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Will Montgomery

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Posts posted by Will Montgomery

  1. What I like about the K-3 is the ability to put good M42 lenses on it.

     

    I shoot with my non-reflex Kodak K100 often and I'm always underwhelmed with the optics from those older c-mount lenses during telecine sessions, then the K-3 footage comes up and I can be amazed (on a good day.) Just wish the camera was a little more stable, but for the money its a no brainer.

     

    p.s. I like the Kodak K-100 body and winding better than the K-3 and recently got a reflex lens with side viewfinder to see if that will make me like it enough to keep.

  2. I bought a lens a while back (Zentar? Yea I know its a crappy brand, but I don't use this camera for much anyway). Well, I encountered a problem when I tried to mount the lens. There is a little mettle tab that sticks out on the lens. If it is screwed into a camera the pin is pushed inside and then allows you to control the aperture. If the pin is not pushed inside then the aperture is always open. My guess is this lens was meant for a different camera because the pin is not pushed in when I screw it into me camera. I tried to tape it but its so small and on the edge of the inside of the lens that I cant get a good piece of tape there.

     

    Anyone have any advice?

    I was able to push in the pin and push it to the side a little so it stays in. Use a really small screwdriver or ballpoint pen. The pin is how a 35mm still camera would control the aperture, so with it all the way in you can then use the manual dial.

     

    I doubt tape would hold for very long, you've got to shove it in so it stays.

  3. I have a 28, 35 and a 50 for my K-3 and they look great. They also cover Super 16 if you have the wider gate. Its also nice not to have such a giant lens on there for handheld work.

    thanks , but a 50 mm for a pentax will stay a 50 mm for the k3 or will be a 100 mm ?

    This comes up quite a bit... a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens anywhere, but you only use the center "half" of the lens because 16mm film is half the size, so it APPEARS like 100mm (not exactly but that's basically it).

     

    This 50mm lens is great for tripod closeups with GREAT depth of field. You just backup a little. Plus, 50mm lenses are generally faster than their smaller counterparts... I have an F1.4.

     

    Pentax made a 24mm lens that would probably be very practical.

     

    I have the Kiev 16mm lens that is very wide with only nominal distortion; great general purpose wide lens. The Peleng 8mm fisheye is cool too, but there's noticible distortion around the edges. Both of these are Russian lenses availble new for under $300.

  4. I find that I like using more exotic emulsions for still photography; stocks that give you a look that digital can't.

     

    With a digital SLR I can get great, sharp images with the depth of field I like. BUT, there's something about certain B&W stocks and Kodachrome that give a look you just don't get with digital. Its almost the inaccuracies and imperfections that I love the most... grain? BRING IT ON!

     

    Anyone use run across some stocks that give a different "look?"

     

    Just bought a Holga 120 camera for $20 too. Having fun with it.

  5. i am working with a k3 , m42 screw mount .

    ... anything to be aware of , if i am using the pentax lens ?

     

    and any sharp lens is recomended ?

    You need to set the exposure switch to manual. I think all of those Pentax Super Takumar lenses have a switch so they should be ok.

     

    I have a 28, 35 and a 50 for my K-3 and they look great. They also cover Super 16 if you have the wider gate. Its also nice not to have such a giant lens on there for handheld work.

  6. cheapest place I've found period is BonoLabs. They'll telecine your

    16mm film to HD various forms and I've seen the footage first hand

    and it looks good! It's a little cheaper because they only charge

    for 'run time', not minimum charges like most posthouses do.

     

    right now, I'm getting 500ft. transferred to HD on a hard drive in

    QT or AVI....for about $280

    www.bonolabs.com

     

    I've done several HD transfers with Bonolabs. The files are of course HUGE, the cool thing is you can pull stills that look great since is a non-interlaced format and all the information to work with is great for post.

     

    The downside is, you better be really good with your color correction on your editing software since they simply do the most neutral transfer possible.

