Richard Ian

Hi again Mark, You're almost certainly correct about slight marks on the front lens optic. But I just noticed this on the rear optic - something this close to the gate would almost certainly show up in the film as a blur. This 'v' shaped debris is actually inside the lens, not on the surface. There appear to be other debris in the rear optic as well but the v sticks right out. At first I thought it was a trick of the light but under a lube it is material debris. The factory number of this lens is 733666. That's just for reference. Ric

OK thanks Will. I needed the K3 as a back up for my H16 but if I get on all right with the current K3 I may well upgrade to a M42 compatible one subsequently. Ric

Do these hook up or convert to c-mount or Krasnogorsk bayonet mounts please? Thanks, Ric

Thanks Richard, Will keep your instructions for future reference. I don't mind scratches that much, they're part & parcel of the cine experience for me. But I draw the line at compromised optics, and that lens is crawling with fungus. If you tilt the rear optic to one side and allow a light source to enter you can actually see silvery gossamer filaments inside, highlighted against the dark, it turns my stomach. I don't know how many elements go to make a Krasnogorsk zoom but if the front element is in that state who knows what is lurking within? Am returning the lens to the vendor for a replacement - fingers crossed - love Russian cameras but this is the second Soviet era lens I have had turn up with fungus, the first was a Kiev 60 lens, a 50mm beauty but it had to go :( Thanks again, Ric

Thanks. Yes I think another lens is probably the answer? Ric

Hi Richard, I'd be grateful for your comment please - this business is holding me up no end until I can work out what the problem is? Mark also - could you give a little clearer picture of where you think the problem with the transfer might lie please: are you thinking the dv cam might have a speck in its lens or something like that? I have removed the projector lens from the equation by swapping projector lenses on two separate transfers of the same clip - the mark remains. So it's not the projector lens / lenses. Possibly the projector light source but then again a dot like that would show up when I am squaring the film gate in the dv cam - I have never noticed anything like that. So I thought I'd better take a look at the raw film. Here's a set comprising software frame captures of the dot in apparent motion (actually static) as the camera pans across the sky. The dot is circled in red. Then there follow several frames focusing the dot (circled in grey) but individually photographed. It seems pretty obvious that the dot is actually on the film itself which would tend to point the finger back at the Krasnogorsk zoom lens? K-3 Frames Thanks again, Ric

Thanks. That's a relief! I thought for a moment there that it might be lens fungus? lens fungus example as above Ric

Excellent! What do you make of the imperfections within my Krasnogorsk lens though? It really would help me if someone can identify what is going on here. Many thanks, Ric

Well I was wrong about the K-3 lens: under a strong light using a magnifying glass all sort of things started to show up. What do you think please? Krasnogorsk-3 zoom lens I swapped lenses on my projector but the mark was still there - it has to be the K-3 lens, you can see that mark in the centre of the front optic, looks like a microscopic chip in a windscreen but whatever it is, it doesn't seem to be on the surface of the lens. Comments please? Many thanks, Ric

OK here is the Krasnogorsk footage This was late evening so the light was kinder on the 200 speed film. The aperture diaphragm is the smoothest I have ever known so I may have set f.stops then scrambled them whilst filming without realising it, but most shots equate to the exposure notes I took. Sometimes I forget to stop down as well, - like the first sky/trees pass. Earlier that day the camera had been driven many miles to a scenic location in scorching sunshine where it multiple jammed and had to be opened several times. It is a miracle any film survived. Those daylight reels really are daylight reels! Now to the serious stuff: I have noticed what looks like a tiny ball of fluff right in the middle of the movie rectangle, it only shows up when the camera is tracking. You first notice at at 0.17" and at 0.33" it starts off right in the centre of the shot on a leaf. The dot is static so it appears to move with the action. I checked the lens which looks newer than the camera with pristine optics. I don't understand the K-3 well enough to hazard a guess as to what could cause such an imperfection in it. Indeed, is it the camera at all? I could swap lenses on the projector, that would definitely tell me if the glitch is with the new camera or something to do with the projector instead (I only recently acquired a new projector lens so it has to be suspect at the moment). The Tri-X was developed in D-76 as negative film then reversed in software. Many thanks, Ric

Thanks. As a rough guide, what ND would reduce my 100 film to 50 please - or is that too simplistic an approach? I have a full set of NDs for my H16 plus - at length - a full set of ND filter trays now. Ric

Hi Will, I use a Gossen 6, I use it for my H16 as well. That's a shame, the K-3 toothed reel system is a good idea but those plastic reels are going to squash & warp over time. Don't mind the weight. My K-3 is a bayonet mount so I am probably limited to K-3 lenses but that is ok by me. Thanks, I will look at the loop formers if they become a problem. The viewfinder is dark like the H16 but you sort of get used to that after a while, so take a reading, focus on full aperture then stop down (if you remember to!) [lol] The view screen (mirror? ground glass?) looks filthy, can you get body caps for K-3s please? Any tips on loading please? I got mine loaded & running but it was a trauma, much trickier than the H16. Many thanks, Ric

Thanks Charles, First thing I notice forum link is that folks recommend ND filters for shooting outdoors. I shot or rather tried to shoot Tri-X recently on a sunny day [asa200] - ridiculous - the Gossen meter was telling me to set an aperture of f.64. Although I plan to use Kodak 100D what ND filter would get my film speed down to 50 instead of 100 please? I shot Velvia 50 on a sunny day & the results were good. Ric

Hi, Recently bought a second-hand Krasnogorsk-3 dating to 1979. I can't find any dedicated support forums for this camera & I'd like to hear how folks get on with it please? Any tips? Any pitfalls? And so forth! Had a heck of a job loading it, fogged half the film consequently, but persevered & got footage, so the camera works and takes pictures. The light meter is dead but I use a hand held meter anyway. Thanks, Ric

Thanks to all. I was at length advised that what I could see was probably 'dust' and that I should dust it away. There was dust, and several specks under the prism, but the worst stuff wasn't dust and you could only make it out by holding a light at an angle to the front of the prism. Anyway, under a magnifying glass I carefully worked these misty dots with some pure alcohol then lightly dusted again with lens paper. I used an adapted mini vacuum as well with a tiny nozzle to remove any dust particles that could be safely picked up with it. I scrutinised the prism afterwards and the cleaning seems to have done the trick. Of course I won't breathe easily until I have put another reel of film through the Bolex. It is a vintage camera - there are one or two tiny surface scratches on the top of the prism but they don't seem to affect the camera. I was wondering what could cause these - Bolex filter trays? Bests, Ric

Hi, I'm Ric - new here. I have been getting used to an H16 Reflex for about 18 months now. A year ago I noticed one or perhaps several faint marks on a contrasty shot of the sky, then dismissed this as a blip. Odd mark/s on film But recently I have noticed a faint mark which has reappeared in exactly the same place. I contacted the seller-refurbisher who said that the marks were too faint for him to identify - not very helpful - still he suggested I check the film with a loup which I did (to what end though I am unsure) and the prism. Eventually I identified the prism which is like a little window in the front of the camera, in fact it is a little glassy door which flips outwards. At first I could see nothing untoward, maybe a speck of dust, then some linear marks, surface scratches which of course shouldn't be there - but then on tilting the camera to the reading lamp I saw this Marks on prism I sent this picture to the seller & received no response whatsoever. Any clues please? Can a prism be cleaned? Can I get a replacement prism? Many thanks, Ric