Film Cameras Forever!

Film Cameras
Forever!

Want to go against the grain? Here's a guide to choosing and using
traditional cameras and film in the digital age (Part I)

By Jason Schneider

__________________________________________

Why use a traditional film camera in the midst of the brave new digital age?
There are many good reasons for doing so, some practical, some emotional or
even (dare I say it?) philosophical.

For starters, film is an analog medium with known permanence characteristics
that will be able to be optically printed in the foreseeable future and
beyond. Film can deliver extremely high image quality. Color negative films
can provide impressive exposure latitude (from about 1-1/2 stops under to
3-1/2 stops over), slide films offer a selection of distinctive color
palettes, and black-and-white films each have their own unique tonal
characteristics. And while the gap is narrowing, many high-end wedding and
portrait photographers insist that film still gives more pleasing and subtle
skin tones and highlight details than digital. When you shoot film, you are
creating a permanent record for the ages, not something you can erase by
pressing a few buttons.

In the initial phase of the digital revolution, film shooters were treated
condescendingly as old fogies, but nowadays photographers using film are
often accorded an extra measure of respect--like traditional artists or
craftspeople.

On the practical side, if you have a treasured film camera that has served
you well, it makes sense to use it, and film cameras are now available new
and used at astoundingly low prices. Finally, while shooting on film is
inherently more exacting than shooting digital because you're paying for
each frame (and you can record far fewer images on a roll of film than you
can on a high-capacity memory card), shooting film is a heck of a lot of
fun, precisely because it is more challenging, demanding, and maybe a bit
contrarian.

Film camera tips and techniques

Handling film

The light-sensitive, image-capturing layer of film is composed of
silver-halide grains that are subject to aging, fogging and heat damage.
Film should therefore be stored in a cool, dry place (refrigeration and
freezing can prolong its life) and never in a hot place such as the glove
compartment of a car. To prevent possible light fogging, film should never
be handled or loaded into a camera in bright sunlight, but in the shade or,
as a last resort, in the shadow of your body.

Always try to use film well before its expiration date, but be aware that
properly stored black-and-white film will give good results up to about two
years after its expiration date, color films about one year past expiration.
Film stored in a refrigerator at about 45 degrees F can be used immediately.
If you store film in the freezer (about 0 degrees F), do so before the
expiration date if possible, and thaw it out at room temperature for at
least 12 hours before use.

Loading film

When loading manual 35mm cameras, make sure to attach the film leader
securely and squarely to the take up spool, then wind the film (firing the
shutter if necessary) until you can see that sprocket holes at the top and
bottom of the film are properly engaged by the sprocket wheel teeth. Make
sure the film is lying flat across the film guide rails, close the camera
back and turn the rewind know in the direction of the rewind arrow (usually
clockwise) until you feel slight tension. Now wind the film to frame number
1--as you do the rewind knob will turn counterclockwise to verify that the
film is being transported properly.

With roll film cameras, make sure the paper leader is firmly attached to the
take-up spool (crimp it if necessary), that the paper leader is passing
correctly under or over any film-guide or film-counter rollers, or under any
film guide devices (e.g. Hasselblad V-series)--check the manual for the
proper procedure. With cameras having manual first-frame positioning, wind
the film until the arrows on the paper backing coincide with the loading
marks (typically red dots on the film guide rails). Now close the camera,
and wind to frame 1. Important: Make sure the pressure plate and film
counter are properly set for the film type you are using (120 or 220) on
cameras having this feature.

With 35mm cameras that feature auto-wind and easy loading, pull the leader
end out to the loading mark (usually a red or orange line to the right of
the film aperture, make sure the film is lying flat, and close the camera
back. If the film has been properly loaded a 'Äú1'Äù will be displayed on
the frame counter LCD. If loading was not successful, you will see a
flashing cartridge icon. Auto-loading roll film cameras have similar
features--check your manual for details.

Rewinding film

With manual 35mm cameras, make sure to rewind the film before opening the
camera! This is by far the most common cause of ruined pictures with manual,
mechanical 35mm cameras.

With manual cameras, stop winding the film as soon as you feel tension on
the film-wind lever or knob--do not attempt to wind to the next frame or you
can tear the film. Now push in the rewind button or push the rewind lever to
rewind (R) position, and turn the rewind crank (usually clockwise) as
indicated by the rewind direction arrow. Note, with some cameras, you can
press the rewind button in and it will stay in until the film is rewound.
With other cameras, you must hold the rewind button in as you rewind.