     

    For me, I'd much rather have a colorist fix color issues in the telecine process since the tools are so much more powerful than what's available in Avid or Final Cut. A talented colorist can make a WORLD of difference.

     

     

     

    In telecine, you kind of always get what you pay for. Even with a s**t-hot machine and 2K Da Vinci it can turn out terrible unless the guy is any good. I suppose you could get luckky and get an undiscovered whiz-kid colorist, but normally they're old lab rats that'll run the vectorscope as an approach to a night landing, basically.

    I 2nd this, and this describes Bonolabs. It may be a great approach for some people, just not for me.

  7. The real question for me would be who is the colorist? The Spirit is a great machine, you just want to make sure the operator will care enough and has the talent to do a good job.

     

    The rate is decent as long as you don't have an intern doing the transfer. Good colorists with a Spirit can run $500/hr+ easily for HD.

     

    How will you be editing? You might get away with an anamorphic DV copy of the D5 that you can cut in Final Cut Pro or Avid. This would be a little tricky, but I bet a decent transfer house could provide it.

     

    Last HD transfer I did was to HDCAM and the DV copy I had made just lopped off the sides to get to SD. In retrospect, I wish I could have made an anamorphic DV copy of that HDCAM tape.

  8. I just ran across a reference to this emulsion on the web... is it still available from Kodak? An asa 400 daylight reversal film?

     

    Has anyone used it in 16mm?

     

    From Kodak's site...

     

    "EASTMAN EKTACHROME High-Speed Daylight Film 7251 (16 mm) and EASTMAN EKTACHROME High-Speed Daylight Film 2253 (ESTAR Base) are very high-speed, color reversal camera films that are intended for photography under very low-level daylight illumination or under other light sources using proper filtration. They have a medium degree of sharpness. Among their many applications are color news photography, sporting events, industrial photography using existing light, and color instrumentation applications. The processed original camera film is ready for projection; and because it is balanced for projection at 5400 K, it is suitable for television broadcasting. Also, color duplicates can be made on EASTMAN EKTACHROME Print Film 7399."

  9. Thanks much! I think the only big problem for me is money for the stock.

    ...and processing, and telecine. Equipment can be cheap, the technology and research & development is in the film stock.

     

    Try some Super 8 to start. Its about $15 per cart and another $15 maybe for processing. It has its own cool look.

  10. Film is a completely different animal, so expect quite a learning curve. Here are some things to consider on a very basic level...

     

    Some major advantages for extreme sports:

     

    1) Real slow motion - by running the camera at a higher speed, you'll be capturing many more frames than video does which will give you amazing slow-mo shots of snow flying and people doing tricks

     

    2) Film looks great outdoors on a sunny day - lighting is less of an issue with that big ball of hydrogen burning in the sky

     

    3) 16mm can be telecined to HD easily and with a good colorist it look amazing. As new HD formats are developed, you just have to re-telecine in the new format (super HD?)

     

     

    Disadvantages:

     

    1) On the camera you're talking about, only about 3 1/2 minutes of film per 100ft load.

     

    2) No AUTOFOCUS, and if you're used to having it, it might be difficult to adjust to not having it

     

    3) Having to be aware and concerned about EXPOSURE. You'll be carrying a light meter and constantly taking readings until you're comfortable with an educated guess

     

    4) Loading and handling film is difficult at first, and you might miss that great shot while loading

     

     

    When you talk about specific cameras there are a million issues to consider. The K3 you are talking about is very inexpensive, but also unreliable in general. Another good starter 16mm camera for you might be a Canon Scoopic. It has automatic exposure system like Super 8 and is considered fairly reliable and easy to load.

     

    Sound: Best not to even try if you can avoid it. There are some unprofessional cheats you can do like use another camcorder to record sound and try to sync it later... or use a DAT, but its quite a setup and not very flexible if you're moving around alot.

     

    K3 Size: with the handle attached figure about 14" square or so. Kinda big and awkward, but not too bad once you're used to it.

