Konvas 1M/7M 35mm Motion Picture Camera Manual

1KCP-7M INSTRUCTION MANUAL

The 1KCP-7M is a 35mm, crystal, 35mm rotating mirror shutter camera that uses quick change two and four hundred foot magazines and has a finder that is orientable in one plane and rotatable (the image does not stay erect) in another. The camera has a three lens turret which may, since it is large and non-divergent, lend itself to the modification to other lens mounts. The camera comes from the factory with a larger, Russian version of the Arri standard mount, the barrel diameter being 47mm. The motor has a number of useful crystal locked speeds and always stops the mirror shutter in viewing position. Although the camera does not rest on one's shoulder when hand-holding, it is nevertheless lightweight, and the handgrip is angled ergonomically so that good hand-held shots can be obtained.

Note: all directions are given from the viewpoint of a camera operator looking through the viewfinder.

LOADING 120m (400') MAGAZINE

The 200' and 400' mags are single compartment displacement type; they must, therefore, be loaded entirely in complete darkness, either in a darkroom or changing bag.

Remove mag door

Unlock mag door by turning the door lock lever to the O symbol. Lift the right side of the door up (near the footage counter window), then slide the left side of the door from under the door dovetail. Remove door.

Open loop cover doors

These are located above and below the pressure plate, on the sides of the magazine.

Place film on feed spindle

Swing the footage counter arm to the right and place film to be exposed on the upper (feed) spindle. The roll should unspool so that it turns clockwise (see threading diagram). Press the roll down into the mag until it is fully seated.

Thread feed sprocket

Push film into the sprocketed feed roller with your left hand. Use your right thumb to push down and turn the sprocketed feed roller clockwise until film emerges past the upper loop cover door opening.

Press the button in the middle of the sprocketed feed roller with your left hand. This releases the roller from the drive system of the mag and allows you to pull film through smoothly. With your right hand, pull through about 2 feet.

Thread pressure plate

Push the film through the pressure plate. This can be difficult, especially in total darkness, so it is advisable to practice thoroughly. The film must be fed under the pressure plate guide rails or the mag will instantly jam.

Depress loop setting button

To pull the film completely through the pressure plate, you will need to press down and hold the loop setting button, located at the bottom of the pressure plate. This spring loaded device locks the film at a pre-determined location so that the claw in the camera will successfully engage the film. Hold the loop setting button down with your left index finger while pulling film through the pressure plate. Pull enough film through so that the upper loop which you have just formed almost, but not quite, touches the upper loop door when closed. Release the loop setting button, and tug the film slightly to make sure that the button has engaged a sprocket hole (the film will not move). Close the upper loop door.

Thread take up sprocket

Feed film over the sprocketed take up roller clockwise in the same way as you fed film over the sprocketed feed roller. Set the loop so that it almost, but not quite touches the lower loop door when closed. Close the lower loop door.

Wrap take up core

Place the end of the film into the angled slot of a 35mm core and wrap the core several times so that the film will not slip. It is not advisable to tape film to the take up core as this can cause laboratory development machines to jam. Place the core onto the take up spindle.

Take up slack

Turn the film on the upper spindle counter-clockwise and the core on the bottom spindle clockwise until there is no slack.

Replace mag door

With your left hand, squeeze both upper and lower loop doors shut, slide the mag door under the dovetail near the pressure plate, then press the right side of the door down and turn the mag door lock lever to the symbol 3. If the mag door won't shut, either one or both of the loop doors is not fully closed or the mag door lock lever has been moved to the symbol 3 before the mag door is shut.

Check door closure

Test the mag door by gently pulling up on it around its edges. If all is secure, and no part of the changing bag, plastic film bag, or the film itself is caught between the door and mag, you may pull the magazine into the light.

Tape mag

As there is but one small locking dog on the mag door, it is highly recommended that the door be securely taped shut with camera tape.

Cover pressure plate

Snap a pressure plate protector over the gate. This is a thin, flat piece of metal that covers the film.

LOADING THE 60 m (200') MAGAZINE

The procedure for loading this magazine is identical to that of the 400' mag, except that the feed and take up spindles are not sized correctly for either daylight or core loads from western (Kodak, Agfa, etc.) manufacturers. The feed spindle should successfully unwind film wound on standard 35mm plastic cores, but the take up will not. Some adaptation is required; contact the camera supplier for information.

