OPERATION .` & SERVICE MANUAL`
Contents
1. Fries Engineering Inc 12032 Vose Street North Hollywood Califomia 91605 Phone 818 765 3600 Telex 4720922 OPERATION AND SERVICE MANUAL FRIES 35R3 ROTARY MIRROR CONVERSION TO MITCIIELL GC HIGH SPEED 35MM MOTION PICTURE CAMERA Fries Engineering Inc 12032 Vose Street North Hollywood California 91605 Phone 818 765 3600 Telex 4720922 SEPTEMBER 1987 PRICE 10 00 SECTION 1 SECTION II CONTENTS DESCRIPTION Genra li soaa ad a a aa decadas dia e ta dl e ai Camera BORA IG ER A oc o tza aes ner ata Orientabl VIEW INGO ode scan lia does a aaa ata a tents Film Clip and Register Pins rotert EEE aAa A ETEA RT Changing erasia ed SS A E ET EEEIEE E EEE EE EE EEE E TE Malate eye E diya High speed Movemento si e n a aaa la IA aaa SITES ada dau is sac als da o edgy bud ane age ina Footage Counter cca eee eee n een nnee Magar TIER oaa AA a aci a a nd Dal ati DOSIS cae ea pi ui Sa E ata PETRA esa Camera Dimensions and Mounting evssacneestrenererntre Camera ACC S SOFIES ean wa eke e meoin ew INEA So OPERATION Loading Magazine o ooooooo E Ei EELE EEO NATE Changing Magazine Drive Belt weevesseeecoveveresaces Threading the Camera oraa are ao re E ta A EER e LAN OBREN tt lada wees as poe Van Changing Lensmount oinen A eee eee eee eee Groundglasses ooooocoocmorcscnonrscrcnscrsononsomss aoss PU SA Ea pote a a a as O AE Footage Counter sessesrereererereereerererrerereere2. The 35R3 will still accommodate the standard Mitchell motor door and drive motors NOTE The standard motors interfere with the Video Assist option All 35R3 camera conversions are prepared for video assist The video assist utilizes a 2 3 inch low light newvicon black and white 12 VDC video camera The video systems are available in both American and European standards The standard Mitchell motors interfere with the video assist 7 SECTION II Operation LOADING MAGAZINE The magazine is loaded in either a dark room or a changing bag 1 Unscrew magazine covers and turn velvet light trap rollers to make sure they are free Before loading clean inside of magazine with a brush or light air pressure 2 Unpack the roll of unexposed film from its wrapping and unwind about two feet of film 3 Lay the roll to the left of the magazine by the front drum with the film coming down from the right side This is important as the emulsion is on the inner surface and this side must face the lens 4 Push the film end down between the idler rollers and the center portion then through the light trap rollers of the forward compartment NOTE Threading the magazine can be accomplished more easily by first making a six inch diagonal fold in the center of the film end and slant ing to the edge 5 Place film roll core in position on spindle and pull through all slack The film core key fits a key way on the magazine spin
3. of the aperture Thus when the pulldown claw is engaging or leaving the film sprocket holes the shutter must be closed 1 Insert movement in camera box and secure it with the three screws pro vided 2 Turn the large brass gear in the right side of the camera box until the punch mark on this large gear is opposite the scribe mark on the stop motion gear 3 Slide the flywheel into position so the index mark on the rim of the flywheel is slightly above the index mark on a spoke of the large brass gear 4 As the flywheel gear is pushed into mesh with the large gear it will rotate counterclockwise This should bring the index marks together and at the same time the rounded portion of the stop motion shaft should be at the top 5 Replace the flywheel retaining screw and lock screw 6 Place a small amount of grease on all gear teeth CHECKING TIMING 1 Remove the taking lens from front of camera 2 Set the shutter lever at 170 3 Insert a strip of film in the film race 4 Turn the movement slowly causing the arrow on the cam to turn clockwise until the registration pins touch the film At this point the shutter should be just starting to open About 1 8 inch of the shutter opening will be visible in 21 the lower left hand corner of the aperture 5 Turn the movement so the cam arrow rotates counterclockwise until the registration pins touch the film At this point the shutter should be closed except for about 1 8 inch of
