Bruce Taylor

By the way Clive, your information on the Nomad may not be terribly useful, but your tidbits of the obscure are always fascinating!

Years ago I did a similar post sync in super 8. It worked very well. The location sound was recorded on the mag stripe of the film. That was projected through a glass door in the hallway (to isolate the projector sound) and the actors listened on headphones to the scratch track and re-spoke their lines. It seems to me you could do this much more easily now with a computer. I think you'll find it isn't very difficult to do.

I'm going to take a stab at this and guess that the original poster was confusing a c-mount adapter with an M42 (pentax screw type) to OCT18 adapter. I have one of these for my 1M, and Rafael at rafcamera.com sells them too. Pentax or similar mount lenses shouldn't cost more than a decent c-mount lens. Then again, the lenses made for the 1M are also remarkably inexpensive. Bruce Taylor

Hi James and Victor, I have a couple of 35Hs as well (2 and 4 perf), and I also have lubrication concerns. I don't have anything running yet (I should in the next 2 months), but when I do I should have some accurate lubrication information from a technician. I will try to share that information to all when it becomes available. I agree Victor, this nutty project is not for the faint of heart! Bruce

Yes, most of the Russian sellers with the more expensive items are wire transfer only. I was also extremely reluctant at first, but I have had uniformly excellent results (quite a few thousand $ sent to several sellers). To up your comfort level, here is a link to the Konvas.org ebay seller's rating page: http://konvas.org/industry.html?action=res...mp;poll_ident=4 Looks like 5 positive votes and no negatives for russian_market. You ought to be okay. However-- beware that these Kinors are old and have their quirks. Especially unreliable electronics and dim viewfinders from deteriorating mirror silvering. There are several people out there that can update the cameras, but they are going to cost real money. I wouldn't expect to be able to go out and start shooting right away- expect to spend some money before you do and you'll be okay. Good luck! Bruce Taylor

They all had their quirks, the high end S8 cameras were much like the "prosumer" video cameras of today in their time. I shot a lot of film in my Canon 1014 xls, and it did have a big, bright viewfinder, and with a simple homemade barney I had no camera noise problems when shooting with sound. But remember at the time video taps weren't even used on most professional productions, and follow focus isn't that useful when 25mm is considered telephoto. Single system mag sound worked pretty well for the time, but it is long gone now. Using S8 today has a lot of limitations, if it doesn't fit into what you need for your film, use equipment that does, or be willing to work around the difficulties S8 will present. Good luck!

If there is sufficient interest in my Kinor 2 perf rental project I may be able to accelerate the timetable, or modify multiple bodies. I don't have a website up yet, but if someone is interested they can email me at taylorcobmw@yahoo.com . -Bruce Taylor

They are in the state of Vermont. A modified CP XR-35 and Arri IICT for rent. http://www.edgewoodstudios.com/production/...ra_rentals.html But low cost 2 perf camera rental is coming to LA in the next few months- complete modernized Kinor 35H kit (modern electronics, video tap, Lomo glass). Will keep you posted on this. -Bruce Taylor

I am no expert on getting jobs in the industry, I came to Los Angeles to work in the field but life circumstances changed my path. BUT, I have made some observations in the last 20+ years of the lives that my friends and neighbors lead in the film (and TV and music) industries. First, be careful what you wish for- 'cuz you just might get it. Over the years I have watched many families fall apart in part because of the extreme demands of the business. Second, loving to watch movies has little to do with making them. It is very hard and unglamorous work when you're doing it. Third, many people I know worry about when the next job and check are coming their way, especially if they have a family. That can lead to a lot of stress. Getting an entry level job to experience what it's like would be a good first step. So would taking classes at a community college, which is practically free, you would learn the basics. I have a lot of skepticism about a "trade school" like Full Sail. I am in another industry, but we have for-profit trade schools that turn out graduates in a similar manner. 90% turn out to be terrible and unemployable. Get out there and learn about what the job is really like, be an unpaid intern, whatever it takes, and then decide what you want to do.

A word of caution here. As a current car mechanic, I would advise that you be sure you do not mess with the circuitry or bulb in a xenon headlamp! Standard headlamps are no problem, simple 12v dc circuits that are easy to access and dim to your heart's content. I would think that with a xenon headlamp you should be able to rig a standard quartz bulb in the area where the xenon bulb would be placed and power it (and/or dim it) with any 12v dc power source of sufficient amperage.

