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Robert Hughes

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Everything posted by Robert Hughes

  1. I agree with Dan 100%. I've got 3 Filmos also, and maintain them myself. I don't drive mine off of cliffs, but they get their use. One of 'em probably sloshed thru the rice paddys in Vietnam. Be sure that the shutter mechanism has been oiled or greased recently; I've had 2 cameras that chattered until lubed; one was very dry, the other was very cold. The 70-DA (the later one), -DL and -DR models accept 100' magazines and are very comfortable to handhold. The -HL, -HR and -KRM models also accept 400' magazines and electric motors. All these have single perf sprockets. Avoid the really ancient 70A, circa 1929, and the old, black -DA model, because they use double perf sprockets and the 70A has a speed governor mechanism in the shutter assembly and don't work like the newer ones. If you get a hankering to shoot 35mm, buy an Eyemo, the Filmo's big brother; same layout, takes 100' daylight spools. Big, powerful windup spring; eat your Wheaties before shooting. No C mount lenses though; you're stuck with Eyemo mount lenses unless it's been converted to Nikon or PL mount. If you need a really portable, inexpensive 16mm camera and can get dual perf stock, I recommend the B&H 200 magazine camera (wind up mechanism) and the GSAP gun camera (24v electrical) also.
  2. If you're interested in seeing the effect of no remjet on on image, shoot a scene on b&w sound recording film; it has no remjet backing and has a measurable amount of image spread. The effect is as Mr. Pytlak describes; highlights have blooming effect that wipes out detail in the immediate vicinity. For example, a shot of tree branches against an overcast sky will yield an image where small branches disappear or are washed out. The effect is somewhat like a silk over the lens.
  3. First, a little background. Audio recording on a film shoot can be either single-system or double-system. Single system means that audio is recorded on the same film reel as the image; either as an optical track (i.e. old 35mm newsreel cameras) or magnetic (Super 8 or 16mm "mag stripe" film, no longer made). Video camcorders are equivalent to single system film. Double system, what you are planning to do, requires a separate audio recorder that runs either locked to the film speed (synchronized) or completely independently (wild sound). Prior to the era of crystal synchronized cameras and audio recorders, the camera and audio recorder would ensure audio sync by an audio tone communicated by wire from the camera to the audio deck, either 1 pulse per frame or a 60 Hz pilot tone generated at the camera. The audio deck would record this sync tone, either on a special purpose center track on a Nagra, or as an audio tone on any available 2-track audio deck. Later, in post production, the audio tape is played back on a special variable speed tape recorder equipped with a resolver, a frequency sensing circuit that speeds up or slows down the playback tape to compensate for speed variations that occurred during recording. The result is an audio track that is frame-synchronized to the film. Traditional resolvers are hardware based electromechanical devices that result in a sprocketed full coat magnetic track; computer-based software can provide an equivalent synchronized track. Note: resolving creates an audio track that has a frame-for-frame correspondence to the film reel. By itself, it does not synchronize audio; that is the function of the the film editor, using the image and audio generated by the clapper slate. The clapper sounds the start (or end) of a scene and give the film editor a definate starting point to place the film and mag track for that scene. At this point the scene is synchronized.
  4. The B&H model 200, and any other 16mm magazine camera, is double perf and by definition cannot be modded into a Super 16 format, which requires single perf film. Here are a couple of Plus X screen shots from the 200: - from an Alan Gordon magazine loaded with 7231 NWS Radar film (a Plus-X variation): http://www.cavepaper.com/dnload/16mm-PlusXneg-a.jpg - Plus-X 7276 reversal cross processed as negative: http://www.cavepaper.com/dnload/16mm-PlusXpos-xproc-g.jpg
  5. This topic was discussed extensively on this forum a few weeks back. In short: results of shooting thru the base are: very red, loss of 2-3 stops, loss of detail. Image is generally unrecoverable in post production.
  6. O-mitted or E-mitted? Please specify... The Nagra accepts pilot tones. Any 2-track audio recorder can accept a pilot tone on one channel, and you can resolve either in hardware or software during post production.