4. opening in the upper right hand corner of the aperture LUBRICATION Use Mitchell Camera Oil for all lubrication points requiring oil The lube points shown in the movement sketch should be lubed after every 1000 feet of film especially when running at high speed All other idler rollers sprocket guide rollensqd keepers need only to be lubricated after every 50 000 feet of film Movement cam 1 2 Pulldown arm oil hole 3 Pulldown arm rear support 4 Pulldown arm shaft 5 Pilot pin front guides 2 lube points 6 Pilot pin rear guide 22 Int mount ed standard shooting All pounds MAGAZINES MATTE BOXES FOLLOW FOCUS A follow focus assembly LENSES rchangeable lensmounts are available for Nikon Arri PI and BNCR lenses All lensmounts are interchangeabl and can be ordered on Academy centerline or on full fram silent centerline for those background plate etc CAMERA DIMENSIONS AND MOUNTING cameras are refinished in standard black wrinkle Weight 18 no lens or magazine 18 37 2 28 16 THREADED MOUNTING sa 296 HOLE CAMERA ACCESSORIES Standard GC 400 and 1000 foot Mitchell Magazines Rod holders are available for both the GC lower matte box and BNC Side Swingaway Mitchell matte box is available for the BNCR lenses
5. plate when loop is at its fullest If loop is too short draw necessary film from feed sprocket Place film in position on top of sprocket and lock in place with upper sprocket film guide 9 Turn camera slowly and observe movement of film at aperture and action of pulldown claw and registration pins Make sure film does not tighten on idler rollers or touch box at any point 10 Close camera box door If upper or lower sprocket guides are not in place the camera door will not close FILM BUCKLING Film buckling is immediately apparent because the buckle trip switch will stop the camera No attempt should be made to turn the camera by hand or serious damage may result The occurence of buckling will be indicated by the noise of the film crumpling inside the camera before the motor is stopped by the buckle trip switch As soon as the motor stops proceed as follows 1 Turn power OFF 2 Remove belt from take up pulley on magazine and take up the excess film in camera by turning the pulley by hand CAUTION Do not allow the magazine belt to move the mechanism inside the camera while taking up the excess film Operation of the camera movement at this time may cause serious damage If the film is so tightly jammed that it cannot be taken up by rotating the pulley it will be necessary to open the camera door and free the film before winding it up on the take up spool 3 Open the camera door and remove the aperture and pres
6. special punch The clips is viewed simultaneously by the operator and the optional video assist FOOTAGE COUNTER The dial counter should be reset to zero whenever a new magazine is install ed on the camera A knob at the center turns the pointer The frame and footage counter can be used to record the footage of film used for an individual scene The reset handle is directly to the left of the counter windows The last window on the right of the footage counter registers individual frames and is marked in increments from one to sixteen There are sixteen frames per foot of film The frame counter does not reset to zero with the footage counter MATTE BOX The 35R3 baseplate is designed to mount on any gear or friction head as well as directly onto an Arriflex sliding balance plate to allow the use of all appro priate Arri accessories such as matte boxes follow focus etc 13 VIDEO ASSIST Installation First remove the viewfinder assembly This is accomplished by re moving the three allen cap screws and carefully lifting the housing up and forward Top Prism Housing Focus Da Video Camera Lock Focus Prism Assembly Vertical Centering Adjustment e A Video Camera q Support Plate IN Video Iris AE Mirror Assembly A gi Horizontal lt Adj Viewfinder Video Assembly Beamsplitter 14 Then install the video beamsplitter assembly with its two mounting screws as shown Remove the video cover
7. ACCESSORIES MAGAZINES Standard GC 400 and 1000 foot Mitchell Magazines MATTE BOXES Rod holders are available for both the GC lower matte box and BNC Side Swingaway Mitchell matte box FOLLOW FOCUS A follow focus assembly is available for the BNCR lenses 6 MOTORS The 120M3 is a DC Servo controlled drive motor especially de signed for the Fries 35R3 camera The motor operates from a 30 VDC battery or power supply The motor has eight switched frame rates from 12 FPS to 120 FPS It is crystal controlled at 24 FPS or 25 FPS runs both forward and in reverse The motor has provisions for remote control functions such as TV interlock single frame variable speed control and an inter valometer MOTOR CONTROLS The R120M is a small hand held control box for remote start VIDEO ASSIST stop Also contained in the remote box is the single frame control Continuous actuation runs the camera at 4 FPS cine speed The single frame exposure is 1 8 second at 170 shutter opening The RV120M is a continuously variable speed control in a small hand held unit Frame rates are infinitely variable from 4 to 120 FPS and can be locked onto any selected speed A built in LED display is switchable to read speed in frames per second or film usage in feet In the film usage mode the display can be switched to read frames Also contained in the variable speed unit is a single frame control with the same features as the RV120M above
