Alexander McCarron

Hi, I’m trying to shoot something on Plus - X, I have a Bolex Rex-5 with a wonky viewfinder that kind of comes out of the camera body and has to be pushed back in if you knock it out of place. My lens is an Angenieux 12-120mm 1:2.2 Bolex H16 RX. I want to be able to focus with tape because the viewfinder is so dark and I’m shooting some interiors where I have to be all the way open. When I tried to set my camera to the difference between focal plane and subject was 7 ft, the image was soft in the viewfinder. I focused by eye to around 5 ft. I was at 30mm, f/4. I checked to see if the viewfinder was focused by taking off the lens, pointing the camera at a bright light and fiddling with the viewfinder focus ring to make the texture of the ground glass visible. It seems to be fine. What’s going on here? Is the back focus off? Is my lens not currently parfocal and I shouldn’t be using the zoom to focus? Am I going to have to take my camera to a camera tech or can I fix/deal with this myself? Is there some place or someone affordable in New York who can help? Thanks guys, Alex

Also the wall behind me was black.

Thanks for the replies. This sensometric curve seems to be saying it's 5 stops under before you hit black. I did shoot something though with one side of my face 2 stops under, the other side two stops over and the wall behind me 4 stops under and the darker side of my face looks fairly dark, like one more stop under would be just barely exposed. I guess there is also a problem with digital transfer?

Hi, I cannot for the life of me figure out where to get information about the dynamic range of different kinds of 16mm film. Kodak's website is horrible and B&H just lists 7219's latitude as "wide". Any clues? A chart with comparisons of dynamic range across different formats? Thanks, Alex

So I bought a second hand Sekonic L-588R and I'm reading about all the features I would have if I had the Cine version. I figure this has to just be a difference in software and I'm wondering if anyone has ever heard of someone hacking or somehow updating the software on a light meter before. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Hi, I was looking to invest in a new light meter that would let me take a reading of something like a wall of a building I can't close to. I don't need anything fancy or new. Any suggestions? Thanks, Alex

Awesome! Thanks a lot, guys.

Thanks for the response, John. I don't know if it matters but the Scoopic uses a prism not a mirrored shutter.

So here's the deal: I was shooting with a Canon Scoopic, I was using Tri-X, I was stopped down to f/2.8, I was going to have it pushed since it should really be a f/2 but I didn't close the viewfinder cover in a bathroom full of light and when I put my light meter right on top of the viewfinder I was getting a reading of f/1. So should I just process it normally and hope for the best? Should I pull my footage? Am I completely screwed? Thanks in advance, Alex

I should add that it plays the telecined footage just fine, I don't think it's just that the computer is slow.

I just transferred a film I shot on 16mm to 1080i HD to a hard drive at NFL films. The technician told me that I should remove the 3:2 pull down with Cinema Tools when I got home and something about "A frames". I have tried every setting they have in Cinema Tools and every time what I get back is choppy video. I just want to have a version of this film small enough to fit on a DVD with some other short films and to be able to upload it online without interlacing lines. I'm under the gun too, I need to get this done ASAP. I'm so stressed it's making me stupid. PLEASE HELP!

Hi, I was trying to look through the archives for an updated list of labs people trust and was having trouble finding anything. Are there any East Coast labs people really like? I have two 100' rolls of Vision 2 and Vision 3 500T I want to push two stops. Thanks, Alex

Very useful information. Thank you.

I see. But when you telecine or print you need to make sure the lab understands you need some adjustments made to the image? Does the opposite work? Can you increase grain by under exposing? Thanks.

Hi, I'm just wondering how long I can run the camera at 64 fps before I break it. I broke it once just leaving it running to see how long the battery lasted. Obviously that was an incredibly stupid, rookie move, but it's left me a little cautious and I just want to be sure it can handle an extended slow motion shot. Also: I'm at a loss as to what kind of cable release I need for the single frame option. The limited manual information I've found online doesn't say. Thanks a lot, Alex