Zoe's Valentines Day present arrived on time.

It's a Krasnogorsk-3 16mm spring wound movie camera. Like, with real film. I picked it up on eBay and, like the former Soviet Union still cameras, the prices are very reasonable. I was not sure Zoe would really like it. She was a film student 30 years ago. Reality got in the way and she gave that dream up but I knew she still had a very soft spot for film making. I needn't have worried. She is thrilled to have her own 16mm camera. She won't be able to do anything with it right away with all that still needs to be done for Gerry, but that will come.

30 years ago I was into film too. I had a Bolex Super 8 and belonged to the NW Filmakers Co-op. I soon realized that it wasn't for me, that still photography was what I wanted to do but I still have film urges. I will be Zoe's technical assistant but I might want to do something with it.

Being spring wound you are limited to shots no longer that 26 seconds and you can't shoot sound with it. Aside from the noise, it's not synched. But it will do single frame which makes it great for animation which was one of Zoe's loves. But it has interesting possibilities. When the film is processed it can be converted to video and all editing can be done on a computer and then the video can taken back out to film. This camera can easily be converted to Super 16mm which has the aspect ratio of HD TV and is pretty much indistinguishable from 35mm. The Krasnogorsk has a good 17-69mm zoom but also has a M42 mount so I can use all my Pentax prime lenses on it.

It should be fun.