8. ding or removal of the film Both compartments of the magazine are light proof and a spring loaded ball at the center of each lid insures a snug fit and prevents rattling The magazine throat or light trap consists of three velvet covered rollers held in contact with even pressure by spring tension on the outer rollers This keeps the maga zine light tight at all times and prevents film scratches as the film is drawn from the magazine The loading compartment spindle has a keyway to fit standard film cores In the 1000 foot magazine the take up spool is of the contractible type The take up spool in the 400 foot magazine may be used in this magazine if desired The magazine take up spindle is turned by a belt and pulley connect ing with the main drive shaft of the camera Either a spring plastic or leather belt may be used The magazine is held in place on the camera by a toe plate at the front and by a hold down screw at the rear 5 LENSES Interchangeable lensmounts are available for Nikon Arri PI and BNCR mounted lenses All lensmounts are interchangeable and can be ordered on standard Academy centerline or on full frame silent centerline for those shooting background plate etc CAMERA DIMENSIONS AND MOUNTING All cameras are refinished in standard black wrinkle Weight 18 pounds no lens or magazine 18 37 2 34 16 THREADED MOUNTING 153 HOLES FIL 1 75 296 HOLE PLANE ae a 953 CAMERA
9. dle CHANGING MAGAZINE DRIVE BELT Spring type belts can be pushed through the magazine drive belt race without removing the drive The ends of these belts are rotated in opposite directions then screwed together to form a smooth joint Leather belts can also be inserted in this way but the belt must be opened before insertion The plastic type endless belts can be inserted only by removing the drive assembly from the camera Remember that there are two sizes of magazine drive belts Do not attempt to stretch the 400 foot belt over the 1000 foot magazine drive pulley OD OOS do OD pas SECTION 11 Threading the Camera Pulldown claw Pilot pin Aperture plate Register plate Pressure plate Pulldwon arm lock Aperature plate locks Aperture plate matte slot 4 N N N A A N HAD oO SB WH PROF Oo Sprocket Sprocket guide rollers Idler rollers Sprocket film gides Camera box door Sprocket guide registers Pulldown lock registers Buckle trip Buckle trip reset 5 THREADING THE CAM Threading the camera is done without cutting the film When preparing to use a cold camera run the camera for several minutes before threading the film This will allow the motor and mechanism to warm up to operating temperature insuring a constant speed when the first scene is taken 1 Withdraw register pins from aperture plate by aligning witness marks on top cam assembly 2 Loosen pulldown a
10. eaned as follows 1 Remove and clean aperture and pressure plates 2 Remove the flywheel from the movement shaft The flywheel is held on to the shaft with a retaining screw and lock screw key 3 Remove the three screws which hold the movement to the camera box and withdraw the movement Be careful of exposed registration pins when aperture plate is removed 4 Immerse the movement parts in solvent and clean them with a soft brush Remove all oil and grease 5 Blow all parts dry with air or wip them dry if air is not available 6 Lubricate the movement by oiling or greasing all points shown on lub rication chart Force grease into the ball bearing races Force three drops of oil into pulldown arm ball bearing 7 Reinstall aperture and pressure plates 8 Time movement as in following paragraph when replacing it in camera Whenever movement is removed from camera box it must be retimed with the shutter 19 SECTION III Timing the Movement o Motion Gear O Retaining Screw and Lock Screw Timing Marks Flywheel Do not attempt to operate camera if movement and shutter have not been placed in proper synchronization TIMING THE MOVEMENT The camera movement must be timed whenever it is taken out of the camera The timing operation consists of synchronizing the movement and shutter so that the shutter is closed whenever the film is in motion and open when the film is registered and motionless in front
