Will Montgomery

So I wanted to test an M42 lens someone gave me on my Krasnogorsk-3. It was a 28mm lens and it looked great through the viewfinder. Loaded up some new Vision2 250D and headed out to the park on a really bright day here in Texas. Brought by new light cine-light meter and took readings on everything before shooting. Most of the readings were about f2.8 to f5.6 depending on the shade. So I carefully set the aperture and shot about half a roll before realizing I wasn't seeing much of a difference in light through the viewfinder as I change the aperture. Then it hit me that the lens was auto and therefore had been stuck wide open on f22 the whole time. I changed back to the regular Zenit lens and finished the roll out. So Video Post & Transfer here in Dallas processed and transfered the test on their Spirit. I stopped by and saw them working on it and said, wow, I guess the lens was working, it looks great. They laughed and said, "not really... look at this..." and they showed me the un-corrected stock completely overexposed to the point of hardly seeing anything. I couldn't believe that they could save such a drastically overexposed shot to the point of me only seeing some increased grain, otherwise it was great. Between the latest Telecine software and this Vision2 Stock, we can sometimes really screw up exposures and see them come back ok on transfer.

If you expect to go to HD eventually with the footage, its nice to have the extra width of S16. Also optically blowing up to 35mm would be better with S16. The camera can still function fine in regular 16mm, you just won't transfer the extended frame. If you're ok with the money difference, might as well have S16 just in case its helpful down the road. You may want to check if the viewfinder has been modified to match the S16 frame as well. Today's film is amazing, especially when transfered well. You'll be happy either way.

Just call the Kodak at 1-800-621-FILM (3456) and ask for any demos they have available. That's the same line to order film direct as well.

I shot some tests with a 28mm lens wide open to f22 on Vision2 250D when it should have been on f5.6... Somehow the telecine guys got a decent image out of it and the grain wasn't that bad. The new Vision stocks are amazing in transfer.

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. I need to pick up some M42 prime lenses in the 24mm range; appearently most lenses for a 35mm camera will give full coverage too.

Does anyone know what the smallest lens is that covers the S16 area? At 17mm (on the stock lens) I'm seeing significant dark edges on the right while on a 28mm prime lens coverage is fine. I'm guessing somewhere around 22mm but I don't want to do another camera test to find out since this must be a common issue.

I'd suggest picking up a Super 8 camera and shooting a few rolls to get the hang of it, but you might be better off doing the short with a rented DigiBeta cam or even a good 3 chip miniDV if its you're first project... Much easier to work with and easier to get good results quickly. Dialog is easier to work with that way too. Either way, make sure you check out those negative stocks, they look great.

I have some in my camera right now. I'll let you know how it works. I have (5) 100' rolls I could sell you cheap. Its been well cared for. Remember, if you find 800T that its been discontinued and is probably a year or more old. If you do a search on 800T you might find John From Kodak's recommendation about using 500T and pushing it a stop or 2.

I've had 12 minutes of Super 8, 10-bit Uncompressed HD 24p come back as 91 gigs (yes, I said 12 minutes@91GIGs) with the Blackmagic codec from Bonolabs. But its easier than buying a D-5 deck.

The Vision2 200T when exposed properly will look great. If the lighting is good or you're shooting outdoors, I think it can approach 16mm in quality. The look of the film is much different than any reversal you've seen so its much less "70's" now. Are you looking at film festivals or video festivals? There will be a big difference if you are editing with Final Cut or Avid vs. actually cutting film... Bonofilms has a good HD option, but even though their probably the least expensive, its still not cheap. They have a link on the right ad section. Establish a budget and work from there. You'll be very happy with Vision2 in Super 8, but working with film is expensive even in Super 8. Cinepost in Atlanta is a good Telecine option and their colorists work well with that stock. Also keep in mind how you will handle audio since you'll need a quiet Super 8 camera and have to record sound separately.

I have some 7231 Plus-X Negative stock ready to shoot, and I noticed something that is confusing me. The 3200k Tungsten rating is 64, while the daylight rating is 80. Why would the Tungsten/Daylight issue come up on a B&W stock? What type of filter would be used inside on B&W that would reduce the sensitivity? While the light temperature is different, I thought light was light to meter and the reason stocks are rated differently is because you must use filters to correct for color issues. I am sure I'm missing something very basic, so please be patient with me.