LOADING THE CAMERA

After you have loaded the mags, the camera may be loaded instantly as all the threading, etc. has been done before hand.

Remove empty mag

Find the mag lock pin; it is located between the viewfinder and tachometer on the left side of the camera. It has a shiny, triangular shaped knob attached. Pull this out and turn it 90 degrees to keep it out, then pull the magazine straight back (away from the front of the camera). Always cover the pressure plate with a pressure plate protector.

Mount mag

To insert a mag into the camera, first make sure that you have pulled and turned the mag lock pin so that the mag will not strike it. Remove the pressure plate protector if mounted and push the nose of the mag toward the camera gate. It may be difficult as the mag to camera connection is a tight fit. By pushing both the top and bottom of the mag equally, so that the nose of the mag stays parallel to the gate, the mag will slide in.

Lock mag

Once the mag is seated, twist the mag lock pin 90 degrees. The knob on the pin, being spring loaded, will snap into a slot.

Check mag lock

To make sure that the mag in question is fully seated, try to remove it without pulling the mag lock pin out. If the mag separates from the camera, it was not fully seated and must be pushed in further.

Inch camera

At the base of the motor, just above the orange fuse holder, is a clear plastic inching knob used for turning the camera by hand. After you have inserted a loaded magazine into the camera, push in and turn this knob upward, in the direction of the engraved arrow, several times. This allows the pulldown claw to "find" a perforation before the camera is run at speed.

RUNNING THE CAMERA

The camera, equipped with the 19ZP-16APK motor, runs at 8,12,16,24,25, and 32 fps. The speeds 24 and 25 fps have been tested and are crystal locked, and the others, though untested, appear to be also. A red warning light on the end of the handgrip will light when the camera is running but not at the speed you have selected. An audible warning accompanies this light; it is located at the base of the motor on the side nearest the camera. A switch can be engaged to enable or cancel this audible warning.

Speed setting is accomplished by turning the selection knob on the end of the handgrip. You can change speeds while the camera is running, but the speed change will be abrupt.

The shutter angle of the 1KCP-7M is 150 degrees. At 24 fps, the exposure time is 1/57.6 of a second, or a nominal 1/60 second.

FPS ACTUAL NOMINAL

8 1/19.2 1/20
12 1/28.8 1/30
16 1/38.4 1/40
24 1/57.6 1/60
25 1/60 1/60
32 1/76.8 1/80

Speeds are indicated by the meter-type tachometer on the left side of the camera. With the 19ZP-16APK motor, however, the tachometer is unnecessary as this motor has a warning light and beep to indicate out of speed. The tach can, however, be used with other motors and serves as a second check on camera speed.

POWER REQUIREMENTS

The 1KCP-7M comes equipped with a battery and charger, but it has a Russian plug will likely only be useful in former Soviet bloc countries! To get your camera to use 12V batteries with the standard 4 pin XLR connector is a simple task. We suggest replacing the 10 pin connector on each power cable with a standard male 4 pin XLR type connector, either Switchcraft A4M or Neutrik NC4-MX.

Disassemble the 10 pin connector; you will find that two identical white wires are soldered to the connector so that one wire joins two pins at the top (nearest the gap in the outer ring) and the other wire joins two pins at the bottom. The white wire at the top is 12V positive; solder it to pin 4 on the XLR connector. The white wire at the bottom of the 10 pin is negative and should be soldered to the 1 pin on the XLR.

FOCUSING THE VIEWFINDER

The large, bright finder of the 1KCP-7M has an adjustment of plus or minus 5 diopters to compensate for the eyesight of the operator. To adjust the eyepiece, point the camera toward a bright source and view through the finder. Loosen the diopter adjustment by turning the knurled ring around the finder tube located nearest the rubber eyecup, then turn the diopter adjustment cylinder (it has markings for plus and minus on it) until the cross hairs on the ground glass are as sharp as possible. Once you are satisfied that the cross hairs are sharp, turn the large knurled ring until the diopter adjustment is locked.

TILTING THE VIEWFINDER

The 1KCP-7M sports a finder that tilts down from the camera while the image stays erect. To use this feature, pull the finder lock lever, found on the left side of the camera above the serial number, out. This loosens the tilt moment of the finder and allows it to move through 90 degrees. Once you have found the angle that suits your needs, push the finder lock lever back in.

Tilting the finder requires you to turn a "finder mask" to match the angle of tilt. The mask is operated by turning the second furthest knurled ring on the finder from the camera body while viewing through the camera. Turn the ring until the black mask matches ground glass.