11. ereree Matte BOX ESA AAA fee A 00 d TS sa la Videor e o E RD Ra e O RR a l CONTENTS CONTINUED SECTION III MA INTENENCE Cleaning Camera Box eee 17 Cleaning the Mae via Raras 17 Cleaning the Pressure Plate cecene 18 Cleaning Aperture Plate ceea 18 Cleaning Film Movement vi ed orir na a a i e E 19 Timing Ele MUEREN AAA ERAS Sl a 21 Checking UNA nica a il s A A E EN po TI SECTION 1 Description GENERAL DESCRIPTION The Fries 35R3 is a reflex conversion to the Mitchell Standard High Speed camera The Mitchell was choosen for its world famous steadiness reliability and high speed capabilities To meet the various require ments of modern day special effects and commercial productions a modular design has been incorporated This allows the cameraman the freedom of choice of lenses lens centering motors video assists etc and at the Same time the conveniences of a modern reflex camera CAMERA BOX The camera box is divided longitudinally into two compartments The left hand or operating side contains the film moving mechanism and the intermittent movement The right hand side contains the camera driving mechanism The operating side has a door hinged at the bottom On top of the camera is a recessed plate for attaching the film magazine and an opening through which the film is drawn from the magazine to the film compartment of the camera A dust plate is provided to cover this open ing whe
12. film or pressure plate excess oil from movement may be slung onto the rotary mirror and lens rear element CLEANING THE MIRROR The mirror is fragile and should be cleaned and handled only when necessary and with extreme care 1 For dust or light dirt specs try using a clean soft camel hair brush brushing the mirror surface lightly 2 After brushing if there are still a few small specs or oil spots try using standard lens cleaner and lens tissue Do not apply any pressure to the mirror surface PRECAUTIONARY NOTE If mirror is not wiped dry but allowed to dry in air a stain may result which will permanently damage the coating 17 CLEANING PRESSURE PLATE The pressure plate must be inspected and cleaned each time the aperture plate is cleaned 1 Remove pressure plate from camera by swinging retainer arm upward and lifting plate out 2 Remove all loose dust and bits of emulsion with a camel s hair brush 3 Wipe the forward side of the plate with the ball of the thumb to re move all loose dust and bits of emulsion 4 Test the rollers to see that they revolve freely If they show a tend ency to stick immerse the pressure plate in cleaning solvent revolving the rollers while they are in the fluid Dry the plate thoroughtly with a clean lintless cloth then use an air syringe to evaporate the solvent that may be adhering to the roller bearing pins When the plate is dry apply a small amount of camera oil to the roller
13. n a magazine is not in place The magazine drive assembly is lo cated on top of the camera box Film is drawn from the magazine and fed to the movement by a sprocket with 32 teeth The film is held against the sprocket by two sprocket guide assemblies A buckle trip is provided to stop the camera immediately in case of film take up failure The buckle trip lever actuates a film buckle switch in the camera motor door cutting off the power ORIENTABLE VIEWFINDER Th ntire viewfinder can be adjusted through 360 of rotation To adjust Loosen the viewfinder locking ring by turning counterclockwise it should not be necessary to loosen by more than 1 4 of a turn position viewfinder and tighten locking ring by turning clockwise NOTE The viewfinder rotation locking ring should never be tightened more than finger tight The image must be reoriented with every new viewfinder position To adjust rotate orientation adjusting ring until image is horizontal Viewfinder Lock Ring Eyepiece Focus Tighten Eyepiece Lock Ring i p Orientation No f Close Adjusting Ring Light Valve The eyepiece is adjusted by turning the eyepiece locking ring counter clockwise to loosen sliding the eyepiece in and out to focus on ground glass and turning the locking ring back clockwise to tighten The light valve is opened or closed with a 1 4 turn of the light valve thumb wheel This eliminates stray light returni
