FF Mount

Paul Bruening · January 25, 2010

I had a couple of problems to solve. All I had was old Mitchell FF, matte box and rods systems. Well, Mitchell stuff was made to screw onto the front of the camera and not move from there. All Mitchell lenses had focus gears in the same distance from the lens mount. My Nikon lenses had their focus gears all distances from the flange. Plus, longer Nikon lenses are pretty long and definitely heavy. Too heavy for the Nikon's lens mount, therefore, requiring support.

This is my solution: It's made of steel to handle significant lens and gear weights. It mounts firmly to the existing 35R3 mount points. It uses Mitchell FF, matte box and rods system. It has an outrigger for mounting the LCD monitor. It has long lens support. It has telescopic adjustment to place the FF drive gears at any Nikon lens length and barrel (gear) width. Makes variances in FF and matte box distances doable.

#9 and 10 are pics of Frankenmitchell all decked out with long lens, lens control equipment, wireless playback receiver, XL2 tap and LCD monitor. This is pretty much the rig I'm shooting God Bites Man with (not just this lens, of course).

Rioux Pierre Samuel · January 25, 2010

I had a couple of problems to solve. All I had was old Mitchell FF, matte box and rods systems. Well, Mitchell stuff was made to screw onto the front of the camera and not move from there. All Mitchell lenses had focus gears in the same distance from the lens mount. My Nikon lenses had their focus gears all distances from the flange. Plus, longer Nikon lenses are pretty long and definitely heavy. Too heavy for the Nikon's lens mount, therefore, requiring support.

This is my solution: It's made of steel to handle significant lens and gear weights. It mounts firmly to the existing 35R3 mount points. It uses Mitchell FF, matte box and rods system. It has an outrigger for mounting the LCD, tap monitor. It has long lens support. It has telescopic adjustment to place the FF drive gears at any Nikon lens length and barrel (gear) width. Makes variances in FF and matte box distances doable.

#9 and 10 are pics of Frankenmitchell all decked out with long lens, lens control gear, wireless playback receiver, XL2 tap and LCD monitor. This is pretty much the rig I'm shooting God Bites Man with (not just this lens, of course).

Very interesting Paul, your telescopic arm it's a good idea...look like you adapting it with a zoom holder mount for 25mm to 250mm ?

I have a old B&H 2709 on a rack over with a ratchet shutter and animation movement i like to adapting to Time laps. Here i fix a old Kem editing table i take me 1 year to find some parts...the video was shoot by my son Jonathan and it's the first time i put a film on it.

http://www.kewego.fr/video/iLyROoafJrwK.html

it's a bit nostalgic the film playing i made this in 76 with BOLEX camera.

This table edit the cartoon series in early 80's call the Racoon. The 35mm parts only edit 2 feature.

Not much of them left ... i got it for 135$ but need to fix it.

Pierre Sam

Rioux Pierre Samuel · January 25, 2010

I had a couple of problems to solve. All I had was old Mitchell FF, matte box and rods systems. Well, Mitchell stuff was made to screw onto the front of the camera and not move from there. All Mitchell lenses had focus gears in the same distance from the lens mount. My Nikon lenses had their focus gears all distances from the flange. Plus, longer Nikon lenses are pretty long and definitely heavy. Too heavy for the Nikon's lens mount, therefore, requiring support.

Paul

God Bites Man, what kind of film ?

Paul Bruening · January 25, 2010

I like that you have a B&H 2709. A piece of history still making history.

Paul
God Bites Man, what kind of film ?

This will explain it, Rioux:

http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=41851

Rioux Pierre Samuel · January 26, 2010

I like that you have a B&H 2709. A piece of history still making history.

This will explain it, Rioux:

http://www.cinematography.com/index.php?showtopic=41851

Paul your camera it's a 2 perforation ?

If yes this is interesting... got it like that ?

My B&H the serial number is near 1240 ? and was at first a height speed camera buy for military used in USA near 1951...

The problem with those camera you need to be a Popey or eat spinach when you start with a big camera all is big ...

Paul Bruening · January 26, 2010

Paul your camera it's a 2 perforation ?
If yes this is interesting... got it like that ?

My B&H the serial number is near 1240 ? and was at first a height speed camera buy for military used in USA near 1951...

The problem with those camera you need to be a Popey or eat spinach when you start with a big camera all is big ...

I had it converted from 4-perf to 2-perf by Bruce "G'day" McNaughton at Aranda Film Group (http://www.arandafilm.com.au/) in Australia. No one in the USA would touch it. It may be the only 2-perf Mitchell GC on the planet. I got it because it had the Fries Engineering mirror reflex conversion. I didn't know how hard it was to convert until I had already bought it.