SWINGING THE FINDER

To "swing", rather than tilt the finder, turn the knurled ring on the finder that is closest to the camera clockwise. This ring is very finely threaded, so you may have to turn it 5 or 6 rotations to fully loosen it. Once the ring is loosened, you can now swing the finder clockwise or counter clockwise a full 360 degrees. The image, however, will not stay erect as when you tilted the finder. You will also have to adjust the finder mask to match the frame when you swing the finder. The swing function, never the less, can be extremely useful even though it doesn't keep the image erect, especially for situations like low shots that would otherwise force you to lay on the ground to view the image.

USING THE MATTE BOX

The matte box comes in its own case and has two stages (two filters may be used at the same time). The rear stage is fully rotatable. Four filter holders are supplied in two sizes: 75mm x 75mm, and 75mm by 120mm. Standard 3"x3" and 3"x4" plastic filters sold for still photography may be cut down to size to fit these holders.

The matte box secures to the base of the camera with a captured 3/8-16 screw. Since the standard mounting threads of the camera are used, a second 3/8-16 mount is provided in the base of the matte box mount for tripod mounting. Two lens shrouds, known to many as "donuts", are provided to prevent kickback, one for the 50 and 75 lenses, and one for the 28 and 35 lenses.

The rear of the matte box may be brought to the lens by loosening the lock knob at the base of the rear bracket. The front of the matte box is moved by sliding the angled brackets in the matte box rails. Inside the left rail is an unusual yet effective cam affair that allows the matte box to be locked at specific lengths for the lenses accompanying the camera. Push the cam on the inside of the left rail in, when it appears the in the slots on the rail, to move the front of the matte box.

USING THE FRENCH FLAG

The french flag supplied with the 1KCP-7M attaches to the bracket located just behind the top of the turret housing on the camera. The length of the arm may be adjusted by loosening the slide lock in the center of the arm, and the flag itself can be swiveled by turning the ball joint knob at the end of the arm.

By positioning the flag, you can keep direct light from striking the taking lens, reducing the chance of lens flair.

REMOVING THE MOTOR

The motor lock knob is located on the right side of the camera between the handgrip and the camera body. To remove the motor, turn this knob 90 degrees counterclockwise and gently pull the handgrip back while firmly grasping the camera body. Once the pin that was held by the motor lock is free, carefully pull the base of the motor away from the body. To re-attach the motor, first be sure that the rubber covered pins on the drive shaft align with the slot in the camera, then push the motor onto the camera body. Turn the motor clockwise in relation to the camera body, while holding the motor lock knob fully counterclockwise. The small pin on the motor "arm" will then fit into the slot on the motor lock knob. Turn the knob clockwise 90 degrees until the motor is secure.

You may find upon attaching the motor that the mirror no longer stops in viewing position. This is because the motor and camera are out of position with respect to each other by 180 degrees. To cure this, remove the motor, turn the camera's drive shaft 1/2 turn, and re-install the motor. The mirror should now stop in viewing position.

CHANGING LENSES

The 1KCP-7M uses a Russian version of the Arri standard mount. Arri lenses, however, will not fit the camera as they are too small.

To remove a lens, squeeze the two release levers located on either side of each lens mount and pull the lens out of the camera.

You will notice, on inspection of the interior of the lens mount on the camera, that a small metal hook is used to keep the lens from rotating while focusing, just as on Arri standard mount cameras. To insert a lens, then, you must find the slot on the back of the lens in question and insert it into this slot to fully seat the lens. Keep the release levers fully depressed while aligning the hook and slot, and push the lens in to the mount as far as it will go. Release the levers, then pull the lens. If the lens should pull out of the mount, the hook in the camera and the slot in the lens were not aligned.

ROTATING THE LENS TURRET

On the left side of the camera, at the edge of the turret is the turret lock lever. To turn the turret and thereby select another lens, press this lever and, pushing lightly on the lens barrels, rotate the turret. When the lens you have selected reaches the taking position, release the turret lock. One of three tabs will snap into the turret lock, immobilizing the turret.