In the Super 8 world, Pro8mm in LA has always advocated shooting in color negative and then just having the colorist make it b&w; probably because that sold more of their stock. I've been hearing good things about the latest Tri-X and Plus-X in 16mm; I haven't tried the b&w negatives but I'm sure they will give more latitude. My gut tells me there's a difference, but you might have to really know what to look for. Other considerations would be cost. If you're talking 100ft rolls, the Vision2 stocks are around $36 a roll while B&W neg or pos is around $18-21. Processing varies from place to place but will probably run close to the same for either. BUT, many Telecine places that also offer processing might only process color negative and they sometimes can give major discounts on processing if you transfer there (Video Post & Transfer in Dallas charges only $.04/ft if you use their Telecine... $.17/ft if you don't). So its always good to think of the entire chain when choosing stocks and plan ahead to save money.

Hate to brake it to you, but Kodachrome 16mm is discontinued also... but there's more floating out there than Super 8. Call Kodak and try to order some direct...

So is there a chance that the nice lady taking my order had it wrong? I shot some Kodachrome 16mm this weekend and would like to have a critical mass of 400ft or so before sending it off for processing. It can sit for a few weeks exposed but unprocessed right? I know all the Kodak info says get it done asap, but I can't believe it will make that much difference on such a low sensitivity stock...

I take that back, 77mm. Just ordered the $45 85 filter from B&H.

Why not call Kodak direct... they seem to have the best prices. 1-800-621-FILM You can order any stock in any size reel and they'll deliver it as quick as you need it.

I had the opportunity to pick up an "enhancing filter" for my K-3... what exactly does it do? If seems to saturate the colors a little more but I'm not sure how or if its worth having in my arsenal.

I see some of these on eBay with the auto switch... guess I'll try for one of those. Just wish I could trick this lens into working properly. I notice that I seem to shoot with the K-3's lens on the widest setting (17) the most, so I will look for a 16mm lens as well.

The Issue: I have a Mirage 28mm M42 mount lens that I want to use on my K-3. To make the aperature fully manual, I have to get the little pin to stay in. I've done due diligence and searched for this topic and I've seen a few posts about pushing in the little pin and jamming it so it stays there. Can't get this lens to do that... any other ideas? If not, I'd love to hear more recommendations on a M42 lens that works well without having to modify it.

Try it out and see what you get, in the future I'd just call up Kodak and have them deliver film to your door... then you know its fresh and pretty much the best price. I just wish Kodak would setup a web site for ordering... but I'd hate to see those nice Kodak sales people lose their jobs. At least put the pricing up on the site.

Unless you know what to look for, you probably won't notice the difference... the original Vision stocks look great and the new ones are great too. When I compare Vision stocks from last year vs. the Vision2 stocks in Super 8, I see a little less grain but not that much of a difference. What you'll find amazing is the difference between any negative Kodak stock and any reversal stock. If you're used to seeing reversal stocks telecined, this is a whole new world. Try cutting together DV footage and some of this Vision stock (transfered well) of the same event, people will say how great the film looks and wait for those scenes. Keep in mind that it is a different asthetic than reversal film, it almost looks less "film like" which can be good or bad depending on what you're going for. They are also much more forgiving on exposure problems... its hard for me to go back to Kodachrome or Ektachrome after using negative stocks just because I have to be much more aware of the light with reversal stocks.

The CinePost guys can be really good. Their standby rate of $135/hour is hard to beat. Keep in mind that they get pretty busy too. Here's a still from a transfer last year. It was Vision 200T. (not the Vision2 version) If you need processing, they can arrange it, but they don't do it themselves. Bonolabs will process just about any type of stock and transfer it for you, but I think they are more expensive on transfers.

Whatever you do, DON'T use those cheap plastic reels that come with the camera... they tend to bend inward and keep the film from rolling properly. Always ask for your daylight spools back from processing, at least until you have a few on hand.

Ran across these guys on the web, seems their pricing is pretty inexpensive. Has anyone worked with them? Is a "Marconi Telecine" decent or as it looks, ancient technology? I know cheap isn't always best, but when you're on a budget it looks good. Here are their rates: 35mm [800' min] Positive 12¢/foot Negative 15¢/foot 16mm [400' min] Positive 17¢/foot Negative 20¢/foot Super 8mm [200' min] 50' reels-pos $12 50' reels-neg $20 Per minute charge $3.50

Its always great when Kodak releases a new stock and this one looks great. With grain so minimal on all the Vision2 stocks, in what situations would the 50D be better than the 250D? And wouldn't that advantage be barely noticable in the final image?