When rewinding is nearly completed, you will feel some tension on the rewind
knob as the film disengages from the take-up spool. If you now turn the
rewind knob an additional 1/2 to 1 full turn before opening the camera, a
small amount of film leader will remain outside the cartridge--a convenience
in reloading a partially exposed roll. To rewind the leader all the way in,
just continue rewinding for a few more turns after you feel tension on the
rewind knob.

Using the rewind button for multiple exposures

With most manual 35mm cameras lacking a specific multiple exposure feature,
you can shoot double or multiple exposures by taking the first shot, then
pushing in the rewind button, stroking the film-wind lever to cock the
shutter, and taking additional pictures on the same frame. Pressing in the
rewind button disengages the sprocket shaft so you can cock the shutter and
take additional exposures without advancing the film. With some cameras
(e,g, rangefinder Leicas) , you must flip the lever to rewind position,
return it to advance position, and then wind to cock the shutter. Obviously,
if your camera has provision for multiple exposures it's more convenient to
use this feature than any of the above.

Shutters and how they work

Focal-plane shutters, as their name implies, use curtains or metal blades
that move horizontally or vertically across the focal plane. They are not,
of course actually in the focal plane, where the film is located, but
usually a millimeter or two in front of it. Basically, focal-plane shutters
operate by forming a slit in between the first (opening) and second
(closing) shutter curtains that scans across the film to expose it
sequentially. Only at slow speeds (1/30 sec or slower) is the entire shutter
open for a finite period.

An advantage of focal-plane shutters is that they can provide very fast
speeds--up to 1/12,000 sec in some cases. A disadvantage is that their top
flash sync speed is often pretty slow--1/30-160 sec with some medium-format
cameras, 1/125 sec or so with many 35mm cameras. This can lead to ghost
images when shooting flash pictures in bright light. However, many modern
focal-plane-shutter 35mm SLRs, manual, automatic, and autofocus, provide a
top X-sync speed of 1/250 sec and some use pulsed flash systems allowing
sync speeds up to 1/4000 sec, albeit only at close shooting distances.

Leaf shutters, also known as inter-lens shutters because their blades are
usually located in between the lens elements, are found on some vintage 35mm
rangefinder cameras, many medium-format SLRs, and most twin-lens reflex
cameras. Their blades move radially (their paths are like curved spokes of a
wheel) with respect to the lens axis, an imaginary line passing through the
center of the lens. The advantages of leaf shutters include flash sync at
all speeds (typically to 1/500 sec) and very quiet operation. Their
disadvantages: Relatively modest top speeds of 1/500 sec, rarely 1/800 sec,
and the fact that a separate leaf shutter must be fitted to the lenses of
most interchangeable-lens leaf-shutter cameras.

Exposure

Proper exposure is particularly important with film cameras because you
can't check the results instantly on the LCD as you can with a digital
camera. As mentioned, exposure is less critical with color negative films,
which have a wide exposure latitude, but some black-and-white films will
yield grainy results when overexposed more than about 1 stop, and color
slide films generally have less than 1/2 stop of latitude on the
overexposure side, and less than one stop on the underexposure side.

Film cameras with basic through-the lens (TTL) center-weighted metering
systems deliver a reasonable percentage of accurate exposures when metered
from shooting position providing the lighting contrast is not too high or
the lighting conditions unusual. However, you will achieve a higher
percentage of accurate exposures if you take a close-up reading of an
important subject area (such as a face), set the camera or hold the reading,
then recompose and take the shot.

Using your camera's partial (limited area) or spot metering feature will let
you do this from camera position. Many modern film cameras, especially
autoexposure and autofocus SLRs, provide multi-pattern or evaluative
metering options that can greatly improve your chances of getting accurate
exposures in difficult lighting conditions. Also, don't overlook separate
handheld exposure meters, which often provide true 1-degree spot readings,
incident light metering capability, and the ability to average multiple spot
readings.

Bracketing is way to get the perfect exposure used by many pros, Basically
bracketing entails taking a series of exposures, one at the "proper" metered
exposure and additional ones at 1/2, 1 or 1-1/2 stops over and under that
central point. With slide films bracketing at 1/2-stops or even 1/3-stops
from about 1-1/2 stops under to 1 stop over the metered exposure will almost
always get you one perfectly exposed slide. With negative films, bracketing
at 1- stop intervals from 1 or 2 stops under to 1 or s stops over is more
efficicient. Many modern cameras feature built-in auto-bracketing which lest
you set both the intervals and range of the bracket, a great convenience.

