Gareth Blackstock

Hello, Thanks for the constructive replies. While you are all on the button, and your thoughts make sense, I still struggle with letting a camera pass me by when just a few years ago they were beyond my reach. But, as my wife says, "you're a film maker, not a collector" Now if I could only stop life interfering with the creative process... And I guess once I finish off my old double perf stock, I won't want to shoot 4/3 again... I considered getting a Bolex years ago, but opted for the K-3 for a few reasons, they are heaps cheaper, simple enough that I can repair them, cheap to purchase quality glass, cheap and easy to convert to Super16 and sturdy. And I reckon I would be better spending top dollar on good lenses than camera bodies. Evan, I have not come across your pull down claw problem with my own cameras. My site does not go that deep into the "guts" of the camera. I have a link to a Japanese bloke who does go that deep: http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/advanced-camera-repair.php Be careful if you do decide to dismantle that far, as you will be removing alot of parts just to get to the claw I think... cheers, Gareth

Hello, I recently saw a CP-16R come up on ebay, comes with lens with black dot, magazine, and dead batteries. The bids have not started yet, but I wonder if I should go for it or not? I currently own and use a K-3, and I have the wide gate and re-centering ring to convert it to super16, I have been using it for awhile and have no issues, and enjoy using it. I am working through my double perf stock before I convert to super16. What I am wondering is this: should I buy another camera and slowly "do it up" over time, things like re-celling the battery myself, researching super16, fixing the lens.... or should I just stick with the K-3 which needs for nothing? I do intend on shooting more than 100 ft at a time, but by the same token I do not shoot alot of film. The trouble is, being in Aussie, 16mm cameras do not come up often, and while there are many in the rest of the world, postage is prohibitive. And there are some cheap cameras on ebay, but most in knackered condition, no lens, no battery, and no mag. Fixing one up might cost way more than I want... When I shot super8 I ended up with lots of cameras and having to do repairs on occasion, hence my website detailing camera disassembly, I do not want to do the same thing with 16mm, too bloody expensive! I would appreciate some thoughts, maybe someone has been in the same position?

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

Hello, If you have gone this far... try this site, it might be helpful. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ Good luck. Cheers, Gareth

G'day, I was very lucky concerning the gate, a helpful member in Sydney posted me one free of charge. Much appreciated. Strangely enough I was contacted by a film maker in California chasing a super8 camera part, so I sent it free of charge. I figure one good deed deserves another. When I get around to the conversion I will be sure to take lots of pics and post on my site... http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ cheers, Gareth

Hello, I will be converting my K-3 in the near future, I already have the re-centered ring but I still want to get hold of a spare gate to widen, just in case I mess it up, a spare would be ideal. Anyone have one? Cheers, Gareth

I reckon you will love the camera. I have had no issues with mine, but I practiced loading it for ages first. Lots of M42 primes on eBay and the like. I listed heaps of 16mm links on my website, manuals, tech tips and really good K-3 links. Mishkin.yolasite.com Cheers, gareth

While I can appreciate the desire to get the best transfer possible from a format that can be hard to make it look it's best, the choice by film makers when selecting film as a medium often has little to do with sharpness of the final image. Using film enables the person shooting enormous control over how the image is exposed, using stocks, lights, lenses, and processing methods will alter the images infinetly. When a painter sits to recreate a scene before them, they are thinking of their interpretation of what they see. If they simply wanted a facsimile of the scene they would just take a photo. Using film can be a film makers way of interpreting how a scene makes them feel. IMHO. Cheers, gareth

Thanks for the good tips guys, they will be helpful when it comes to buying old stock. What about reversal stocks, can the same allowances, ie: increase stops of exposure be applied?

G'day, I have been keeping an eye out for expired 16mm stocks so I can practice shooting film, getting my head around things, experimenting etc. I have been focusing on B&W stocks as I am of the belief that less sensitivity is still workable, whereas with expired colour stocks I figure the dyes must degrade in a haphazard way, like having a red or blue streak running through the film. Of course these are uneducated assumptions, is there a web site that details how stocks degrade? I imagine a few people rely on expired stocks to actively remain shooting, and knowing how some stocks will degrade will help purchasing decisions of auction sites. Any ideas on where this info is? Cheers, Gareth

I get the boat anchor analogy, I guess the camera body has the simple job of rotating cogs and a shutter at the right speed, in some ways the mechanics have remained the same since the first camera, it would seem the expensive bits are variable speed motors, battery packs, synching, circuit board, pilot lights, lenses etc. IMHO... Could it be argued that a cheap body, ie k-3 or kinor married to a GREAT lens could render similar image quality compared to the arri sr2 with the same lens attached and same processing and telecine.....? just a thought. Gareth

