Patrick Cooper

I, like many K3 owners, grow a little tired of winding the handle of the spring motor on the infamous russian camera. It can certainly be a pain when filming subject matter like wildlife where you have to quickly wind on after a shot to catch the animal's next move. I have read some posts on a few online forums about an accessory that can be fitted to the K3's handle to make winding easier. Descriptions of this item are usually very brief with regards to details. Is anyone here familiar with this device and is there a proper name for it?

Good luck finding a 16mm camera that can run at 18fps. Most 16mm cameras that I have played around with have an option for 16fps, but not 18fps. I would recommend shooting at 24fps for nice looking smooth motion. Plus it's even more critical if you are planning to shoot synch sound for this feature film of yours.

Thanks for posting those stills - beautiful colours!

I heard that Roger Evans was working on a 9.5mm version of a Workprinter though I'm not sure what stage of progress he's currently at. http://www.moviestuff.tv/8mm_telecine.html

Fran makes a good point about reversal films giving a vintage look, including modern reversal films. Unfortunately, Kodak only produce one colour reversal film for 16mm currently and that is Ektachrome 100D. Kodachrome 40, which has been a classic reversal film for the last 40 odd years with it's saturated vintage colours, has recently been discontinued. Developing is still available, at Dwaynes in the US. You could probably find some second hand Kodachrome 40 but make sure that the expiry date is fairly recent and that it has been stored in a cool environment, preferably a fridge. Of course, you will also need a projector to view these films. Transferring the films to video is another option for viewing the footage but reversal films can look a little contrasty when transferred to video - then again, this may help with the 'vintage look.'

This 75mm lens was a Minolta lens and belonged to a twin lens reflex. Although it was at a cheap price a few hours before the auction end, the bidding took a sudden sharp turn.

I'm wondering if there are any transfer houses in South Australia that have professional telecine equipment like Rank or Spirit machines. Furthermore, do you know of any business that has experienced colourists who do good quality work that you can recommend? When going through the Yellow Pages, it seems that the majority of transfer places around here just cater to the home movie crowd and don't have experience with transferring negative film. I do get the feeling that the sort of transfer businesses that I am looking for are located mainly in the big cities like Sydney or Melbourne.

I wonder how 4K digital projection compares with IMAX film projection resolution wise......

I'm trying to decide whether I should bid on a 75mm lens currently on ebay. This lens seems to be in overall good shape but according to one of the seller's replies to my questions, there is some fine dust between the elements inside the lens. And that he could only see it when shining a torch / flashlight into the lens. With light from a window, the dust is not visible. I then sent another question - asking how much dust was in there - a lot of dust, or a few specs? His reply was that 'it's moderately dusty.' The majority of my lenses are pretty clear from dust (particularly the inside of them.) So I'm not sure what to expect from a lens that is 'moderately dusty' inside. As the incoming light intercepts the various particles of dust, would there be much of a degrading effect? Any loss of sharpness or detail? Or would it only mean that there would be an increased chance of flare? In short, would the item be worth bidding on if all the other aspects of the equipment sound in good order? By the way, according to the seller, there is no fungus, haze or scratches with that lens. There are only a few hours left in the auction.

You have a 16mm print of Citizen Kane? Nice! However, I am not sure if a lab would be able to make a duplicate copy because of copyright reasons. Of course you could always check just in case.

Considering that this is your first time shooting on film, the images you have produced are quite impressive. Beautiful colours and nice and sharp, well exposed. Good compositions too.

I love it when good bargains like come along. Actually, once at a stall at a flea market, I came across a pile of out of date B&W 16mm 100ft films selling for $3 each. I was a bit hesitant because they were probably extremely old, judging by the old / vintage style of lettering on the boxes! So I bought three of the films. However, later that evening at home, I regretted my decision to just buy three. I may not come across another opportunity to buy 16mm film so cheaply again - and there could be a decent chance that the film could turn out okay. So the following Sunday, I returned to the flea market but the seller was not there. Several weeks later, the seller was back at the market and this time he was selling the 16mm films for $2 each. I bought the whole lot without hesitation and placed them in my fridge. At that point, I had no 16mm camera, though I was shooting on super 8 at the time. The purchase of the film stock allowed me to buy a 16mm camera, a K3, from a camera fair. Since then Ive exposed two of these old B&W films (both Tri-X) and they?ve turned out fine. I was speaking with a guy from a lab on the phone and judging by the metal cans that the films came in, he estimates that they are at least 15 years out of date!