  7. I have two B&H 200 cameras that take the 50 foot magazines; neither has an electric eye and I use a lightmeter. One has a C-mount, the other is some B&H custom mount. My B&H 200 cameras both take fine pictures, as good as a Filmo 70DR with an equivalent lens. They are smaller than my Super 8 cameras, and since they are basically the civilian version of the GSAP gun camera, they are rugged and make great running/action cameras. In addition to Alan Gordon, Java Photo in Atlanta sells loaded magazines with Plus-X negative for $20/per. As downix does, I reload the magazines myself; there's a guy on eBay who sells good empty magazines. Magazine film path stability is the big variable; you have to load them in the dark and they are "a little finicky" in action. Practise loading in the daylight with some expendable film. One last note: 50' magazines require double perf film. Kodak doesn't make b&w film in double perf anymore, though they carry double perf Vision and Vis 2 stock. Mr. Pytlak, how about another run of double perf b&w negative for us old camera fans?
  8. "the math:" 11.80 x 6.38 mm vrs. 10.26 x 5.55 mm is: 75.25 vrs. 56.95 sq. mm - a 32% increase of image size. That seems like a fair improvement. On the other hand, a switch to slower ASA stock may provide a similar improvement. Mr. Pytlak, what are the relative sharpness characteristics of different speed stocks? From looking at the Kodak site I see MTF curves for all the color negative films start to droop at a Spacial Frequency of 20-50 cycles per mm. Does that mean that all stocks have approximately the same sharpness, just different grains? Can I shoot regular 16 with an ASA100 stock that will provide image quality comparable to an super 16 image shot with ASA200?
  9. I just telecine'd some Vision 1 200T that I shot on a Filmo 70KRM at 48fps. The image was steady and appropriately slo-mo, just what I was going for.
  10. Is it possible to modify a Moviscop for Super16? Does anybody still use 'em in the S16 world? Has anyone modified an Auricon for S16? What all was involved? Did it work OK?
  11. 100 million 4:3 TV sets in the USA - they aren't going away any time soon. Cropping and pan-and-scan issues still exist in S16. Every post house in the country can work R16; those that do S16 charge a premium. And every R16 ready lens works on any old camera, new or old, without expensive overhaul. If I were buying new, I'd go S16. But don't let the trade mags and advertisers fool you - 16mm is still a valid medium.
  12. My old L-398 (circa 1980) finally gave up the ghost a couple years ago - a screw came loose and fell into the magnet movement, crushing the spring. It's been upgraded to a phaser gun toy in my daughter's cabinet of unusable electronics. So I bought another one off eBay for - a bit too much, I guess - and after receiving it shot several test rolls of 16 and 35mm, using its exposure readings as a guide. Well, imagine my disappointment when all the rolls came out underexposed. Turns out the meter read exactly 1 stop hot, compared to a known good light meter. I stuck a bit of toilet paper and bubble wrap in the little white globe, brought the readings into line with reality, and now it's perfect. And no batteries to run down!
  13. I was out shooting with my spring-wound 35mm Bell & Howell Eyemo today. The Eyemo and its 16mm Filmo are both rugged, simple to use, and with a little setup can run "pretty close" to 24fps. Don't count on sync lock; plan your shoot to use available means. I bought a Filmo off eBay for $25 a few weeks back, and after cleaning & lubrication it runs just fine. If you're new to film, a cheap spring-wound camera is a great learning tool and a heckuva lot more affordable than an Arri or Aaton.
  14. Thanks, George and John. My density issues may be partly temperature related, perhaps my Minnesota winter basement is a little too chillly for proper development. I have noticed that D-19 processed rolls have plenty of density, and the last D-76 run I allowed the temperature to be somewhat higher (high 70's F), and got more normal looking negatives. Rewind processing seems to take for - ev -er. Maybe I'll try to make a little continuous feed processor with rubbermaid wastebaskets, sewing thread rolls and plastic supports.
  15. I'd like to continue on this thread by asking about film density. How dense is b&w negative supposed to be? I'm home-processing, primarily Ilford FP4 and surveillance stocks, developing with D-76 in a rewind processor for times as long as a 1/2 hour, and the resulting negatives seem very thin, compared to still photo negatives I've seen in the past. Is movie negative density intentionally lower than that of stills?
  16. I, too, would like to take you up on the offer...providing I'm not too late on the deal! I'm also rejoining the film fold after years in the video desert. If you have a few hundred feet to spare, I'll be happy to cover the shipping & handling. Thank you for making such a kind offer to those in need!!! Robert Hughes audadvnc@bitstream.net
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