Filter tips

Filters are light modifiers, usually made of glass or acetate, that are
placed in front of the camera lens to accomplish a range of different tasks.
The three most popular and essential filter types are protective filters,
polarizing filters, and special-effects filters. Protective filters such as
UV or Skylight filters protect your expensive lenses from physical damage
and help remove a touch of bluishness from some scenic pictures with an
expanse of sky or pictures made over water. Polarizing filters, probably the
single most useful filter type, minimize or eliminate reflections on water
or glass, intensify colors and bring out clouds, and you can observe their
effects directly in the viewfinder of your 35mm or medium-format SLR and
control the effect by turning the front ring of this two-piece filter.

Special effects filters come in a huge range of effects--starbursts, various
degrees of soft focus, warming, cooling, color intensifying, etc.--all
predictable effects that can be pre-visualized in your SLR's viewfinder.
When buying a polarizing filter, spend the extra money to get a circular
polarizer which (unlike a linear polarizer) will not affect the accuracy of
through-lens metering and autofocus systems. For more about filters, see our
guide to optical filters.



http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?o...article=032706

Jeremy wrote:
Film Cameras
Forever!

Want to go against the grain? Here's a guide to choosing and using
traditional cameras and film in the digital age (Part I)

I kind of throught that if you used a film camera you were going with
the grain

Scott

Scott W wrote:

Jeremy wrote:
Film Cameras
Forever!

Want to go against the grain? Here's a guide to choosing and using
traditional cameras and film in the digital age (Part I)

I kind of throught that if you used a film camera you were going with
the grain

Scott

Very astute!

Colin D.

Jeremy wrote:
Film Cameras
Forever!

Want to go against the grain? Here's a guide to choosing and using
traditional cameras and film in the digital age (Part I)

By Jason Schneider

__________________________________________

Why use a traditional film camera in the midst of the brave new digital age?
There are many good reasons for doing so, some practical, some emotional or
even (dare I say it?) philosophical.

For starters, film is an analog medium with known permanence characteristics
that will be able to be optically printed in the foreseeable future and
beyond. Film can deliver extremely high image quality. Color negative films
can provide impressive exposure latitude (from about 1-1/2 stops under to
3-1/2 stops over), slide films offer a selection of distinctive color
palettes, and black-and-white films each have their own unique tonal
characteristics. And while the gap is narrowing, many high-end wedding and
portrait photographers insist that film still gives more pleasing and subtle
skin tones and highlight details than digital. When you shoot film, you are
creating a permanent record for the ages, not something you can erase by
pressing a few buttons.

In the initial phase of the digital revolution, film shooters were treated
condescendingly as old fogies, but nowadays photographers using film are
often accorded an extra measure of respect--like traditional artists or
craftspeople.

On the practical side, if you have a treasured film camera that has served
you well, it makes sense to use it, and film cameras are now available new
and used at astoundingly low prices. Finally, while shooting on film is
inherently more exacting than shooting digital because you're paying for
each frame (and you can record far fewer images on a roll of film than you
can on a high-capacity memory card), shooting film is a heck of a lot of
fun, precisely because it is more challenging, demanding, and maybe a bit
contrarian.

Film camera tips and techniques

Handling film

The light-sensitive, image-capturing layer of film is composed of
silver-halide grains that are subject to aging, fogging and heat damage.
Film should therefore be stored in a cool, dry place (refrigeration and
freezing can prolong its life) and never in a hot place such as the glove
compartment of a car. To prevent possible light fogging, film should never
be handled or loaded into a camera in bright sunlight, but in the shade or,
as a last resort, in the shadow of your body.

Always try to use film well before its expiration date, but be aware that
properly stored black-and-white film will give good results up to about two
years after its expiration date, color films about one year past expiration.
Film stored in a refrigerator at about 45 degrees F can be used immediately.
If you store film in the freezer (about 0 degrees F), do so before the
expiration date if possible, and thaw it out at room temperature for at
least 12 hours before use.

Loading film

When loading manual 35mm cameras, make sure to attach the film leader
securely and squarely to the take up spool, then wind the film (firing the
shutter if necessary) until you can see that sprocket holes at the top and
bottom of the film are properly engaged by the sprocket wheel teeth. Make
sure the film is lying flat across the film guide rails, close the camera
back and turn the rewind know in the direction of the rewind arrow (usually
clockwise) until you feel slight tension. Now wind the film to frame number
1--as you do the rewind knob will turn counterclockwise to verify that the
film is being transported properly.

