Herb Montes

"Otto" is Olexandr, the Russian dealer I mentioned earlier. I did email one of those eBay dealers about the Pro tanks so I'll let you know what I hear. Processing to a negative is easier since it is basically three steps. Reversal requires about twice as many steps so there is more chances to make a mistake. If you have never processed film before it is good to practice with still film first. I began processing film from my old 620 box camera years ago to learn how it's done.

Yes, the spiral tank like the Arkay is a daylight tank. The only time you need to use a darkroom is to load the film onto the reel. You can use a bathroom for that or a closet. The processing can then be done in daylight. Right now there are a couple of dealers selling Lomo spiral reel tanks on eBay (enter "processing tank" in the search box). These are the 30 foot capacity double regular 8mm tanks but they can also get you the Super 8mm and 16mm tanks for up to 50 and 100 foot capacity if you ask them. When I was first shooting my animation on 16mm I did pencil tests on Plus-X and processed it to a negative with a cheap Kodak black and white chemical kit. I used a Yankee still film tank which could hold 6 feet of 16mm film on its spiral reel. The kit was easy to mix since it was liquid in foil packets. Just dilute in water to mix up a batch. I could process a negative strip in less than half an hour. This was handy in checking exposure and focus. I was using a non-reflex Bolex back then with a focusing prism in the gate to check the framing. Loading the camera with a short strip of film meant doing it in the dark. I usually did this at night. Processing reversal is a bit more involved since it requires more steps. It's always best to start out in black and white to gain experience before trying out color. Supposedly the new color reversal stocks Kodak is putting out (to replace the old Ektachrome) would be easier to process with basic E-6 chemistry. Do some research first. You could even try doing short strips like I did to practice processing. You can still get those Yankee tanks or find one made to process film from Minox cameras (they use 16mm wide film).

Arkay is no longer in business but you can still find the tanks which are the rewind type. At a recent camera collector's show in Houston I saw an Arkay tank. I think the dealer wanted $40 for it. You will also see them on eBay at times. But if I were to get into processing my own films I would go with the spiral reel type like the ones sold by this Russian dealer: http://www.geocities.com/cinetank/tank.htm I would get the 16/35X100 Pro since it can do 100 feet of 16mm and 35mm film. The other tanks handle 30 to 50 feet of film on a reel. Suuposedly you get more consistent results with a spiral reel over a rewind tank like the Arkay.

I think he has about 20 of these drives. I asked for two, one I'm adapting for animation the other to handcrank operation. These drives are salvaged out of what were called "traffic cameras". These were mounted on poles at busy interesections to snap frames of traffic. Much like today's video camera surveillence of highways. Probably used around the 1930' to 1950's. -Herb

Steven, here are links to several sites dedicated to processing your own movie film including one on making your own processing tank: About processing http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/hand/ Building a tank to process up to 200 feet of 16mm film http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/hand/tank.html Processing chemical formulas http://lavender.fortunecity.com/lavender/5...sdeveloper.html A homemade optical printer http://www.city-net.com/%7Efodder/s8mm/optprint.html Other sites http://www.city-net.com/~fodder/hand/westerlund.html http://www.siltec.co.uk/amovies/process/diydev.htm http://www.geocities.com/gselinsky/ http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~ralph/process_site/contents.html Downix, here are the links to pictures of the DeVry 35mm mechanism. This is the same one inside the DeVry "lunchbox" camera I've seen on eBay a few times. One of the pics is by the dealer the others are of my camera disassembled. Revising the price the dealer actually wants $30 per mechanism which are spring powered. I'll send you the contact information in an email. http://img213.echo.cx/img213/1689/devrycam54al.jpg http://img144.echo.cx/img144/4128/devrycam62pj.jpg http://img144.echo.cx/img144/5701/devrycam78pk.jpg http://img144.echo.cx/img144/2974/devrycam83cr.jpg -Herb

