[Konvas] russian glass on electronic cameras

[Adam Frey]

Steve Morton wrote:
> I think most Konvas subscribers are interested in hearing about using 
> russian glass on these new electronic cameras. 

I agree. But am up for listening to what others have to say.

This is a fine road we're walking. On the one hand, we have new 
technology coming at us to either embrace or reject. On the the other 
hand, we have old technology that can easily be part of the new, with 
out lenses.

It's unfortunate, but the truth is that Commiecam closed down due to a 
general lack of interest. There wasn't enough traffic to the commiecam 
site to warrant keeping it maintained, so the entire site was donated to 
konvas.org (BTW: Patrick Steele, who ran commiecam and helped start this 
discussion list, shot his feature with two REDs and not his Kinor). I'm 
not sure about all the other websites that have closed, but it's 
probably about the same.

Konvas.org isn't making a profit either. Meaning, there is nothing to 
gain except knowledge. I've been running konvas.org and investing a lot 
of my time (and money) into it so that *everyone* can prosper - 
including people not shooting Soviet gear (there are FAQs on 2-perf, 
3-perf, and DOF, to name a few). Yes, there are donations, and I do 
appreciate *EVERYONE* who has donated (you are the greatest!), but the 
few donations received are not enough. It takes a lot to run both a 
server and a discussion list. If you knew how much time and energy, 
you'd probably be shocked.

We have about 125 members, and if we /only/ talked about Konvas & Kinor, 
and not lenses or digital acquisition, then the list would probably 
eventually dwindle away. Almost everyone with a mopic film camera is 
also shooting digitally at this point (RED, HDSLR, HD with 35mm DOF 
adapter, or even with a digital still camera) - at least if they want to 
make a living. It's a shame, but it's reality.

That said, konvas.org is *NOT* going anywhere and it's a great resource. 
If anything, we'll be expanding our how-to section, and our FAQ (as well 
as the rest of the site). We're constantly gathering information, so if 
you want to make a how-to and send it in for others to learn from, 
please do! I do want to add how-to's on moving into the digital world, 
and still be able to shoot film, without selling your arm and leg or 
your konvas/kinor.

Basically, we can make a new list that engulfs the digital and call it 
"digital" to run alongside the konvas discussion list, or we can all 
stay together and understand that there's more than one way to use 
Soviet made equipment. Personally, I want to keep everything together - 
because it's easier on me. I'd rather spend my energy working on one 
website and one discussion list.

Again, I'm more than willing to listen to what others have to say. I 
think the LOMO glass was the reason why I moved into my Konvas and I 
even hope they take me into the year 2020...


Cheers,

Adam Frey
Director/Cinematographer
Crimson Chain Productions
http://crimsonchainproductions.com
Cell: 301-639-7146

Crimson Chain Productions
PO Box 35
Libertytown, MD 21762