14. ng through the viewfinder to the film when the viewfinder is not being used FILM CLIP REGISTER PINS AND GROUNDGLASS PIN RETRACTING BAR GROUNDGLASS PIN LOCKING SCREW pe CHANGING GROUNDGLASS The groundglass is accessible through the lens port opening To remove the groundglass first you must loosen the pin locking screw approximately one turn lift up on the pin retracting bar until the register pins are clear of the groundglass Then remove by simply sliding the groundglass forward out through the lens port opening To install a groundglass carefully slide it in between its two guide rails until it clears the register pin holes Lower the register pins and tighten the pin locking screw then pull the ground glass forward until the groundglass is located against the two register pins NOTE The groundglass is installed with the ground surface facing down towards the rotating mirror FILM CLIP There is a film slot located on each of the groundglass guide rails The slots will accommodate a full width 35mm film clip Film Clip The film clip length can be cut with a regular pair of scissors The tail should be cut on the frame line When cutting the head end include one more set of perforations those being the same ones used by the movement to register that frame Hold the edge with the extra perforations and slide the film clip in from the front until the extra perforations are lined up with the pins Ca
15. plate and install the optical housing as sembly to the motor side of the camera as shown above Screw the video camera support plate to the top of the 35R3 camera body as shown Mount the video camera to its support plate and align front with the optical housing port Reinstall camera optical block and viewfinder assembly Alignment Procedures NOTE All alignment and focus procedures ar asier to accomplish with the film camera prime lens removed or pointed at a blank white card allowing the video system to see the groundglass reticle only Optical alignment involves the centering of the groundglass image on the faceplate of the video tube by adjusting repositioning a mirror and a prism in the optical path To reposition the image vertically remove the three screws and cover on the top prism housing and loosen the two inside screws that lock down the prism assembly Slide the prism assembly forward or backward until the image is cent ered lock down the two screws and replace the cover plate To reposition the image horizontally remove the four screws and cover plate of the lower mirror housing Loosen the two inside screws tilt the mirror to achieve horizontal center and lock the two screws down on the mirror bracket Replace the cover plate Electronic centering can also be used to correct the image Inside the video camera are trim pots labeled VC vertical centering and HC horizontal centering Normall
16. refully push onto the pins HIGH SPEED MOVEMENT The high speed movement moves the film intermittently and holds it in position for the exposure of each successive frame A pull down claw draws the film into place behind the aperture and registration pins on a horizontal shaft actuated by a cam hold the film stationary during exposure A removable pressure plate held in place by a retainer arm holds the film flat at the aperture The apertur plate is made of stainless steel hard chrome plated and has raised surfaces at the sides that hold the film along its edges A matte slot in the aperture plate allows the insertion of mattes for multiple exposure work A space of Q15 inch in the film race is sufficient for two films or spliced film SHUTTER In the 35R3 the rotating mirror is a full speed design that acts as the shutter with a 170 opening similar to the Arri III camera NOTE Because of this shutter design this reflex is not suited for single framing with long intervals between exposures FOOTAGE COUNTER A footage and frame counter is built into the rear of the camera box The reset knob is located to the left of the counter Some cameras have a dial counter that records the amount of film used from the magazine MAGAZINES Magazines may be obtained in 400 foot or 1000 foot capacities Each magazine is corduroy and velvet lined Two lids on the side of the maga zine unscrew to permit loa
17. rm lock screw 6 and pivot claw assembly 1 back as far as it will go to remove claw assembly from aperture tighten pulldown arm lock screw to hold claw assembly in back position 3 Remove and clean both the aperture 3 and pressure plates 5 as instructed in Section III After cleaning reinstall both plates The plates must be cleaned each time the camera is threaded 4 Release sprocket film guide keepers 12 Then extend film loop by pulling film from supply side of magazine Thread camera as shown in diagram 5 Loosen thumbscrew allowing spring to push claw arm forward against film 6 Pull film slowly upward and claw arm will drop into perforation tighten thumbscrew Door cannot be closed unless thumbscrew is tight 7 Make certain lower loop between movement and sprocket is adjusted correctly Lower loop should clear bottom of camera box by 1 8 to 1 4 inch at lowest point of travel If loop is too short turn the threading knob on sprocket with film disengaged from sprocket and film guide CAUTION Film loops must be adjusted accurately Film must be taken out or taken up over the sprocket not by moving the film in the race Film breakage is usually caused by improper threading particularly in the forming of loops If a film breaks the camera must be thoroughly cleaned and then rethreaded 10 8 Adjust upper loop so that film has free entry into aperture plate and just clears the upper radius on aperture
