View Full Version : [OT] Russian 16mm cameras
Apostata
07-12-2005, 07:45
Hello,
I realise this is off-topic, but I was wondering if anyone here knew of a good forum for FSU 16mm or 35mm movie cameras. I own and use a Krasnogorsk-3 (http://www.k3camera.com), and would love to have a place to discuss the small/irritating issues we're able to air-out here about Russian rangefinders. So far, aside from general movie camera forums (which are few, and very Arriflex-centric), I can't really find anything. Any suggestions are welcome.
(Again, sorry for the OT post)
Matt
Subminis just came up here the other week, I just got my Minolta 16 II yesterday, dont have any film yet though. The internet fount for all things submini is http://www.subclub.org/
Apostata
07-12-2005, 08:23
Subminis just came up here the other week, I just got my Minolta 16 II yesterday, dont have any film yet though. The internet fount for all things submini is http://www.subclub.org/
Hey XAos - I appreciate the reply, but I'm actually referring to movie cameras (see: picture (http://www.concentric.net/~jdq/Accessories%20shown.JPG) )
Maybe something of an oddball, but I've never had the slightest interest in having either a movie camera or a camcorder - and have never owned either. That being said, if the film school at Figueroa Tech (a.k.a. USC) uses the one in the posted website, it must have something going for it. But what are the little matters you refer to? I ask that because I've read so many websites regarding FSU cameras that I sometimes wonder if they are referring to the same machines. Have you had poroblems with the Kras....? (I can't ask where the restroom is in Russian!)
Hello,
I realise this is off-topic, but I was wondering if anyone here knew of a good forum for FSU 16mm or 35mm movie cameras. I own and use a Krasnogorsk-3 (http://www.k3camera.com), and would love to have a place to discuss the small/irritating issues we're able to air-out here about Russian rangefinders. So far, aside from general movie camera forums (which are few, and very Arriflex-centric), I can't really find anything. Any suggestions are welcome.
(Again, sorry for the OT post)
Matt
Raf-camera(I have bought some FSU still camera stuff from) is more into the movie cameras and they have this link to a listserve(?) about movie cameras:
Mostly Konvas? (http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/Konvas)
I don't know any thing about this stuff but maybe it will help.
Rob
Apostata
07-12-2005, 21:02
Raf-camera(I have bought some FSU still camera stuff from) is more into the movie cameras and they have this link to a listserve(?) about movie cameras:
Mostly Konvas? (http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/Konvas)
I don't know any thing about this stuff but maybe it will help.
Rob
Many thanks, Rob. I've just registered to that list, as it certainly looks promising. I realise it's a bit of a niche-within-a-niche (not just +20 year old FSU cameras...but movie cameras!), and I appreciate the link.
Maybe something of an oddball, but I've never had the slightest interest in having either a movie camera or a camcorder - and have never owned either. That being said, if the film school at Figueroa Tech (a.k.a. USC) uses the one in the posted website, it must have something going for it. But what are the little matters you refer to? I ask that because I've read so many websites regarding FSU cameras that I sometimes wonder if they are referring to the same machines. Have you had poroblems with the Kras....? (I can't ask where the restroom is in Russian!)
Camcorders - no. Never been a big video person. The "K3" is the Russian version of the Swiss 'Bolex' 16mm cameras, only more rugged and generally cheaper - ring a familiar bell to anyone? ;)
The problem I'm having is sluggish, inconsistent film speeds below 16 fps, and also my desire to mod the gate so that I can shoot Super-16mm rather than the standard ratio. Otherwise the optics and machining are fine on it. I'm actually going to try to use the Jupiter-8 from my Zorki-4 on the K3 to see how it performs (!).
Matt
"I realise it's a bit of a niche-within-a-niche (not just +20 year old FSU cameras...but movie cameras!), and I appreciate the link. "
Seems to be a fair amount of activity on that list for the, what, twelve of you guys there must be using this stuff :D
Seriously though, this is just one reason I love the internet. Almost no matter how narrow ones interest, you can find some other people to share it with.
It's just too cool!
Long, long ago I did some very bad stop motion animation with some 8mm camera a buddy had but that never captured my interest much.
When you become a famous auteur I want tix to some premieres :)
Rob
Okay, Matt ol' boy. I checked out the link you listed above. So the K3 is pretty much manual, right? Windup, etc. It also has a light meter, but this needs batteries. I'm also assuming though, that the camera can function fine without the meter (if the bats go bad) as in fps, f-stop, etc. are set manually. So when a guy out in the bush realizes his Ray-O-Vacs have gone belly up, he can still catch the action of a bald eagle nose diving straight for his eye-balls, talons first. :confused:
Body and lens, under 8 lbs. Not bad, especially if I sneak it into my brother's pack! Pretty interesting unit. Hope you find a good forum of like-minded movie makers. If not, just hang around here and keep talking about how cool your K-3 is, and you'll probably have 8 or 10 converts by Christmas! ;)
Just curious, but let us know how the J8 works out. Good luck!
Apostata
07-13-2005, 09:16
Okay, Matt ol' boy. I checked out the link you listed above. So the K3 is pretty much manual, right? Windup, etc. It also has a light meter, but this needs batteries. I'm also assuming though, that the camera can function fine without the meter (if the bats go bad) as in fps, f-stop, etc. are set manually. So when a guy out in the bush realizes his Ray-O-Vacs have gone belly up, he can still catch the action of a bald eagle nose diving straight for his eye-balls, talons first. :confused:
Body and lens, under 8 lbs. Not bad, especially if I sneak it into my brother's pack! Pretty interesting unit. Hope you find a good forum of like-minded movie makers. If not, just hang around here and keep talking about how cool your K-3 is, and you'll probably have 8 or 10 converts by Christmas! ;)
Just curious, but let us know how the J8 works out. Good luck!
lol - the *last* thing I want is to tempt people here with filmmaking. It's arduous, frightfully expensive, and generally a p-i-t-a. I can only justify it as I work in film, and can get deals on stock/processing here and there.
The Krasnogorsk-3 is made by the same company as the Zorki, btw (KMZ). It comes with a monster zoom lens (Meteor) with a big 77mm objective.
As for the J8 - I just got my test roll back, and all looks well. I haven't had time to adjust the aperature ring, but I'll probably get a chance to do so soon.
M
Matt -
Yeah, I've actually bumped into occasional info about the K's whilst combing the net for Zorki info. I knew they were cousins, but then... I'm learning that darn near every photobeast coming from that direction is related in some way, at least by "adoption or marriage"... ha! But the Zoom was the thing that caught my eye when I happened on them before. I thought, "Wow! Now that's got possibilities!"
lol - the *last* thing I want is to tempt people here with filmmaking. It's arduous, frightfully expensive, and generally a p-i-t-a.
Okay, guys, read between the lines here... Matt's hidin' something. He must be havin' a ball with this FSU K3 thinga-ma-jigger. I say we buy one now, before the word get's out and prices go up!!
So this is a "Russian Bolex"!! I'm beginning to wonder if a camera ever existed that the Russkis didn't try to copy. How about a "Russian" Kodak Brownie? It has to show how much regard they had for patents, copyrights, etc. Of course, in the case of Contax (Kiev), they just took the whole factory (and some of the technicians) and hauled them off to Kiev, which may have something to do with why the cameras were called that. And in that case, at least the EARLY Russian copies were considered on a par with the original German ones.
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