     

    K3 Winding: Yes, only like 20 seconds per wind... the problem isn't the time, its having to WIND THE DAMN THING. I have indentations in my palm from twisting that thing. Plus, you always miss that one shot you wanted while you're winding.

     

    Film Costs: Figure about $35 for a 100' roll of negative stock, and maybe $18 to develop it. Do that's $53 for 3.5 minutes. Wow. Makes me wonder why I do it... I know, it looks amazing.

     

    Then, for decent telecine, expect $300/hr (that doesn't correspond to running time, just how long you use their machines, expect to transfer 15-20 minutes of footage in 1 hour)

     

    How is expsure handled: On almost all 16mm cameras you carry a light meter and manually set it. The K3 has a meter inside, but I've never used it or trusted it

     

    How Delecate is the K3?: Its built like a Russian tank, but its still a mechanical device. I would expect it to do a little better than a heavy video camera and be easier to fix since there are so few parts compared to video. Best idea is not to slip.

  11. Often when students or low budget operations go to top post houses, they want the best rate and therefore get the least experienced colorist (or in Pro8mm's case, you get an intern or night janitor). The best colorists are usually completely booked for months and can be extremely expensive. Equipment can make a big difference, but an experienced colorist is the key... just like in audio production, a good engineer is worth their weight in gold and can make average equipment sound amazing.

     

    Its a good idea to get to know the staff at these houses and view reels from each colorist, then request that colorist not just a certain suite. Plus they get to know you're style and tastes which helps too.

  12. The good camera.

    The russian 16 mm cine camera Kiev-16 U have a two versions, Kiev-16 U with mechanical spring motor, Kiev-16 UE with mechanical and electrical motor ( rare edition ), Kiev-16 UE with electrical motor.

    Olex, how much for a good Kiev-16 UE when you have them? Seems like the non-motorized version goes for a little less than a K-3 in general.

  13. Just watched the Fuji Eterna demo.

     

    They did a good job of showing different situations, like 16mm optical blow-up to 35 and 2k digital intermediary blow-up to 35mm as well as originating on 35.

     

    There were some candle lit shots that looked great.

     

    But I have to say that the muted tones of the stock in daylight or well-lit interiors just look kind of... old. Couldn't quite put my finger on it, and maybe I'm just used to Kodak's Vision2 stocks, but the color seemed so flat.

     

    I'm sure its a good look for someone...

  14. Arri 16 must be first choice over the scoopic.

     

    That really depends on what you're doing with it right? I mean using an Arri 16 isn't quite as easy as the Scoopic... for non-staged shots, "run & gun" type work, especially for a hobbiest, the Scoopic is a great camera.

  15. I'm from alaska so I have been there.

     

    Have you tried Forde Labs in Seattle? They can handle B&W neg & reversal, Color Reversal (7285, 7280) and color negative of course. Super 8, 16mm and 35mm. I shoot Super 8 and S16 in all types of stock and use them when I have Super 8 or non color negative stocks.

     

    There's a great lab in Dallas called "The Lab @ Video Post & Transfer." They've done a good job many times for me and they are very responsive to questions. Only color negative 16 & 35 though.

     

     

    Fordelabs

     

     

    The Lab @ Video Post & Transfer

  16. Welcome to the terribly addictive world that is FILM!

     

    I don't think the Velvia 50D is available directly from Fuji, just from re-manufacturers who cut it down which might add to the cost... If you want a reversal stock try the Ektachrome 100D. Reversals give you that "home movie look" with higher contrasts but in 16mm which is amazing; re: Coming from video, this might just be the style you're looking for.

     

    Its summer so if you have outdoor shots to take, try the negative Kodak Vision2 50D. Properly exposed & transfered it can look as good as any prime time TV show shot on film.

     

    Also, try some slow motion stuff... crank the camera up to 48 FPS or so and shoot someone splashing in water... you'll never duplicate film slow-mo with a video camera or Final Cut pro (well, at least yet).

     

    Remember that you'll have to get it transfered, but look into local telecine houses that might do a camera test roll for free or cheap.

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