18. sure plates Examine the film aperture to be sure that no pieces of torn film are 11 obstructing the light passage Examine the registration pins and pulldown claw to make certain they have not been bent Examine the slots and holes in the aperture plate to make sure that punched pieces of film have not lodged there Make certain all torn pieces of film are removed from the camera 4 Rethread camera and reset buckle trip by pulling out knurled reset knob 5 Run a short length of film through the camera then remove and ex amine it carefully under a magnifying glass to see that no scratches are pre sent on emulsion and perforations are undamaged CHANGING LENSMOUNTS Interchangeable lensmounts are available for Nikon Arri P1 and BNCR mounted lenses All lensmounts are interchangeable and can be ordered on standard Academy centerline or on full frame silent centerline for those shooting background plates etc The lensmounts are attached to the camera body with four screws as shown on the sketch below No 6 32 x 3 8 S H C S 12 GROUNDGLASSES The groundglass is readily interchangeable and available for all standard formats including 1 85 TV 1 33 TV 1 85 1 33 1 66 2 35 etc Specials can be made to customer requirements FILM CLIP A special feature of the 35R3 is the ability to insert a film clip in the viewfinder The clip is positioned on a set of precision aligned register pins and therefore needs no
19. with a toothpick Be sure to wipe off all excess oil CLEANING APERTURE PLATE Clean aperture plate at least every 1000 feet or each time the camera is threaded 1 Turn camera to threading position 2 Pass a piece of film between the register plate and aperture plate to ascertain that registration pins and claw are fully retracted from aperture plate CAUTION Failure to check this may result in damage to the aperture plate 3 Turn the two aperture plate locks until the pins point upward then carefully slide aperture plate straight out of camera 4 Inspect for bits of emulsion on aperture plate Clean aperture and film i ace with a camel s hair brush CAUTION Never use abrasive cleaners 5 Remove accumulated emulsion from the film race the registration pin holes 18 and the pulldown claw travel slots using an orange stick or any other type of pointed soft wooden prod 6 Blow through the registration pin holes and the claw slots with an air syringe 7 Polish the film race with the heel of the hand Place a drop of Mitchell Camera Oil on the film race and rub it in thoroughly with the thumb or heel of the hand to remove all excess oil The hand must be free of grit and perspiration Be sure the registration pin holes and claw slots are dried completely CLEANING FILM MOVEMENT The movement must be kept clean at all times If salt water sand or any other foreign material enters the movement it should be thoroughly cl
20. y these controls are preset to approximately their middle range and all corrections are made mechanically as previously described This assures your image of being in the center of the faceplate of the tube If nec essary these controls can be used to make minor adjustments 15 Section 111 Cleaning Camera 4 Pilot pin Cn so D 8 Box Pulldown arm Aperture plate Register plate Pressure plate e 16 Pressure plate rollers Pressure plate retaining arm Aperture plate locks Movement cam SECTION III Maintenance CLEANING CAMERA BOX The interior of the camera must be cleaned after each period of use The cleaning is usually done with an air syringe to blow off loose dust a camel s hair brush to dislodge clinging foreign material and a lintless cloth for wiping polished surfaces To clean the camera box interior proceed as follows 1 Open the camera door and remove the aperture plate and pressure plate 2 Vacuum all loose dust from the mechanism and from the corners of the camera box 3 Use camel s hair brush to get into corners and around the sprocket and guide rollers Make sure all bits of emulsion or film are removed 4 Wipe the polished metal surfaces carefully with soft lintless cloth 5 With the camel s hair brush remove from the mechanism and interior of the box any threads or foreign material that may have been loosened by the cloth NOTE When camera is run without
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