Leicina Special time exposure question.

[Nicholas Kovats]

I plan on mounting my Leicina Special/ST1 Controller/10mm Cinegon on my bike this weekend for some nighttime time exposure experiments with the average exposure per K40 frame = 3 seconds.

In general I prefer shooting at optimal apertures, e.g. f/5.6. Another factor is the age of the stock. And this is not a typo. It is factory sealed refrigerated K40 from 1982.

I am not concerned about possible color shifts nor reproducibility failure. It's experimental footage, dudes!

I have had a previous wonderful experience with an identical setup back in the early nineties with FRESH K40. The streaking solidity of crazy colors is amazing and ended up in a film of mine called Silly Billy which ironically played in Germany this year. I may eventually release it publicly.

Back to the point.

I utilize a digital spot meter for my work in general and my exposures tend to be spot on. However it's been awhile since I have dabbled in the extended exposure realm of time exposures.

What are the best guides that take into account film stock ASA, exposure time per frame and ambient tungsten lighting (car headlights, windows, buildings)?

[super8man]

Isn't the rule for night time photography that there is no correct exposure? I mean, if you are riding around and using a timelapse and extended shutter opening, everything will be blurred and streaky (in a good way). It all depends on how bright you want your final exposure and that will determine how fast or slow the exposure time is.

In general though, there is no single answer that is correct.

[Nicholas Kovats]

Thanks super8man,

I found the following which I will be utilizing as a reference, i.e.

THE ULTIMATE EXPOSURE COMPUTER
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Basically, i.e.

ISO 50 reference (with perhaps a 1/3 stop compensation for the K40), i.e.

EV = 4, i.e.
Candle lit close-ups. Christmas lights, floodlit buildings, fountains, and monuments. Subjects under bright street lamps.

Chart recommendation re: exposure factors, i.e.
1. f/5.6 aperture w/ 4 second exposure per frame.
2. f/4.0 aperture w/ 2 second exposure per frame.

So my initial guesstimate reference point of 3 seconds per frame at my preferred shooting aperture was not too far off.

However I will still vary my exposure times across multiple takes to effectively "bracket" my experimental exposures.

[Nicholas Kovats]

I did end up riding my bike in the cold this evening for a total of 41 km. I shot approximately 34-40 ft of K40 with two variances, i.e. 2 or 3 secs per frame. My base reference for K40 time exposures is my film "Silly Billy" shot in 1994, i.e. exterior (nighttime)/interior (dim tungsten lighting) approx. 3 seconds per frame.

Unfortunately the Manfrotto Super Grip is not ideal. The 3/8, 1/4 inch tripod bushing spigot keeps vibrating loose. I had to re-tighten it constantly. Shortcomings observed and improved mount forthcoming.

The Leicina Special performed like a tank. Consistent exposures for over 2 hours in cold weather riding. It helped to have the batteries/controller underneath my jacket. Stay tuned.

[Nicholas Kovats]

Well the 5x test K40 cartridges finally arrived back from Dwaynes' yesterday.

I will transfer this eventually but I could not resist a quick peek in my Hamel (?) 1001 S8 viewer.

First the negative. Though apparently cold stored for 30+ years the reversal footage displays a pinkish cast. I was hoping for classic K40 dense blacks as these bicycle mounted Leicina Special w/ 10mm Cinegon time exposures were made at night. Is there a software "negative" filter available that can remove or minimize this?

I am planning to reshoot all this in warmer weather with fresh stock. Maybe E100D? How is 100D's density regarding night time blacks?

And now the positive!

The Leicina time exposure technique w/ approx. 3 secs exposure per frame is quite spectacular. The light points represented by the car headlights, street lamps...dance, vibrate...and a phenomenon I call highly energized "jaggies"...due to the vibrations transmitted by the road surface/bicycle. It's as if the famous hand painted films of Norman McLaren at the NFB were morphed into some frantic electrified source of crazy energy!

There is a fascinating roughness to the technique that is pure analog in nature. How the hell could I even replicate this with a HDSLR?

It is a bit overwhelming visually when "manually" played back at approx. 24fps. My intentions are to slowdown the playback to about to 3-5fps in my NLE.

Well, the proof is in the pudding and I will post some examples over next few months.

Cheers!

[carllooper]

I can't wait to see it.

Carl

[Nicholas Kovats]

I can't wait to see it.

Carl

Thanks, Carl.

It's too bad I cannot avail myself of "local" 3.5 K scan services.

[carllooper]

I'll be using a local 1.920K service for the time being (DV8 Sniper Pro) - due to the time it's taking to complete building of my 3.5K scanner. Will get there eventually. Physical (as distinct from software) engineering is something I'm still learning. I purchased my first drill and vice today!

Carl