Thanks for the information, Henri. Does the side viewfinder have lines indicating how much to tilt the camera at certain distances with different focal lengths?

Oops! Ive just figured something out. Previously, I was attracted to a non reflex Bolex because one could use the 'critical eye focuser' to compose and focus through the lens while setting up the shot. However, it's just occurred to me that there would still be parallax error using this method because the lens is in a different position on the turret when the film is being exposed, compared to when it's at the top. Damn! So with a non reflex Bolex, is there any way that you can compose accurately through the lens prior to filming - apart from using a lens with a built-in reflex viewfinder? I guess one option could be some sort of rack over device...

"Patrick you wouldnt happen to have that footy on your computer would you?" Unfortunately not. It only exists on celluloid. Plus there wouldn't really be enough footage from that 100 feet of film to make a proper edit.

Although I have not even seen the trailer to this film, I expect that it will be something like Baraka.

My first time exposing 16mm film was with a K3 in the ski fields of Australia in winter. I shot 100 feet of Ektachrome 7240 which is now discontinued. I brought along my Canon T70 slr to use as a light meter. I mainly filmed skiing and snowboarding and I am pleased at how the camera performed. Footage was very smooth and steady and my exposures were spot on.

I am considering purchasing a non reflex Bolex H16 and I am wondering if the later models (just prior to the reflex models) have a single row of 'spikes' for single perf film? I am assuming that the older models accepted double perf film only.

"...a different look than projects that went to a 35mm print that were then tele'd to video." Remember that if you telecine a 35mm print (positive image) the end result will be quite contrasty.

"Also, from your post I gather the lenses in the 70s played a role in the look too--would they be considered more contrasty or less contrasty than modern glass?" I would guess that 1970s cine lenses would be less contrasty than modern lenses. Perhaps you could pick up some old Angenieux lenses for a good price.

Opinions certainly differ and here's my opinion - the 1980s was very much a period of the 'classic video clips'. There were so many memorable clips during this decade that are visually creative in a unique and imaginative way. They are certainly burned into my memory and into the collective consciousness of western society. Some examples include Cyndi Laupher's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun', Michael Jackson's 'Billie Jean' and 'Beat It', Kate Bush's 'Babooshka', The Bangles' 'Manic Monday', Dire Straights' 'Money For Nothing', Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer', INXS? ?Original Sin? and many others. The first time I heard the word 'videoclip' was during the premier of Michael Jackson's clip of 'Thriller' on some tv music special back in the day. That particular clip was very interesting in that it was like a movie. There were scenes of character interaction and dialogue before and after the music. And there were even credits too. The making of this clip was certainly well documented. I found the clip of 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith and Run DMC to be particularly clever. This is where rock 'n' roll meets rap! It's amusing at the beginning of the clip when both groups of artists are in seperate rooms next door to each other and they are both annoyed by the other's music. At one point, Aerosmith break through the wall between them which seems to be symbolic of breaking down the barrier between the two types of music. Rap and rock ?n? roll are combined and eventually we see Aerosmith and Run DMC standing side by side on stage performing the song to a crowd. They certainly don't make videoclips like that anymore.

I was scanning the Internet for information on the DVD of the BBC's ambitious nature series 'Planet Earth' and according to the Discovery site, the series is narrated by 'award-winning actress and conservationist Sigourney Weaver.' ??? http://shopping.discovery.com/product-65140.html

Very nice stills. Everything is so natural looking - the lighting and the skintones. Thoughtful compositions too. I like the slightly 'darker' look of some of the shots - very atmospheric. By the way, these are impressive looking stills for 16mm. To me, they look more like 35mm.

I don't have a problem with the amount of contrast - the images look nice and diffused. Plus the clash of black and white and red in some of the stills create a contrast of their own. The grain is not distracting either - it does add a bit of atmosphere.

Ive just done a Google search and apparently, Fujichrome 8540 is actually Fuji Velvia - the infamous slide film repackaged for motion picture use. I admit that I shoot a lot of Velvia myself in medium format still photography. As long as you find a lab that can process movie films in E6, you should be fine as far as developing goes. But the question remains - is the film still in good condition and worthy of shooting? Good luck.