Jian Cyrus Farhoumand

For sale: Krasnogorsk 3M 16mm movie camera This is a highly LIMITED EDITION camera, if not in fact the ONLY model available. Please take a look at my eBay auction if you're interested: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Zenith-Krasnogorsk-3M-16mm-Movie-Camera-LIMITED-EDITION-/120735416474?pt=UK_Movie_Cameras&hash=item1c1c64409a#ht_522wt_1141 Thank you.

Really?? I guess it's possible. Who did you sell it to?

Will do. The re-centering ring has already arrived so I could actually attach it now but I'm waiting to get my gate back from my brother-in-law who is having it machined to super-16. Once I have the gate I'll assemble the whole thing, complete with m42-Nikon adapter and a fat Nikon lens and upload some pics for you guys. I'm quite excited about seeing it when it's all pimped out and finally getting to shoot some film with this puppy!

Yeah I need to get one of those battery adapters too. I'm not too fussed right now though about the internal light meter because I actually prefer using a hand-held one. I have a Goseen LunaSix (or LunaPro, depending on which side of the pond you're on) and a digital Sekonic L-308S. Both are great, accurate and compact. I recommend them. Sounds like you want a spot meter though I guess, if you don't want to take incidental readings, but that'll cost more. Let me know when you've shot something with your K-3, I'd be interested to see it. Good luck!

That was GREAT! I really enjoyed it. Visually interesting topic, especially with the backdrop of all the old buildings and the many people coming and going in al of the shots. Good choice of music too, and I like the way you edited in the shot of the blacksmith hammering the metal just as the percussion started. Very apt. I also enjoyed the editing of the girl with the pig, that was funny. My favourite shot though was the one of the eagle. Something about the crisp focus and the shallow depth of field. Looked great. I've just bought a Canon 1014-XLS too so i'm pretty excited to see what it can do when given a chance. Well done.

It twists the same way, it's just that the clip bit that you twist has to be pulled out first. I guess it's designed to fold away to make the surface of tha side of the camera that little bit more stream-line and modern-looking. (i.e. to look more like a camcorder, if the Spanish seller is to be believed.) But yeah I think it does generally have a slightly slicker feel to it than the original K-3. Just hope I don't damage it when i upgrade the gate to Super 16 as i guess parts for this baby might be quite rare! I'll upload some new pics as soon as I've upgraded the gate and stuck my Nikon adapter and the re-centering ring on it. Can't wait to shoot some actual film with it! How's your one coming along? You shot anything yet?

Hello again Ira! Thank you for your interest. Yes, I think you must be right on that, the CCCP probably does indicate this was meant for overseas use. The Spanish seller I bought it from also said that he thought this was Zenith Krasnogorsk's attempt to update the K-3 so it would look more like a camcorder, in repsonse to all the domestic video cameras that had recently come onto the scene and become very popular at the time. And yes, it does have the loop formers. Here's an interior shot:

Hmmm, interesting. I'm not sure really though. I thought the "M" just meant "Modified" or "Special Edition", because in the Konvas range you get a similar thing like the KCP-1 (or KSR-1) and then the later KCP-1M (KSR-1M). Nothing about this camera is particularly plastic. It might look it but actually it's all metal, even the logo part. The only part that's the plastic is the stock on shade at the end of the lens. It's really a very sturdy and well-built camera. I'll upload some more pics if you want a closer look.

A couple more pics.

The serial number is 900004. So that's 1990, right? But the normal K-3s were still manufactured even after this year, so I guess this one really must be some unusual edition then... ? Anyway, I love it! :P It's not too loud either. It's not quiet or anything, but it seems a little bit more self-blimped than the normal K-3 and it's "almost" sync soundable when I wrap it tight in a leather jacket.

Awesome! Looks like a great camera. Almost new! Should be a fun project, it'll be exciting to see what you do with it. Are you aiming to have a reflex viewer attached now somehow? Or could you find a zoom lens that has its own viewfinder attached? (Like a 35mm version of those old SOM Berthiot Pan-Cinar lenses for 16mm cameras...)

Hey Pete, here's the link to where I bought it from on eBay. There are a couple of pictures of the adapter there. It's only £5 (plus another £5 for postage, but still pretty cheap I'm sure you'll agree!). http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-Lens-to-all-M4...86.c0.m14.l1318

Yeah, the adapter allows you to use Nikon lenses with any K-3 with an M42 mount (not the Bayonet mount though).

Hi Everyone, This is something for all you K-3 fans, a very rare special edition called the K-3M. It's full title (as written on it) is "Zenith Krasnogorsk - 3M". Prior to this one I had never seen a Krasnogorsk-3 special edition. As soon as I laid eyes on this one though I snapped it up immediately and I'm pleased to say it arrived promptly and in perfect condition. Like the other Russian camera I bought (a Komvas-1M) this looks like it has NEVER been used. Everything is clear and clean from the lens to the gate. Looks like no film at all has ever been run through it and it still has that "new smell" to it. I've run some junk film through it and it's coming out clean with no scratches. All the different frame rates seem to be working correctly to. Not sure about the internal light meter yet though as I don't have the special battery for it yet, but I use my own hand-held Sekonic anyway. I've also bought one of those super-16mm re-centering rings from the Ukraine as well as an M42 Mount-to-Nikon Lens adapter for use with my Nikon lenses. All I have to do now is take the gate out and have it machined to Super-16. Anyway, I just wanted to share some photographs with you guys and show you what this baby looks like. Has anyone else ever seen one of these? The man who sold it to me (a camera seller in Spain) said he thinks very few of these were made. He even said it might have been a prototype rather than an official limited edition. I certainly had never seen one before. Anyone here know anything about it or its history? Thanks. Jian.

CNN say he was still only 28. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/Movies...dead/index.html