You are correct about the weight factor. Everything Mitchell is over-engineered and heavy.

I just looked up the 2709 on www.cinematographers.nl. I didn't know B&H made that camera until 1957. Nor did I know that 1,240 or more were made. If there were so many, why don't we see more of them on the market?

Bruce Taylor · January 27, 2010

Nice job, Paul. It just goes to show that there are few things that can't be made with a few pieces of angle iron and box tubing!

Not a rig for handheld work, is it.

Bruce Taylor

David Rakoczy · January 27, 2010

Great posts Bruce and Keneu!

Oooops this was supposed to be in the Fine Art thread :D

Sent from my iPhone.

Rioux Pierre Samuel · January 27, 2010

Great posts Bruce and Keneu!

Oooops this was supposed to be in the Fine Art thread :D

Sent from my iPhone.

Aranda group in Australia made very good job ...

But Bruce Taylor got a very nice Kinor 35 for sell ... again it's a big size.

What is the issue on those camera Bruce we hear it's a hard to adjust the magazine tension ... and the second point it's the electronic circuits.And we never ear noting about the motor maybe is very good.

The camera i like to get maybe a Arri 3 modified to 2 perfo, i realy like the deep of field offer by the wide lens when you shot in 2 perfo no one talk about this never it's like a focus to infini. I also like the frame size. But today i think with the HD screen at 16:9 we are better to shot for 1:85. Ordinary people hate to have letter box image.

My Konvas was hone by Frank Wylie before ,Patrick Steel and Frank start the first forum on Konvas stuff. First i was looking for a Eclair CM3 2 perfo do you know they have 3 of them in Quebec except no one want to sell them. Finally i find the Konvas M2 wit a similar design and not 60 year old. But the Konvas in your hand is more easy to Handel compare to the Eclair.

You remember the F&B seco shoulder pod ( used with auricon news camera ) with little modification the Konvas fit perfectly on them.The Konvas soft blimp for the camera with the 200ft mag weight 7 pounds and if you using the 400 ft mag you have 8.5 pounds more. The complete Konvas with the 50mm lens a 200 ft mag the matt box a 17 EP Chrystal motor weight 17.5 pounds.

In my research at this time i find out also in Montreal every body send the Eclair to Bernie in USA for the service.

Paul Bruening · January 27, 2010

Aranda group in Australia made very good job ...
But Bruce Taylor got a very nice Kinor 35 for sell ... again it's a big size.

What is the issue on those camera Bruce we hear it's a hard to adjust the magazine tension ... and the second point it's the electronic circuits.And we never ear noting about the motor maybe is very good.

The camera i like to get maybe a Arri 3 modified to 2 perfo, i realy like the deep of field offer by the wide lens when you shot in 2 perfo no one talk about this never it's like a focus to infini. I also like the frame size. But today i think with the HD screen at 16:9 we are better to shot for 1:85. Ordinary people hate to have letter box image.

The best thing about Bruce's camera is that it's quiet and ready to work.

Paul Scaglione at Visual Products is working on a 2-perf movement for Arri BLs. I'd go with a quieter BL over an Arri III. The price on BLs is coming down in sales I've seen on Fleabay.

John Sprung · January 27, 2010

Paul Scaglione at Visual Products is working on a 2-perf movement for Arri BLs.

Arri made a 2 perf version of the II-C, called a II-CT. But they never made the BL in 2 perf. At last, we can have a BLT -- He should get some of those toothpicks with the little tuft of colored cellophane on one end. ;-)

-- J.S.

Paul Bruening · January 27, 2010

At last, we can have a BLT -- He should get some of those toothpicks with the little tuft of colored cellophane on one end. ;-)

-- J.S.

...groan. Good one!

Bruce Taylor · January 27, 2010

Aranda group in Australia made very good job ...
But Bruce Taylor got a very nice Kinor 35 for sell ... again it's a big size.

What is the issue on those camera Bruce we hear it's a hard to adjust the magazine tension ... and the second point it's the electronic circuits.And we never ear noting about the motor maybe is very good.

Hey Pierre,

I always have the mags serviced by a camera tech, I hear they are a bit fussy to adjust, plus the fact that the belts are usually shot from being so old (most of the Russian stuff that becomes available hasn't been serviced in years and years). As far as the electronics on the Kinor 35H, yes the originals are unreliable. That's why they have been replaced on my Kinors with the exception of the stock one I sold a few weeks ago. The motors themselves seem to be robust, it is the circuits controlling them that give the trouble.

Bruce Taylor