Cheap interval timer for mechanical movie cameras?

Post by **Herb Montes** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:58 pm

That is a bit high for a K100. If the zoom was the reflex finder model I hear of that covers Super 16 then that might explain the price. But I don't usually see a K100 sell for more than $100 at times. It's not than what I paid for mine. Yes, they use a c-mount. The Cine Special has its own type of mount though I do have an adapter to mount Cine Special lenses on c-mount cameras. And the Cine Special is a very heavy camera and not easy to hold.

What I like about the K100 viewfinder is you see a large round view and there is a rectangle in the middle where the film frame is. The parallax correction relies on some tick marks in the viewfinder. It doesn't depend on any mechanical adjustment. I have yet to shoot film with my K100s (so many cameras, so little time) yet I heard they make good images. The Cine Special is known for its sharp rock steady images and the K100 is built on the same design. And you can enhance it with a reflex finder zoom. I have mounted my Angenieux and my Pan Cinor zooms to my K100s. My main beef with the cameras is the lack of a standard cable release socket.

Now I did recently acquire the rare K100 handcrank. When I attached it to one of my K100s I found I could expose two frames per turn. Which means it's possible to adapt a single frame motor to turn the camera a frame at a time (but at half a turn per frame). The connection is actually a small gear. I'll have to take a picture of it and maybe reverse engineer it.

Post by **Patrick** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:34 pm

That viewfinder paralax system you describe - does that belong to the single lens version or the turret version or both? Interesting how each person has their own individual preferences for equipment design and features. For example, there is another K100 owner at Cinematography.com who doesn't like the paralax correction on this camera at all, describing it as a pain and tricky to use! Though your description sounds like it's a fairly simple system. Those Angenieux and Pan Cinor reflex zooms are of course another alternative but Ive heard from some individuals that the quality of those lenses is usually pretty ordinary. Of course everyone has different opinions.

Post by **Herb Montes** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:41 pm

The parallax correction on the K100 is the same for both models. Simply tick marks in the viewfinder for the center of the field. Not as easy to use as the Bolex side finder.

Post by **Patrick** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:14 pm

"Simply tick marks in the viewfinder for the center of the field."

Hmmm...but what about the outer paremeters of the field of view? I assume there are lines or markings showing the edges of the field of view with each lens?

Post by **Herb Montes** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:49 pm

Patrick wrote:"Simply tick marks in the viewfinder for the center of the field."

Hmmm...but what about the outer paremeters of the field of view? I assume there are lines or markings showing the edges of the field of view with each lens?

Yes, there is. What it looks like is a circular field of view. The rectangular frame for each lens is clear while the area outside of it is transparent yellow. Like they used a colored acetate mask in the viewfinder. If I can find my K100 manual I can scan a few pages to show you what it approximately looks like. The manual is in black and white though.

Post by **Patrick** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 9:12 am

Here's an unusual advertisement for the K100. This particular application certainly never crossed my mind when I was researching about this camera....

http://www.ejbjs.org/cgi/issue_pdf/back ... f/39/1.pdf

Post by **Patrick** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:26 pm

I just found out some interesting trivia. We're all familiar with that shaky 1960s footage of what is supposedly a 'big foot' / sasquatch walking along in the woods. There is a website that claims that footage was shot with a Kodak K100. If I get hands on one of these cameras, I could capture a mysterious beast on film too!

Post by **Herb Montes** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:04 pm

The Kinor-16 just came in the mail (all the way from Russia). Interesting camera. I like the quick change magazines. I only got 100 foot magazines with it but I'll be looking for the larger 400 foot ones. The viewfinder is large and bright. I'm going to see if the camera is suitable for animation. My main concern is any light leaks around the mirror shutter. It's electric powered using a battery pack hanging off your shoulder. It's pin registered so it should make some rock steady images. It came with a 12mm to 120mm zoom though the thread at the front has a 74mm thread and filters in that size are rare. Even with the 100 foot magazine it seems heavier than the Bolex. With the 400 foot magazine it should sit well on the shoulder. I'll be posting pictures of it.

Post by **Patrick** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 1:31 pm

Cool! Well done! The Kinor has a good reputation as a low priced professional camera. Certainly sounds like a bargain in the 16mm world. Did you get yours for a good price? Yea always a little bit of a worry doing single frame shooting with a camera using a mirror shutter. Though I believe there is a well known pro camera with mirror shutter that can do single frame with no fogging (can't recall exactly which camera it is but it could be an Aaton.)

Post by **Herb Montes** » Fri Jun 22, 2007 2:55 pm

I know with the Arriflex you have to use an external capping shutter because of light leaking around the mirror shutter. Most cameras used for animation and time lapse would have a focal plane shutter. The best known is the Mitchell. I tried to find one but the current price for one runs around $4,000. I also wanted a 400 foot capacity electric drive camera to document local festivals and such. I was looking at an NPR and a CP-16 but they were still out of my range in terms of cost which is why I went with the Kinor. I got mine for $700 with three 100 foot magazines. The 400 magazine is a little harder to find but they do show up on eBay so I'm continuing to look. I didn't get mine with a motor for the time being since I wanted to see how it works for animation first. But I can get a motor later and they are available for around $200 (crystal synced at 25 fps). Once I get a larger magazine and motor I'm set for the field. Right now I want to compare the quality of images I can get compared to my Bolex when filming stop motion.

Post by **ncsproducts** » Sat Jun 30, 2007 6:07 am

Patrick wrote:Yea, youve actually already persuaded me from using the K3 for time lapse! I was thinking of buying a Bolex H16 or something similar for time lapse shooting. I have read about the TIVs many times but they do cost quite a few $$$.

The main problem with using the K-3 for time-lapse is that you are limited to just one shutter speed. But boy can you slam out the frames!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xK8M7ZxRBqg

Here's a TIV that will be selling at a discount,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0132142026