CLEANING THE LENS MOUNTS

Since the lenses on the 1KCP-7M focus by rotating in their mounts, it is important to keep the lens ports and the barrel of the lenses clean and lubricated as these surfaces slide against each other. It is suggested that upon receiving the camera (even in new condition) the lens barrels and camera ports be cleaned with lighter fluid or lacquer thinner to remove any lubricating grease installed by the factory. In doing so, any accumulated particles will be removed. Be careful not to let any solvent touch the mirror shutter or lens elements. Once cleaned, lubricating the lens barrels and camera ports with a very thin coat of Teflon Lube, available at stores such as Radio Shack, will make focusing much smoother and will protect the mating surfaces.

HANDLING LENSES

The lenses must be handled with care in one area: turning the mounts when the lenses are taken off the camera. The lenses have focusing stops when mounted, but when removed, the mounts can be unscrewed by accident! If this happens to you, simply screw the mount back on. It may be quite difficult to get the mount to mate successfully with the lens, so be patient. Once the mount is back on, you will likely find that the footage marks have been shifted and are no longer accurate, forcing you screw the lens mount off and on again until it is right. Lenses can be tested by mounting them on the camera, setting them on infinity, and viewing through the finder to a distant object. If this tries your patience, you may have to result to a lens repair professional.

CLEANING LENSES

Since almost all damage to lenses happens when users scratch them during cleaning (by rubbing abrasive particles over the lenses with a tissue) it's best to not clean a lens, even if it is slightly dirty. However, if the lens needs cleaning, first dust it using the camel's hair brush supplied in the toolkit with the camera. Then, place one drop of lens cleaning fluid on a wadded lens tissue and wipe the lens just once. Follow with another drop of fluid on a final tissue. This procedure ensures that any grit on the lens will be long gone by the time any real pressure is applied to the final cleaning tissue. Do not apply lens fluid to the lenses themselves as it may leak inside the lens barrel and fog the lens.

CHECKING THE GATE

To be sure that hair, film chips or other debris is not photographed, it is recommended that the gate be checked periodically. To do this, remove the mattbox if mounted, and the lens in the taking position. Press in and turn the camera inching knob at the base of the motor in the direction of the arrow engraved on the motor housing until the mirror clears the gate. The film may now be examined for any debris.

CLEANING THE CAMERA

The camera should be kept scrupulously clean to avoid scratches on the film, photographing dirt or hair, and wear. Changing bags, cases, etc. or any other object that comes in regular contact with the camera should be thoroughly vacuumed.

To clean the camera body and the interior of mags, use a white china bristle paint brush, and a vacuum when available. The white bristles will, when they fall from the brush, be easier to see than dark ones. Follow with a light burst of canned air. Be careful not to blow dirt into the lens ports or gate cavity.

After several 400' rolls of film have been run, you may find that emulsion has burnished itself onto the aperture plate in the camera and is difficult to remove. Due to the easy access of the gate in the 1KCP-7M, you may remove this by scratching it off with a fingernail, orangewood stick, or any soft object, but do not use any glass or metal object as this may scratch the highly polished surface of the gate and permanently damage the camera. Follow up with a polish using a soft cloth or lens tissue.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Film size: 35mm
Format: academy 1.33/1
Registration error: less than .02mm
Film speeds (all crystal): 8,12,16,24,25,32 fps
Maximum exposure error at 8,12,16,32 fps: +/-4%
Maximum exposure error at 24 fps: +/-2.5%
Motor voltage: 12 vdc
Acceptable voltage range: 10.8 to 16.8 vdc
Maximum power draw: 4.5 ampere
Startup time, average: .5 seconds
Magazine capacities: 60 and 120 meters
Operating range, temperature: -30 to +40 celsius
Lens mount: russian version of arri standard
Lens port diameter: 47mm
Flange to focal distance: 57mm
Turret front to focal distance: 51mm
Turret: rotating, 3 mounts
Viewing: rotating, mirror shutter reflex
Mirror shutter angle: 150 degrees
Length of exposure at 24 fps: 1/57.6 second
Viewfinder: orientable tilt, 90 degrees
Rotatable (non orientable) swing, 360 degrees
Rotatable viewing mask
Viewfinder magnification: 5 power
Viewfinder variability: + or - 5 diopter
Ground glass markings: academy + cross hairs
Mounting: standard 3/8-16 tripod mount
Weight: motor, magazine, and lens 12.76 lbs
Weight: anamorph. lens, matte box, mag, mtr 18.48 lbs
Size: lens, motor, mag - 295 x 280 x 245 mm
Size: lens, mtr, mag, matte box - 664 x 280 x 275 mm