If you want to try handcranking and have a K3 or can get one here is an add-on handcrank you can get for it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...ssPageName=WDVW I went ahead and bought one for myself (dealer has several). I don't have a K3 yet but do plan on getting one. They sell quite a few on eBay. In getting the classic film look I recently shot some rolls of 16mm Fomapan and compared it to Plus-X which I shot with the same camera. Fomapan seems to have richer blacks and more contrast when filmed through a yellow and red filter. I think it's because Fomapan has more silver in it than Plus-X from what I heard. I used to buy it from John Schwind but he doesn't carry it anymore. I think there are still a few dealers in the U.S. for Fomapan. You could try getting Svema from a Russian dealer to see if it can give you the look you want. The upright Moviola is large and heavy, which is why the shipping is so much. I guess it's about 4 feet tall and 3 foot square. The shipping crate was about 6 feet high. And the machine weighs around 150 pounds so I had to get help hauling it into my studio. Downix, as to building a handcranked 35mm. The guy who sold me the DeVry camera has a number of the inner mechanisms for these cameras. He sells them for around $25 and has told me one buyer did put one inside a wooden box operated with a handcrank. He sells Eyemo lenses to use with these mechanisms. They are the transport, spool spindles, gate, shutter and pull-down claw. Pretty complete except for a body and lens mount. I got some pictures online of it in case you want the links. I imagine you can adapt any lens for a SLR. The one I got has a body with a 39mm screw thread mount. This matches the thread on a Leica rangefinder camera lens. There are a lot of cheap Russian made lenses with this mount on eBay so I have been buying a few for the DeVry when I get it painted and working. It's like an Eyemo to film with. Steven, if you want to start shooting film go with Super 8mm or a cheap 16mm like a Keystone model. Lots on eBay. I even have an old Cine Kodak model E but it only takes double perf film. The K100 takes single perf as well. Which is the problem with buying older cameras. Bolexes made before the 1950's would need conversion to use single perf since double perf is getting harder to find.

The most I ever spent for my 35mm cameras is $1,800 for the Rodina. Shipped all the way from St. Petersburg. The Konvas (an early model without a motor) cost $500 with two lenses and a handcrank. And I got a DeVry I'm restoring that cost $50 on eBay. The Moviola cost me less than $200 but the shipping from Califonia to Texas was a killer. I'm surprised there aren't any floating around in Florida since Disney shut down their animation division there. I know the animation desks were all sold off.

Not a whole lot but three Bolexes, three B&H 240 models, a K100 (soon to get another), three 35mm (one still needs asasembly), a bunch of Super 8mm and regular 8mm cameras. Projectors, editors, one 35mm upright Moviola, splicers, rewinds and such. And a huge lack of room! :lol: I had found several online sites on home processing. For 100 feet of 16mm there is the Arkay G3 tank I have seen at camera shows and occasionally on eBay. You might get inconsistent results with this rewind tank. You would get better processing with a Lomo tank made for 100 feet. A Russian dealer, Olexandr, sold these on his site though I don't know if he still has any in stock. I can post some links later today if you need them.

I've taken my Filmo apart before but it was easy since it doesn't have a spring motor. I think it was a 70DA since the original mounting place for the handcrank socket it still there. Instead a shaft that connected directly to the drive came out of the hole where the winding key was. You can handcrank a Bolex using the rewind crank after disconnecting the spring drive. The crank won't stay in place so I have considered building a special handcrank plate that mounts to camera using the bolt holes for the motors. You can handcrank a Cine Special as well. I also have a Kodak K100 which has a socket for a handcrank though I haven't found one for the camera yet. I have a Konvas 35mm movie camera with a handcrank, it has a 200 foot capacity magazine. I also have a Rodina 35mm pin registered movie camera which came with a handcrank along with two electric motors and 400 foot magazines. I'm adapting an animation drive for this camera. Both of these cameras expose 8 frames per turn of the crank. I find it takes a bit of practice to crank these at 16 fps and keep the speed consistent. 24 fps speed will really wear your arm out. When my friend processed the film he just had a 25' tank for double regular 8mm. So for my old 100 foot roll of 16mm Kodachrome he processed it in a sink. The results really looked homemade.