With roll film cameras, make sure the paper leader is firmly attached to the
take-up spool (crimp it if necessary), that the paper leader is passing
correctly under or over any film-guide or film-counter rollers, or under any
film guide devices (e.g. Hasselblad V-series)--check the manual for the
proper procedure. With cameras having manual first-frame positioning, wind
the film until the arrows on the paper backing coincide with the loading
marks (typically red dots on the film guide rails). Now close the camera,
and wind to frame 1. Important: Make sure the pressure plate and film
counter are properly set for the film type you are using (120 or 220) on
cameras having this feature.

With 35mm cameras that feature auto-wind and easy loading, pull the leader
end out to the loading mark (usually a red or orange line to the right of
the film aperture, make sure the film is lying flat, and close the camera
back. If the film has been properly loaded a 'Äú1'Äù will be displayed on
the frame counter LCD. If loading was not successful, you will see a
flashing cartridge icon. Auto-loading roll film cameras have similar
features--check your manual for details.

Rewinding film

With manual 35mm cameras, make sure to rewind the film before opening the
camera! This is by far the most common cause of ruined pictures with manual,
mechanical 35mm cameras.

With manual cameras, stop winding the film as soon as you feel tension on
the film-wind lever or knob--do not attempt to wind to the next frame or you
can tear the film. Now push in the rewind button or push the rewind leverto
rewind (R) position, and turn the rewind crank (usually clockwise) as
indicated by the rewind direction arrow. Note, with some cameras, you can
press the rewind button in and it will stay in until the film is rewound.
With other cameras, you must hold the rewind button in as you rewind.

When rewinding is nearly completed, you will feel some tension on the rewind
knob as the film disengages from the take-up spool. If you now turn the
rewind knob an additional 1/2 to 1 full turn before opening the camera, a
small amount of film leader will remain outside the cartridge--a convenience
in reloading a partially exposed roll. To rewind the leader all the way in,
just continue rewinding for a few more turns after you feel tension on the
rewind knob.

Using the rewind button for multiple exposures

With most manual 35mm cameras lacking a specific multiple exposure feature,
you can shoot double or multiple exposures by taking the first shot, then
pushing in the rewind button, stroking the film-wind lever to cock the
shutter, and taking additional pictures on the same frame. Pressing in the
rewind button disengages the sprocket shaft so you can cock the shutter and
take additional exposures without advancing the film. With some cameras
(e,g, rangefinder Leicas) , you must flip the lever to rewind position,
return it to advance position, and then wind to cock the shutter. Obviously,
if your camera has provision for multiple exposures it's more convenient to
use this feature than any of the above.

Shutters and how they work

Focal-plane shutters, as their name implies, use curtains or metal blades
that move horizontally or vertically across the focal plane. They are not,
of course actually in the focal plane, where the film is located, but
usually a millimeter or two in front of it. Basically, focal-plane shutters
operate by forming a slit in between the first (opening) and second
(closing) shutter curtains that scans across the film to expose it
sequentially. Only at slow speeds (1/30 sec or slower) is the entire shutter
open for a finite period.

An advantage of focal-plane shutters is that they can provide very fast
speeds--up to 1/12,000 sec in some cases. A disadvantage is that their top
flash sync speed is often pretty slow--1/30-160 sec with some medium-format
cameras, 1/125 sec or so with many 35mm cameras. This can lead to ghost
images when shooting flash pictures in bright light. However, many modern
focal-plane-shutter 35mm SLRs, manual, automatic, and autofocus, provide a
top X-sync speed of 1/250 sec and some use pulsed flash systems allowing
sync speeds up to 1/4000 sec, albeit only at close shooting distances.

Leaf shutters, also known as inter-lens shutters because their blades are
usually located in between the lens elements, are found on some vintage 35mm
rangefinder cameras, many medium-format SLRs, and most twin-lens reflex
cameras. Their blades move radially (their paths are like curved spokes of a
wheel) with respect to the lens axis, an imaginary line passing through the
center of the lens. The advantages of leaf shutters include flash sync at
all speeds (typically to 1/500 sec) and very quiet operation. Their
disadvantages: Relatively modest top speeds of 1/500 sec, rarely 1/800 sec,
and the fact that a separate leaf shutter must be fitted to the lenses of
most interchangeable-lens leaf-shutter cameras.

Exposure

Proper exposure is particularly important with film cameras because you
can't check the results instantly on the LCD as you can with a digital
camera. As mentioned, exposure is less critical with color negative films,
which have a wide exposure latitude, but some black-and-white films will
yield grainy results when overexposed more than about 1 stop, and color
slide films generally have less than 1/2 stop of latitude on the
overexposure side, and less than one stop on the underexposure side.