Is there anyone who can simplify all this stuff about exposure, aperture, light, shutter speed, F/stops etc? However, i do want to point out that I am not a total newbie in this matter.. I do know what the terms are and what they represent etc. -- however, what i cant seem to get heads or tails from is the part when you get all this numbers and reading and make something useful out of them.. that's the area where i need some pointers? I think what you're talking about here is getting the right amount of light to the film. The basics can be confusing, but it's really not that hard. I have found some of the best explanations for these factors in old Kodak basic still photography books from the '50s to the 70's ("advanced" home movie books from the 50's and 60's would be good too). You can find these books (and many like them) at your local library or in used bookstores for next to nothing. They'll point you in the right direction to getting useful settings out of all those numbers. You'll get it. Enjoy your Nizo, and shoot lots of tests before you get going on your project, it will save you disappointment later. Enjoy!

Maybe you have another link? Couldn't find anything about Anders there.

There was a discussion on the old Konvas smartgroups list about a Russian company that did lens re-coating at a very reasonable price. Unfortunately smartgroups is gone. Perhaps if you post on the new site (www.Konvas.org) someone will be able to direct you to the company.

Oops. Hit the wrong button- here's the reply: The Russian sellers are a varied lot. I have bought several cameras now, and often a week after I get mine an identical picture goes up with a nearly identical description, but it is another camera. Also, many of them just get relisted again and again when they don't get purchased. I don't have any of mine running yet, as they are in various stages of service and modification- but everyone says they are very loud. The modern "silent" cameras were the Kinor 35C and 35H. Check out http://www.konvas.org/ as you will probably find most of your questions answered there.

I would think the Konvas would be the obvious Russian choice for an MOS camera. The very early ones had a hand crank, and space for a spring drive- but I have never seen a spring drive for sale. Nice thing about the Konvas is that it pulls B&H or KS perfs, so no compatibility issues there. Take a look at http://www.konvas.com/ and http://www.commiecam.com/ for more information. If you decide to buy one, you might poll Konvas.org members and see which sellers they like. Bruce

I think I wrote to him about 3 months ago and he said the kinor/konvas deanamorphic adapter was $300.

I also have heard from many people who know that the old electronics are unreliable. The best thing to do is simply replace them with something newer and better. Anders Banke in Sweden, http://www.solidentertainment.se/news.html and Bruce at arandafilm.com.au in Australia both offer modern conversions for about $2500. Here's a link to Steve Larsen's site with Mr. Banke's electronics http://www.konvas.info/v/anders/ and Bruce's new site for the Kinor conversion is http://www.kinor.arandafilm.com.au The alternative is to bulk up on spare old electronics. That's what I'm doing with my spare body (for now). BTW, the anamorphic stuff is expensive and hard to come by. Steve Morton in Australia makes a 35H adapter for the Konvas deanamorphic viewfinder , but I do not know how well it works. Bruce

Hey- I like it! I haven't shot super8 in a long time, but I do recall that if you keep it in medium shot or tighter, it really looks great. In long shots a lot of detail just isn't there- but that can be an aesthetic choice too. I can certainly tell it is film and not video, beyond that I am more interested in what the images are telling me than trying to guess which guage it is. I do think the film artifacts thing with scratches and dirt is overdone- mostly by people applying it to video originated stuff. The moving camera and zooms certainly have a super8 feel- the camera's portability and amateur use gave it that- it also gives it a feeling of reality. I like the simplicity of the lighting, it works for me. Bruce

I have had a 1014 xls for many years, though I haven't used it for some time. The C 8 w/a adapter worked great, and was just a screw in adapter to the front of the lens (I think 67mm). I actually used it on a still camera (35mm!) and it worked well too- so I would guess it would work on any of the other models you mentioned as long as the front of the lens is threaded. In terms of noise, the 1014 xls is much much quieter than the 814. I recently used an 814 xls and it was really LOUD compared to my 1014 by a factor of two or three. When I was shooting sound with my 1014 in small rooms I did need a barney though. As pointed out earlier, loud/quiet can be good or bad depending on the situation. I would also agree that the 1014 xls optics will probably be better- given that the lenses were continually improved on the upper end cameras. I should also note that the manual controls are very well marked and easy to use- you can do just about anything you want in terms of manual control. Bruce

Yes, Bruce over at Arandafilm has a new 5000 speed motor mod for the Kinor (and Konvas) that looks sweet (and reasonable). Also, I was in contact with Steve Morton (also in Australia), he said he is coming up with a motor mod too. Looks like he has other nice Kinor mods as well- you might check out his page at: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~smort1/cinecamods/mods