R
ruben
Guest
In a past and still ongoing thread, "Two small tips for Kiev 4AM owners", Noel (Xmas) and I have been discussing the issue of Kiev frame spacing problems.
The story somehow complicated itself a bit, due to the fact that the model 4AM or 4M, is different from all other models, in one of the main aspects concerning us, the fixed take up spool. Ok, we will solve it and probably end in better knowledge.
But two things should be remmarked. The first is that in very broad terms, it seems that the key for solving the issue in general is in the friction level of the take up fork. Control it and you control the frame spacing. Apparently a too tight fork will cause big spacing between frames, and a too loose fork will cause overlapping. This at least for an otherwise well working camera, and with soft REWIND knob/fork. This is to be further tested, but makes sense. My testing is limited so far to a single camera, and obviously it is not enough.
If it shows true, you will know in which direction you should act.
But how do you know you have reached the right level of friction after performing your adjustment ? Here came Noel with a great idea I want it not get lost, as i tryied myself in my test and it works wonders.
Noel proposes to insert a blank film, i, e, sacrifice a film for the cause, close the camera, take out the lens, and start shooting each frame at "B". At each "B" you will mark with a marker the frame borders on the film, inserting your marker from the empty lens mount, and at the end of the film you will have the exact behaviour of your camera.
And what if your marked film shows that a second adjustment is needed - will you sacrifice another film ? Nope, you will use a different color marker.
Does this proceeding works if after the test you will be shooting "real film" at different speeds ? Yes, it works as I have tested it by re-inserting the marked film and bringing the first frame to fit exactly the camera frame, by using the "B" setting. Then, I continued firing and changing speeds, going back to "B" , from time to time, to see if the framed marks fit or not, and they fitted accurately !
Cheers,
Ruben
PS
Notice too, that the "blank film test" is very practical for when you purchase a Kiev and want to know in advance if it will produce space problems or not.
The story somehow complicated itself a bit, due to the fact that the model 4AM or 4M, is different from all other models, in one of the main aspects concerning us, the fixed take up spool. Ok, we will solve it and probably end in better knowledge.
But two things should be remmarked. The first is that in very broad terms, it seems that the key for solving the issue in general is in the friction level of the take up fork. Control it and you control the frame spacing. Apparently a too tight fork will cause big spacing between frames, and a too loose fork will cause overlapping. This at least for an otherwise well working camera, and with soft REWIND knob/fork. This is to be further tested, but makes sense. My testing is limited so far to a single camera, and obviously it is not enough.
If it shows true, you will know in which direction you should act.
But how do you know you have reached the right level of friction after performing your adjustment ? Here came Noel with a great idea I want it not get lost, as i tryied myself in my test and it works wonders.
Noel proposes to insert a blank film, i, e, sacrifice a film for the cause, close the camera, take out the lens, and start shooting each frame at "B". At each "B" you will mark with a marker the frame borders on the film, inserting your marker from the empty lens mount, and at the end of the film you will have the exact behaviour of your camera.
And what if your marked film shows that a second adjustment is needed - will you sacrifice another film ? Nope, you will use a different color marker.
Does this proceeding works if after the test you will be shooting "real film" at different speeds ? Yes, it works as I have tested it by re-inserting the marked film and bringing the first frame to fit exactly the camera frame, by using the "B" setting. Then, I continued firing and changing speeds, going back to "B" , from time to time, to see if the framed marks fit or not, and they fitted accurately !
Cheers,
Ruben
PS
Notice too, that the "blank film test" is very practical for when you purchase a Kiev and want to know in advance if it will produce space problems or not.
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