Henrik Efskin

Hi guys! I’m currently in the pre-production stage on a project that I am planning on shooting this coming summer. It’s a music video that follows a group of people with emphasis on one of them and her experience and discoveries about herself during their stay at a music festival over the course of about ten days during the summer vacation. I’ve been toying with this idea for some time now and I’ve realized that I really want to shoot this on film. I really feel that film is the way to go, both in the way I would end up working and also in the end result. I really think a slightly soft and grainy and warm and beautiful S16/U16 (or perhaps even 35) Kodak Vision look would suit the subject matter very well. This is where I need your help. I am looking for a robust and light camera system that, if 16mm, would easily convert to Super or Ultra 16, preferably hand cranked, although this is not a requisite as long as the system has interchangeable batteries that last long and can be charged from a standard 220V socket as I will be staying with the group the entire time with limited access to electricity. A hand cranked camera would probably be a better option. I already own an H-16 Rx that I have some experience with, however it is not ideal considering I limit myself to Rx lenses and 100’ magazine and a viewfinder I’m not super fan of; too small and too dim imo. Basically, what I’m after: A light and portable S/U16 camera 400’ magazine preferably seeing as I will be shooting a lot of slowmo 24-48 fps Hand cranked is a plus Turret mount is a plus That being said … I have also been toying with the idea of shooting 35mm. I’ve seen several labs that scan 35 at a lower price than 16. Difference in the price of film isn’t that big either. Something like a Konvas looks almost perfect for what I’m after. The only problem being that it maxes out at 32fps and I’m not too familiar with old Soviet electronics. 3-perf would be more ideal than 4. What are my options, and what do you guys think? I’d really appreciate some input and help. Tried posting this in the general section as well, but I haven't gotten any responses. I hope you can help me out ^^

Hi guys! I’m currently in the pre-production stage on a project that I am planning on shooting this coming summer. It’s a music video that follows a group of people with emphasis on one of them and her experience and discoveries about herself during their stay at a music festival over the course of about ten days during the summer vacation. I’ve been toying with this idea for some time now and I’ve realized that I really want to shoot this on film. I really feel that film is the way to go, both in the way I would end up working and also in the end result. I really think a slightly soft and grainy and warm and beautiful S16/U16 (or perhaps even 35) Kodak Vision look would suit the subject matter very well. This is where I need your help. I am looking for a robust and light camera system that, if 16mm, would easily convert to Super or Ultra 16, preferably hand cranked, although this is not a requisite as long as the system has interchangeable batteries that last long and can be charged from a standard 220V socket as I will be staying with the group the entire time with limited access to electricity. A hand cranked camera would probably be a better option. I already own an H-16 Rx that I have some experience with, however it is not ideal considering I limit myself to Rx lenses and 100’ magazine and a viewfinder I’m not super fan of; too small and too dim imo. Basically, what I’m after: A light and portable S/U16 camera 400’ magazine preferably seeing as I will be shooting a lot of slowmo 24-48 fps Hand cranked is a plus Turret mount is a plus That being said … I have also been toying with the idea of shooting 35mm. I’ve seen several labs that scan 35 at a lower price than 16. Difference in the price of film isn’t that big either. Something like a Konvas looks almost perfect for what I’m after. The only problem being that it maxes out at 32fps and I’m not too familiar with old Soviet electronics. 3-perf would be more ideal than 4. I’d really appreciate some input and help from you fine people here ^^

Alright, it has come down to either a Bolex or a K-3. What I am pondering over now is whether I should go for the C or M42 mount. What do you guys think is the best route to take? C and 16mm lenses with the Bolex, or M42 and 35mm lenses on the K-3? I want to build up a solid line of lenses for this format, and C lenses are geared more towards mp shooting than still. At the same time it's always nice to be able to cross over with other formats, and I like the thought of using M42 lenses with SLRs as well. Also, I assume going with M42 on the K-3 will yield sharper results seeing as I'm using the center of a bigger image circle, but then again every lens would essentially turn into a telephoto lens. Perhaps I'm over thinking this and should just get a Bolex and one of these? http://tinyurl.com/cjd8ynd :lol:

This is really helpful guys, thanks! Basically what I'm after is a camera with a 180 degree shutter. Whether it's fixed or not doesn't really matter, although having the ability to choose different speeds would be nice but it's not that important. I'm mainly after the 180 degree shutter because of the look, but flickering is also a concern. 24fps at 1/60 in PAL territory would introduce flickering, no? I'm really liking what I'm seeing with the Kinor. A Bolex would also be awesome, so would a Cine Kodak Special. Then again so would a Krasnogorsk if the speed dial is stepless. They don't upset my wallet too much either which is a plus B)

Thanks for the replies :) I'm not really after the staccato, strobish look or for altering the speed to compensate for variable light conditions (although it would be nice to have the ability), but rather to be able shoot with the standard of 1/48 at 24fps or 1/50 at 25. Both the K3 and the Bolex H16 are locked to a speed of about 1/60th of a second when doing 24fps, which really isn't that big of a deal, but I kind of feel that it's not that favorable either. The difference is minute, but I would love to have full control over the exposure and motion blur.

Hi everyone! Finally signed up after lurking around here for some time. Love the community, and the site is such a great resource; and right now I'm in need of some help. I've been shooting a lot of 135 and 120 film for several years now and I've been wanting to get into motion picture film as well after shooting a lot of digital video. I want to start with 16mm and I've been looking at some cameras to get me started. The problem is that with most of the cameras I'm interested in, the shutter speed is seemingly locked to specific frame rates. I assume this is how most of the lower-end cameras are set up, but are there any good reasons for this except to make the cameras easier to operate, and perhaps to encourage investing in more expensive gear? Are there cameras in the same price range (Bolex, K3, Beaulieu etc) that allow the user to set the shutter speed manually? And lastly, except for the Beaulieu R16, most of the cameras I've looked at don't have an option to shoot 25fps; are there other ones out there that do?