Matt Kemp

Thanks for your post, Frank. Again, excuse my ignorance but what do you mean by 'LUTs'? The grade and output to 35mm will be done at Cineco Amsterdam, using their Nucoder Filmmaster.

It is possible to open the lens body quite easily on these cameras, and probably worthwhile doing if the only alternative is a Nizo paperweight (I think if you have to pay more than $50 to get the camera fixed, you're probably better off getting another one instead..) Towards the body end of the main lens barrel there is a tiny inset screw. Undoing that (do it over a piece of white paper nowhere near the table edge..!) will allow you to easily remove the entire main body of the lens, and see if you can get at the loose element to reposition it. It's also quite straightforward to replace afterwards. If doing that doesn't allow you to fix the problem, things get much more complicated, and is out of the hands of an amateur with a set of jewellers screwdrivers (like me). Anyway I've done it a few times to get dust out of the inside of the lens and such, and if I can do it I'm pretty sure anyone can.. Hope that helps Matt

Thanks again for the reply. I found out from production today that the actual plan is to edit the TK'ed footage and then blow up to 35mm direct from the digital file for cinema exhibition. In your opinion does that mean I should create an uncompressed 4:4:4 master from the original image sequence, edit offline at a lower resolution, conform the uncompressed master to the offline EDL and use that to print to 35mm? I get the feeling I'm really missing some basic foundation of knowledge with these issues but, as always, any advice appreciated.

Hi Adrian, Thanks very much for the reply, very useful. If I can ask, do you choose that format based on a quality/practicality compromise? For example if equipment or software were no object, would you still choose it? Thanks again, Matt

Hi All, I recently shot a feature on Ektachrome 64T, and have sent it for scanning at a TK facility in Eindhoven. Thing is, at the same time I took the 250 or so rolls for scanning, I also picked up five or so test rolls I had shot beforehand. While the scan quality itself is excellent, the files I received back are in a non-standard format, basically a BMP image sequence, with each frame dimensions 1220x860, wrapped in an .avi container (and a massive 47Gb for ten minutes of film..!) I can of course convert these files into any standard video format for editing and exhibition, but as someone much more at home in the analogue world, I was really hoping someone here might be able to give me a bit of advice on the best format to convert the files to. I have created test exports using the DVCPRO HD codec, the 422 10-bit uncompressed codec, and with various flavours of XDCAM and HDV formats, but am still at a bit of a loss as to which to proceed with. I realise of course that the whole process also depends a lot on the ultimate delivery format, which I envisage will be HD on either XDCAM or SR tapes for cinema screening. I apologise in advance if this post brutally displays my lack of insight into the digital post production workflow, but any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Matt

I'm not sure about the actual light loss through the prism, but I shot some rolls of 200T with the same camera and they came out very well. I kept the daylight filter on the camera set to tungsten and then used an external 85b on the lens (when shooting in daylight). This camera then meters the film as 160asa, which gives the 1/3 stop overexposure Kodak recommend when shooting negative. I pull processed by 1/2 a stop, and the film looked pretty nice, particularly the interior shots. I regret using it for exteriors though, very grainy compared with 64T. Good luck Matt

A nice way to some scratched up film is also to develop it yourself 'spaghetti style' in a bucket. Tetenal make an E6 kit which can be used very easily to process your own Ekta 64T, and while the film is wet after the last rinse the emulsion is very sensitive to dust and scratches. Perfect time to throw it on the floor, rub it together, attack it with sandpaper.. Some examples of some film scratched up by other means is here.. http://www.vimeo.com/user1950999/videos Matt

Hi Andries, Thanks very much for your reply. I did exactly as you said, lifted the leather and opened up the side. A bit of gentle blowing and prodding inside got the motor running again! It seemed the motor at the top straight up from the trigger, was having difficulty turning over. A little loosening did the trick nicely. Unfortunately I'm no electronics wizz, so I couldn't say what the mod switch was intended for, only that it was wired with four cables, two going to the reverse/forward switch, and two to the main motor, if that rings any bells. Anyway thanks again to all who replied, it seems like I now have a working R10. Nice.

Andries, Thanks for the message. After some more days messing about with the camera, I think you're right, the only way of seeing if it will ever run again is to tear off the leatherette and open it up. Kind of a shame, I wonder how the person who added the mod managed it. Maybe I could re-cover it with faux carbon fibre, or some other contemporary equivalent of leather embossed pvc. Cheers Matt

Hi Andy, Thanks for the reply. Crystal sync mod would be nice, but I can't see any other tell-tale signs.. I'm not sure if the mod could be that advanced that it stops the motor drive running unless it's connected either.. To be honest I'm a bit in the dark with Nikons, I've only ever had Nizos. Anyway thanks for writing, any more thoughts welcome. Cheers, Matt

Hi All, I've been given a Nikon R10, which I'd really like to get up and running. The electric zoom and lightmeter both appear to work perfectly, but the motor drive does nothing at all when the trigger is fully depressed.. I've never used a Nikon camera before, so was researching if anyone had experienced similar problems, and realised that this camera has a switch on the back which is not in any of the manuals or pictures from the internet, and so can be assumed to be some kind of modification. I wonder if anyone has seen anything like this before, what the mod might be for, and indeed if it's possible that it's this switch that is causing the motor not to run. I've attached a picture below (apologies for the quality - it's supposed to illustrate the switch at the back). Any help appreciated, would be great to get this lovely camera working Best, Matt

Only the Nizo Professional generates a 50Hz tone, through the DIN15 575 connector. The 561 and 801 models only produce a 1000Hz once every fourth frame passing the gate. But in answer to your question I don't think any Nizos came with a 60Hz option (although I'm in Europe so perhaps the US market is different) Hope that helps

Hello All, This week I've been using my Nizo Professional to shoot some timelapse footage. Thing is, if the frame rate is any more rapid than about 1fps, it starts getting very irregular. Each 'click' sounds different, it sometimes stutters and stops, the intervals become closer together or further apart; in short the camera is not having a nice time at all. Furthermore on processing the films I can see that the sequences are suffering badly, with about one in every four or five frames completely black. All the other frames are exposed perfectly. I spoke to a Nizo expert friend and she said that she had heard of this happening before, but that it was a problem with the internal electronics or intervalometer, and therefore very difficult to fix. I was kind of hoping it was a mechanical fault that I might be able to fix myself with a basic service. I should point out that all other frame rates (18/25/54) run as sweetly as they ever have. As always, any help or ideas appreciated. Best, Matt

I had my Nizo 561 Macro serviced by a guy at Golborne Cameras, Golborne Rd, London W10 a couple of years ago. I can't really say in much detail what he did or whether he's any kind of Nizo or super 8 specialist, but my camera ran beautifully afterwards, and has done ever since. I think he charged me around £40.

The red lever on the side of the Nizo controls the variable shutter angle. When locked at the halfway position, the shutter angle is slightly reduced (you can see this by looking at the gate through the back of the camera with the film door open, and pointing the camera at a bright light source while moving the lever). This reduced exposure time, and can be used as a kind of ND filter in too-bright conditions. With the lever locked all the way back, the shutter angle is significantly increased, and much more light is let in. When used together at night with AutomB (which automatically calculates how much exposure time is needed for each frame to be properly exposed), you can create streaks of light. I've attached a picture from some tests I did a while ago. If you shoot with AutomB without locking the lever all the way back, the effect is much more strobey than streaky. Hope that helps, good luck with the filming.