Out of curiosity I did a quick eBay search on arriflex, seems I stand corrected on the subject of price, I found sets starting from around $700 with some "buy it now" for around $1100. Very cheap compared to a few years back! I wonder if bolexes are falling in price... A few more years and the prices will be too cheap to pass up... I still reckon k-3 prices are too hard to beat, I got mine for $200. Cheers, gareth

g'day, I have only had my K-3 for a few months now, not shot much, but I have gotten film back that came out pretty nice. I used to shoot super8 and after awhile wanted to try 16mm. I did an enormous amount of research and settled on the K-3 for a few reasons. (Bearing in mind I am happy with standard frame size.) The cameras are the cheapest on fleabay. The cameras are very rugged. The modern K-3 takes M42 lens, very common, can be great quality, very affordable. The camera is easy to load, despite the doomsday people. The camera can run double or single perf film, in case you want to buy film really cheap. No expensive re-celling off batteries needed. Very easy to repair. I would have loved an Arriflex, but servicing costs are high, the aluminium turret can wear destroying your focal distance, and asessories are mad money! Canon scoopic would be nice, but they are getting expensive, Bolex look very nice, high quality, but mad money with a dark view finder! The K-3 suits me, cheap to buy, nothing to maintain, no service needed, will run when dropped or thrown. My kind of camera....

Hello, Thanks for the reply. I have already shot a roll of doubleX with the 55mm, I guess I will have to wait and see when I get it transferred. I would perhaps buy a 28 or 35mm next since prices are quite low. Cheers, gareth

G'day, I recently posted a query about prime lenses, and from the advice went out and bought a Super Takumar 55mm prime. I attached it to my K-3 and went shooting. My question is: with these lenses being quite affordable, and high in quality, should I stock my kit with a 28, 85, and 135mm lens? I am guessing they offer better quality optics than my Zenit zoom lens, but are they substantially better? I do not intend to shoot film aimed at attaining the highest quality image for blow up to 35mm. For short filming purposes, is the Zenit lens more than enough? Is stocking up on primes over kill? I intend on getting my footage transferred to digital eventually and editing on the computer. Would the difference between a prime and zoom lens knock me out, or is the difference only noticeable when you spend hundreds on 4K telecine from the best lab? It may be a simple or daft question, but if I were commuting to work would I need a ferrari or a toyota... Cheers, Gareth

Hello, I have not come across a specific number of turns when winding, I guess everyone is different, but stop winding when you get resistance, then time how long it takes to run out and you will know how far to wind it in future. Concerning the light meter battery, try:http://www.k3camera.com/k3/k3batt.php But most people use a hand held light meter anyway, apparently the K-3 is not reliable light meter wise. cheers, Gareth

G'day, When ever I take a camera apart I always have the camera close, it got to a point where I ended up with a site devoted to dismantling and repairing Super8 cameras. http://canon-s8-repair.yolasite.com/ After awhile I got sick of temperamental canon cameras and jittery Kodak footage and bought my own K-3 with M42 mount, I really hope I do not do many repairs, at least not enough to justify another repair site. Cheers, Gareth

G'day, great tip on the pentax forum. i read through some reviews and decided to watch out for these lrnses: PENTACON MC 50mm f1.8 Super-Takumar Portrait Lens 55mm F/1.8 It will be good to have some options for the K-3 cheers, gareth

Thanks for the great tips, now I can look around fleabay with a bit of knowledge under my belt. I will be after a multi-coated lens, and in Australia there seems a large selection for pretty good prices.. cheers, Gareth

Hello, There is a lab in Australia, http://www.nanolab.com.au/ they are reliable, cheap, and offer good quality services. I have used them myself over the years. Other companies are listed here: http://www.mishkin.yolasite.com/australian-super8.php There are a few around this end of the world.. cheers, Gareth

G'day, I recently got myself a Krasnogorsk 16mm camera, and having been doing a wee bit of shooting, and am loving it, and not finding the threading too bad at all, easier than changing a nappy on a squirmy baby! Anyway, I have been reading the odd post about lenses etc, and toyed with the idea of getting a 50mm prime lens. On fleabay there are many, super takumar seems to pop up on cinematography.com a lot, but there are others, yashica yashinon, pentacon, auto chinon, etc. Am i missing a basic fact about lens, or can I buy any of them as long as they have an M42 thread? Cheers, Gareth

G'day, Have you run it to see if you have fixed it? After years of working on car and bikes engines, you would be amazed with what you don't need... Good luck

Check out this website : http://www.minidisc.org/minidisc_faq.html I think a minislate plugs into your camera and automatically slates when you star rolling. Anything that clicks is fine, cigarette case, ball point pen, or clicking your fingers as suggested. My mini disc starts recording when it detects a certain sound level. Whatever you buy be sure it runs on AA batteries, some came with their own rechargeable batteries that by now cannot hold a chage well. cheers, Gareth

G'day Although I have only used one a few times, I reckon your average mini disc recorder is perfect for the job. They are cheap to buy, around $50 gets you a very good one, they run on AA batteries mostly, they record sound digitally, easy to upload onto your computer, and they will record for an hour easily. Get a mini DV microphone, and plug it in to the mini disc. Get a free audio program of the net to edit or save your audio file. I think this would be the best solution. cheers, Gareth

This site was linked in the Super8 forum, thought I would link it here as well, great reading for Bolex H16 users. http://cinetinker.blogspot.com.au/2013_02_01_archive.html Cheers, Gareth