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The Krasnogorsk K3


danny bartle

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HungryHippo did you buy the K3 from a random individual seller on Ebay or from a place that sells K3s the whole time?

 

Also out of interest how much did you pay for it and is there anything you think i should ask about/look for in particular

 

Thanks!

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I bought mine for £80 including postage from a guy in the Russian Fed, it arrived in two weeks. Camera was in excellent condition, afew marks on the body but thats nothing. I was worried that it would be in bad condition but it runs smoothly, have had no trouble with the loop formers or anything. Maybe im just lucky?

 

You are always taking a risk buying from a country with a shaky economy so make sure you check them out before you buy. Ebay covers you for losses in certain cases. I find that the sellers who have their own business, good feedback and respond to your questions to be the safest bet.

 

Theres no way of really knowing what the camera will be like until you recieve it, check to see if they have a returns policy even though you will have to pay postage.

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[You recommend getting the Nikon lens mount for the front end... As a still photographer, I know Nikon makes amazing lenses for their cameras, but what would you recommend for this camera? ]

 

Yeah I think nikons would be good. Trouble is that they are pretty steep in cost in the sub 24mm "super wide" range. And remember that the 16mm frame will only use 50% of the field of view of 35mm - so a 8mm will look a lot like a 16mm. I have the nikon mount Peleng 8mm which is pretty good (not as good as a nikkor, but decent) that I paid $175 for - new. I also use a Zenit 16mm ($125 new), which is really good (but pretty slow at f3.5) and all my telephotos are nikkor-Q (and look positively sick when used properly). I guess I'd recommend wide nikkors if you already have some, but if you are going to purchase stuff, I might get something cheaper. ALSO, if you want to stick to the M42 Practica/pentax mount that comes on the camera, Carl Zeiss made some really decent East German lenses - the name of which escapes me right now. These will go on a K3 M42 and give you really decent quality at a cheapish price. Also they are 35mm and will cover your S16 gate without trouble.

 

Other things I love about the K3... open the door to the film compartment and flash the film with sunlight for some really cool burns. Spin the speed dial while in the middle of a shot.

 

I wish someone would start a k3 festival just for these little cameras. They really are something that anyone can use and afford. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

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has anyone modified their k3 for pilotone sync? seems an easier way to get sync than a xtal motor.

 

also, i have several non working 35mm slrs, including an old nikon. how possible would it be to fashion a homemade nikon adapter by gutting the mount from an old nikon f ?

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Great camera... I used to have one. But great as a 16 not an S16. Why? Because it is steep to convert (much more than an NPR or ACL). Plus, if your are going to drop all that cash, wouldn't a blimped camera be nice? If I were going to do an Arri 16, I'd look for an BL to convert (though it sufferes the same problem... more work has to ben done to mechanically recenter everything ans thus is very expensive. (My two cents) If you want a low cost MOS super 16 a K3 or Bolex is the way to go. If you want a low cost blimped camera try an ACL or NPR... they are cheap to buy and convert. I sold my Arri in favor of my S16, PL mount NPR which is rock-steady, quiet, and though as nails... and I got it for $1,700 (before conversion etc.).

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Did I mention that the built-in light meter (with added battery adapter from NCS) is spot on with my $600 Sekonic 508 Cine EVERYTIME!

A friend of mine just bought one on Ebay, looks in perfect shape, though old.

 

We found the battery from the meter dead and the contact a bit rusted.

Question: do you know the original voltage of that battery? I´m sure I can make a replacement for it.

 

Rob van Gelder

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Guest VideoCowboy

I just bought a K-3 to convert to super 16mm. Has anyone found a cheaper adapter for Nikon lenses than the $320 version?

 

Mine was used on eBay and it seems like a handy size. I hope to be able to edit it in with deinterlaced 24P video when their is no dialogue.

 

I found several things that I didn't like; the threads for the lens need to be cleaned up, the view through my viewfinder is very poor (especially in low light), the speed dial is very easy to change accidentally, and it still had the original battery in it so I need an adapter. Is it possible to get a replacement insert for the screwed in M42 lens mount, and are these problems normal?

 

The viewfinder is the only significant complaint that would make a Bolex worth the extra money.

 

Also, has anyone tired the ultra 16mm format conversion to the gate. It leaves the center where it is and widens the gate on both sides equally. I would like to try it if isn't already known not to work since you would be able to zoom.

 

Thanks,

 

Hal

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Allow me to touch on a couple of points...

