but on the entirety of the footage this time.

I am based in London and sent my K3 to a repair shop. They sent me a quote of 708£ (which exceeds my budget) for a full clean and repair, along with this message «  The main faults that need repairs are the claw and transport system. Scratching and auto loading cannot be improved if occurs - common fault with this model » .

Now I still have the loop formers on my K3 and having done some research, I found that some people had similar issues and that removing the loop formers could solve them.The camera was in perfect working condition and I take great care of it : I checked it before sending it for repairs and found no damage whatsoever. I know that the loop formers operate on a thread mechanism and therefore might not be very reliable.

Then again, I'm new to this so looking for any advice!

Thanks

https://kapwi.ng/c/NpXtAiQXqr

https://we.tl/t-bVLvVtNxV3

 

 

 

[Dom Jaeger]

16 minutes ago, Thibault Ravina said:

I am based in London and sent my K3 to a repair shop. They sent me a quote of 708£ (which exceeds my budget) for a full clean and repair, along with this message «  The main faults that need repairs are the claw and transport system. Scratching and auto loading cannot be improved if occurs - common fault with this model » .

That’s a ridiculous quote to work on a K3.. was this Sendean?

Personally I don’t have much time for K3s, there are just too many stories like yours. But certainly remove the loopformers and see if that helps. It’s very likely they’re the culprit, and they’re easy to remove. Make sure to run the camera with the lid off for a few seconds after loading to check the loop. Ideally check it first with some dummy film. If the loopformers are still there hold down the plunger that retracts them.

But if you enjoy working with film, I’d honestly look at getting another camera, even just a non-reflex Bolex or Filmo or something. You say you don’t have much budget but how much did the last 2 failed rolls cost - film, processing and scan - not to mention the lost footage? Film is too expensive to be using junky cameras I reckon. 

But see how you go without those loopformers first I guess.

[Simon Wyss]

For £ 708 you can have a reliable 16-mm. camera fully serviced. USSR products are cheap and full of pitfalls. In case of interest, contact me. I shall make an offer for a standard Paillard-Bolex H-16 that gives you a lot of freedom and possibilities.

[Thibault Ravina]

1 hour ago, Dom Jaeger said:

That’s a ridiculous quote to work on a K3.. was this Sendean?

Personally I don’t have much time for K3s, there are just too many stories like yours. But certainly remove the loopformers and see if that helps. It’s very likely they’re the culprit, and they’re easy to remove. Make sure to run the camera with the lid off for a few seconds after loading to check the loop. Ideally check it first with some dummy film. If the loopformers are still there hold down the plunger that retracts them.

But if you enjoy working with film, I’d honestly look at getting another camera, even just a non-reflex Bolex or Filmo or something. You say you don’t have much budget but how much did the last 2 failed rolls cost - film, processing and scan - not to mention the lost footage? Film is too expensive to be using junky cameras I reckon. 

But see how you go without those loopformers first I guess.

Yes I brought it to Sendean, they also advised me to go for a Bolex H16 instead of K3. Regarding the budget, I get stock processing and scanning for about a 100£ altogether for a 100ft and I don’t shoot very often. 
I always load the film with the plunger on and off just to check if it runs smoothly, I’ll do the same with the loops off.

Could you recommend another repair shop in London that might help for a decent price? I’m thinking of getting another quote before attempting anything myself. If worst comes to worst I’ll just look into buying a more reliable model.

Thanks a lot!

[Dom Jaeger]

2 minutes ago, Thibault Ravina said:

Could you recommend another repair shop in London that might help for a decent price? I’m thinking of getting another quote before attempting anything myself. If worst comes to worst I’ll just look into buying a more reliable model.

Thanks a lot!

I'm sorry I'm literally on the opposite side of the earth, I don't know who is reliable in the UK anymore. I can't really recommend Les Bosher any more, and I don't know any other local analogue repair facilities. You'd probably have better luck sending things to Europe (like Simon above) or to the US.

Perhaps our UK members can recommend local camera service people they have been happy with recently?

[Wendy Sanders McDonlad]

9 hours ago, Thibault Ravina said:

 

Hi there,

I purchased a K3 in March 2021 from a highly rated seller on eBay and shot 5 reels since then. The camera came in great condition and the first 3 reels came back perfectly fine, no light leaks and no scratches. 

Most of the footage from the 4th reel came back shaky and split, (as you can see on the video below), however some of the last shots on that reel came out fine and stable. I thought it was a matter of me not loading the film properly or the pressure plate not sitting tightly in the camera. I shot the final reel a couple weeks ago and it came back with the same issue, but on the entirety of the footage this time.

I am based in London and sent my K3 to a repair shop. They sent me a quote of 708£ (which exceeds my budget) for a full clean and repair, along with this message «  The main faults that need repairs are the claw and transport system. Scratching and auto loading cannot be improved if occurs - common fault with this model » .

Now I still have the loop formers on my K3 and having done some research, I found that some people had similar issues and that removing the loop formers could solve them.The camera was in perfect working condition and I take great care of it : I checked it before sending it for repairs and found no damage whatsoever. I know that the loop formers operate on a thread mechanism and therefore might not be very reliable.

Then again, I'm new to this so looking for any advice!

Thanks

https://kapwi.ng/c/NpXtAiQXqr

https://we.tl/t-bVLvVtNxV3

 

 

 

I've had similar problems, but not as bad as yours... somebody told me it's because I loaded the film looper too tight(short) and it's creating vertical streaks?? then I sold it... 

[Pavan Deep]

While there are some who love their K-3's and have no issues, their are just too too many horror stories, jumpy film, light leaks, film scratching and flickering. I don't think there is anyone here in the UK who'd repair them for a decent price, it's probably cheaper to buy another camera, but you could try www.cinefix.co.uk .

Pav

Edited December 15, 2021 by Pavan Deep

[Aapo Lettinen]

Personally I think that the Krasnogorsk cameras are only usable if the owner is able to repair them and they don't need to be sent out for cla.  They are pretty easy to repair and it is low risk job because the cameras are so cheap and even if you broke something you can get another camera body and keep the original lenses from the broken one

[Aapo Lettinen]

most Soviet cameras are very picky about the loop lengths by one frame and may easily scratch or jam if the loops are wrong

[Giray Izcan]

15 hours ago, Dom Jaeger said:

I'm sorry I'm literally on the opposite side of the earth, I don't know who is reliable in the UK anymore. I can't really recommend Les Bosher any more, and I don't know any other local analogue repair facilities. You'd probably have better luck sending things to Europe (like Simon above) or to the US.

Perhaps our UK members can recommend local camera service people they have been happy with recently?

Why can't you recommend Les Bosher anymore? 

[Dom Jaeger]

15 minutes ago, Giray Izcan said:

Why can't you recommend Les Bosher anymore? 

I don't want to criticize Mr. Bosher, because he has done excellent work for decades with his camera engineering, but perhaps lately someone else is doing some of the work while he is winding down because the quality has dropped. And emails simply go unanswered. 

[Eddy Falconer]

Any tips from anyone here on how or where to sell a K3 that has had this problem? Who still buys these and what are they typically willing to pay? I just don’t want to put it in the trash/recycling bin—-and I have the telephoto & filters & pistol grip & all that, too—-seems a shame