One online dealer of the classic hand cranked cameras can be found here: http://www.samdodge.com/ My first 16mm film was shot with a handcranked camera. It was formerly a B&H Filmo 70 which had been stripped down for use as an Air Force gun camera. When I got it surplus it had no lens, viewfinder or motor. I stuck a handcrank on the shaft coming out of the body. Made a wireframe viewfinder and stuck a lens on it. I shot a roll of outdated Kodachrome which I had a friend process with black and white reversal chemicals. The results looked like one of those films made at the turn of the century. Yellowish cast, flicker, and high contrast. I still have that camera though I can now handcrank any of my Bolexes or old Cine Specials. I also have two Russian made 35mm cameras which came with handcranks. I can imagine handcranking several thousand feet of film for an entire feature. You would have to develop a strong arm to do that. ;)

Another reliable source for Konvas cameras is: http://www.rafcamera.com/ He comes highly reccomended. Also some owners sell their Konvases on the Konvas Smart Group: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/Konvas

I was wondering if someone was going to answer this besides me. Two years ago I bought a Bolex Rex5 with two Schneider lenses for $1,000. I've seen this model sell for between $800 and $1,600 on eBay depending on what kind of lenses are offered with it. Main differences between early and later reflex Bolexes are viewfinders with greater magnification and flat bases with the later ones. Also you get the 1 to 1 shaft and variable shutter. The SBM is like the Rex5 except for the larger lens mount. Early reflex models are still good and sell from $400 to $800. The image quality is pretty consistent among Bolex cameras especially if they have been well cared for.

The Filmshooting site has been having server problems this past week. It's working fine now. Try those links again.

I got my Rodina from Rafael and he was very helpful and accomodating. He has a good reputation among many Konvas owners he has helped.

I picked up a mint condition Gossen LunaPro on eBay for $125. Even came with manual and case. The screw thread on the K3 is 42mm and compatible with the Pentax M42 mount. There are other models of the K3 out there that have a non-compatible bayonet mount.

Sounds like you have a basic non-reflex Bolex. In which case you can use the MC-17 or Unimotor which drives the 8:1 shaft above the I-T switch. These show up on eBay (I have one myself). The viewfinder on top is called the "eyelevel focuser" and allows you to focus a lens when it is moved to the upper position. It does not give you true reflex viewing. One work-around is with the Bolex rack-over device which shifts the whole camera over to the focusing position. There is an anamorphic lens attachment for Bolexes but it is not widely found. You could also try asking around the Filmshooting forum which has a number of Bolex fans there. http://www.filmshooting.com

I know someone in Texas City who still services Pageants and sells them along with the Elmos. From what he tells me you can still find parts from some former service techs. There are enough of them out there to invest in some spare units for parts. And cheap too, I bought my Pageant off eBay for $50.

The Konvas group is no longer at Topica but at Smart Groups: http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/Konvas

When I worked for the University of Texas film library years ago I found they used nothing but Kodak Pageants on campus. They're good reliable machines. Kodak also had the CT1000 which was made by Elmo. I own a Pageant and a CT1000. And Elmos are highly regarded projectors. I would stay away from the autoload Bell & Howells and the Singers. A good second choice would be the Eikis though I find many with bad drive belts.

This online source has a large supply of 16mm carts loaded with black and white film. http://www.athens.net/~macjava/filmpage.html Go to the bottom of the page.

There is a lot of useful information in Andrew Alden's book "The Bolex Bible" about those lenses. This book shows up on eBay once in a while but you can also buy it directly from him at his website: http://www.bolex.co.uk/ You could also email him with your question but I don't know how busy he is.

I have shot film with a single lens model I had years ago. I used it to film my first animaiton on 16mm until I got a Bolex. These two I got recently but haven't tested them with film yet but will soon. Neither has the electric eye. I will scan and send you the manual. The top of some pages are a water damaged but it is still useful. The camera itself is a good basic one to film on the run.

I have two of these. A single lens model and a three lens turret one. I also have a manual which is mostly readable. I can make a copy of the manual for you. The camera does take 100' spools, takes C-mount lenses, has variable speeds and single frames. Quality is comparable to a B&H model 70.

There is a 16mm Mitchell on this website www.iceco.com for $4,000. They also have a 16mm Mauer with animation motor for $2,500. So the best choices in terms of availability and price is still the Bolex or Cine Special.

Bolexes are used widely for stop motion since they are plentiful compared to the Mitchell. So are the Cine Specials since they do have a reflex prism behind the lens for focusing and aligning but it moves out of the way when the camera is operating. It's easier to find C-mount lenses for the Bolex than the S-mounts for the Cine Special. Both cameras produce good results without pin registration.