 

First, the battery compartment. NCS makes a battery adapter (which is just a little machined piece of brass). It allows you to use watch or hearing aid batteries of the same voltage as the originals is place of the big lead ones. You could make one yourself... but the adapter is only $25 and will save you lots of time and frustration. It comes with info and six(?) batteries.

 

Also, watch for used K3's with clunky mounts. The pitch of the threads is really tight and if you crank a lens on to the mount to hard just one time it can really tear up the threads. I don't know of a cheaper nikon mount other than the reel trading one. You could probably make one yourself with an nikon to c mount adapter... if you are ambitious and have some nice machining tools around. Just be sure to get your mount recentered if you have an S16 K3.

 

Oh yeah, if you live in a decent sized city, go look at the local used camera store for m42 or practica lenses. They are cheap, will fit the K3's tock mount, and are MUCH better than the stock glass. Sometimes you can even find some cheap Zeiss DDR lenses this way.

 

Zooming... who uses zooms anyway?

 

Finally, on the finder - I know it sucks and it's dark and it can't be recentered for S16... but what do want from a $175 camera? We aren't talking about an SR3 Advanced here. And as far as a bolex goes, most are darker than the K3 (in my experience).

 

As I mentioned before, the K3 has lots of faults, but it also has lots of character, features, and DID I MENTION IT COST UNDER $200? Quit 'yer snivvlin'. ;)

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Regarding Ultra16 - Matt (Pacini) was going to convert one of his cameras. I'm thinking of converting my CP16R for an upcoming project to post on HD, and of course I'd rather have widescreen in-camera rather than crop in post. If you're there Matt I'd like to hear about it.

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What's that ?

 

the viewfinder: it's not too clear but I find mine is ok... may be one can change the ground glass ?

 

I read about the Ultra 16 format here: http://www.cameraspro.com/super16.html

 

I think the problem I saw in the viewfinder was from the threads being messed up and the lens not fitting correctly. Does anyone make a M42 thread restorer or tap & die? I am having a hard time finding anything.

 

Hal

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I'm a bit astonished about that. There are no diagrams, dimensions nor figures about "ultra 16 mm" on this site, actually (only very common things about Super 16, and "Ultra 16 is only mentionned. The thing is there is not much room on the perf side to gain... so I wonder exactly what are these dimensions, what safety room is left before the perf and if labs can easyly blow up that to 35 mm...

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Guest VideoCowboy

Has anyone been able to convert a K-3 to Ultra 16mm? :huh:

 

I was going to have it done to mine (.7mm wider on both sides of the gate), but it looks like this cuts into the port for the film claw and became worried about this area scratching the film. Decided to go with super 16mm (2mm wider on side opposite the claw).

 

Here is the comparison between regular 16mm, super 16mm, and ultra 16mm formats:

 

http://marylandfilms.com/16mm_Super16_Ultra16-compared.html

 

Hal

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The lens is pretty bad for a 16mm, but MUCH netter than any S8. At about five times as much frame (res too) the 16mm K3 will give you A LOT more quality, detail, latitude than any super eight. Plus it is not much garder to use. Also, at f1.9 the lens is pretty fast... even if it is not the sharpest glass.

 

I'd give it a try. It'a a cheap way to move into a bigger format.

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The lens is pretty bad for a 16mm, but MUCH netter than any S8.  At about five times as much frame (res too) the 16mm K3 will give you  A LOT more quality, detail, latitude than any super eight.  Plus it is not much garder to use.  Also, at f1.9 the lens is pretty fast... even if it is not the sharpest glass.

 

I'd give it a try.  It'a a cheap way to move into a bigger format.

 

Great. I will consider buying one. Not to mention if I shoot 16 tri-x it's not that much more expensive.

 

One more concern though; How long can I shoot on a full wind with the K-3? How many feet?

 

Thanks,

-steve

http://www.insomniacreations.com

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I think I remember hearing its about 20 seconds per wind.

 

Then you have to wind it up again turning the crank counter clock wise. ;)

 

But as long as you don?t have one shot over 20 seconds your ok.

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I?m looking on eBay for a k3 but they are all from out of the US and thus have high shipping costs. <_<

 

Where did you get yours?

 

I bought mine from a guy in toronto and he has like 6 of them for 150 plus 60 for shipping. my total was 209 which i felt was a good deal.

 

As far as lenses go i tried to grab a zeiss ddr but i was beat so i pickied up an old meyer orestor which seems to be a good praktica lens. after speaking with a few photographer friends they seem to be decent. I'm still going to search for that zeiss around manhattan; there are a few.

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