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k3 fps speed knob/dial


k3shooter

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Hello wise ones. I just purchased my first K3 and so far I love it. I had a question pertaining to the fps dial which seems to spin all the way around with no detent positions. Is this normal? If so how do I know whether or not I am truly getting 24fps or any other speed for that matter? I wind it up and move the speed knob and the motor varies its speed accordingly. Is there any way, besides crystal sync, to know if I am getting anything close to 24fps when I have 24 selected? Thanks in advance.

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On my K3, there is a red dot next to each camera speed on the dial. In order to run at a marked speed (24fps, etc) you need to align the red dot next to the number with the red dot on the outside of the speed ring. If the dots are not aligned, the motor is running somewhere between the marked speeds. I don't know how you would verify the actual speed outside of analysing the projected film.

Edited by MikeL
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On my K3, there is a red dot next to each camera speed on the dial. In order to run at a marked speed (24fps, etc) you need to align the red dot next to the number with the red dot on the outside of the speed ring. If the dots are not aligned, the motor is running somewhere between the marked speeds. I don't know how you would verify the actual speed outside of analysing the projected film.

 

Thanks Mike. That's what I'm doing. I guess I was expecting the dial to be more precise and have a tighter feel in turning. It seems fairly loose. I'll line up the two big red dots at 24, test some film, and hope for the best. Perhaps I'll tape the dial down at 24 so it doesn't move accidentally. By the way, how's your registration look in the final print? I know these cams are a far cry from a pin registered Arri but just wondering. Any other advice would be much appreciated. Thanks again.

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My registration was spot on. I filmed some tight compositions (a few inches wide) and the result was a very crisp, stable image. I didn't have a loose dial like yours, but K3s certainly have their quirks. The pistol grip screw on mine was about a millimeter too high and I had to grind it down to make the grip flush with the base of the camera; otherwise it jiggled back and forth. The only advice I'd give you is in regards to making modifications to the camera if you have a problem with scratches. My K3 produced beautiful images, but the cheesy plastic guides on the film transport scratched the film. I made the modifications exactly as some other folks have, step by step, and disaster was the result. Once you remove the baffle plate (which you need to do if you want to remove the guides), you're opening yourself to the possibility that the camera will never work again. K3camera.com hints at this in their FAQ and wouldn't respond when I told them about my problem and asked for advice (or an estimate for repair). Hopefully your K3 will run fine without scratches. If that's the case, I wouldn't change a thing and have fun shooting. :D

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Thanks for all the great advice Mike. I burned a roll of Plus X to practice loading and inspected the film with a mag glass and found no apparent scratches. I'm going to shoot some neg in a few weeks and check the results. I rolled both loops back 1-2 perfs (read it somewhere) and ran the cam at all speeds. Both loops looked good and were clearing the loop guides nicely, from what I could see. The moment of truth will be in a couple of weeks. I'm sorry to hear about your K3 and I'm wondering if Kiev Camera here in the states may be able to help you out more than K3 camera. They're in the Atlanta area and supposedly pretty knowledgeable in the K3. In the interim, I will heed your advice and not disassemble anything. Thanks again.

 

 

Cheers,

 

Greg

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Ok you K3 Padowan Learners listen to the K3 Jedi Master :D

 

On Speed:

 

I have checked K3s using the Tobin Speed checker and it's very tough to get one to maintain 24 fps spot on for any length of time. Of course doing MOS work this really doesn't matter, close is usually good enough.

 

On Loading:

 

Yes the loop guides will scratch the film so follow these steps.

 

1) Once the film has been advanced over the gear, through the loop guide, and is being held by the claw behind the pressure plate. Pull up the silver disc on the gear, and back the film off 1-2 perfs. Yes this will make the loop a bit smaller which is exactly what you want to do to make sure the film does not touch the loop guides. The film will run through fine pulled back 1-2 perfs.

 

2) Repeat this process for the bottom loop as well.

 

3) Wind lots of film onto the take up spool and make sure it's tight. I've seen students try to go cheap on film and use only one or two lengths around the take up spool, only to discover that the film came off the take up reel.

 

4) Run the camera at 8 fps with the cover off to inspect the film movement and make sure it's not touching either loop guide.

 

5) Now run the camera at 24 fps with the cover off and inspect.

 

6) Put the cover on and lens cap on, run at 24fps for a good 4-5 seconds to clear off all of the exposed film created during loading.

 

7) Now the K3 is ready for it's first real shot.

 

And there you have it, now get out there and execute order 66.

 

R,

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