Film cameras with basic through-the lens (TTL) center-weighted metering
systems deliver a reasonable percentage of accurate exposures when metered
from shooting position providing the lighting contrast is not too high or
the lighting conditions unusual. However, you will achieve a higher
percentage of accurate exposures if you take a close-up reading of an
important subject area (such as a face), set the camera or hold the reading,
then recompose and take the shot.

Using your camera's partial (limited area) or spot metering feature will let
you do this from camera position. Many modern film cameras, especially
autoexposure and autofocus SLRs, provide multi-pattern or evaluative
metering options that can greatly improve your chances of getting accurate
exposures in difficult lighting conditions. Also, don't overlook separate
handheld exposure meters, which often provide true 1-degree spot readings,
incident light metering capability, and the ability to average multiple spot
readings.

Bracketing is way to get the perfect exposure used by many pros, Basically
bracketing entails taking a series of exposures, one at the "proper" metered
exposure and additional ones at 1/2, 1 or 1-1/2 stops over and under that
central point. With slide films bracketing at 1/2-stops or even 1/3-stops
from about 1-1/2 stops under to 1 stop over the metered exposure will almost
always get you one perfectly exposed slide. With negative films, bracketing
at 1- stop intervals from 1 or 2 stops under to 1 or s stops over is more
efficicient. Many modern cameras feature built-in auto-bracketing which lest
you set both the intervals and range of the bracket, a great convenience.

Filter tips

Filters are light modifiers, usually made of glass or acetate, that are
placed in front of the camera lens to accomplish a range of different tasks.
The three most popular and essential filter types are protective filters,
polarizing filters, and special-effects filters. Protective filters such as
UV or Skylight filters protect your expensive lenses from physical damage
and help remove a touch of bluishness from some scenic pictures with an
expanse of sky or pictures made over water. Polarizing filters, probably the
single most useful filter type, minimize or eliminate reflections on water
or glass, intensify colors and bring out clouds, and you can observe their
effects directly in the viewfinder of your 35mm or medium-format SLR and
control the effect by turning the front ring of this two-piece filter.

Special effects filters come in a huge range of effects--starbursts, various
degrees of soft focus, warming, cooling, color intensifying, etc.--all
predictable effects that can be pre-visualized in your SLR's viewfinder.
When buying a polarizing filter, spend the extra money to get a circular
polarizer which (unlike a linear polarizer) will not affect the accuracy of
through-lens metering and autofocus systems. For more about filters, see our
guide to optical filters.



http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?o...article=032706

BRAVO! BRAVO! WELL PUT MY FRIEND, WELL PUT! Film cameras forever! That
is the truth!
H.

maybe this should have been posted in the digital camera news groups

its only fair as we get all the digital mob posting in here..
and yapping on about 35mm equivalents . their 50mm is now a 80mm lens
rubbish.

--
All outgoing emails are scanned with Norton Antivirus 2005

"Jeremy" wrote in message
news:aNkWf.17160$6%2.15091@trnddc08...
Film Cameras
Forever!

Want to go against the grain? Here's a guide to choosing and using
traditional cameras and film in the digital age (Part I)

By Jason Schneider

__________________________________________

Why use a traditional film camera in the midst of the brave new digital
age? There are many good reasons for doing so, some practical, some
emotional or even (dare I say it?) philosophical.

For starters, film is an analog medium with known permanence
characteristics that will be able to be optically printed in the
foreseeable future and beyond. Film can deliver extremely high image
quality. Color negative films can provide impressive exposure latitude
(from about 1-1/2 stops under to 3-1/2 stops over), slide films offer a
selection of distinctive color palettes, and black-and-white films each
have their own unique tonal characteristics. And while the gap is
narrowing, many high-end wedding and portrait photographers insist that
film still gives more pleasing and subtle skin tones and highlight details
than digital. When you shoot film, you are creating a permanent record for
the ages, not something you can erase by pressing a few buttons.

In the initial phase of the digital revolution, film shooters were treated
condescendingly as old fogies, but nowadays photographers using film are
often accorded an extra measure of respect--like traditional artists or
craftspeople.

On the practical side, if you have a treasured film camera that has served
you well, it makes sense to use it, and film cameras are now available new
and used at astoundingly low prices. Finally, while shooting on film is
inherently more exacting than shooting digital because you're paying for
each frame (and you can record far fewer images on a roll of film than you
can on a high-capacity memory card), shooting film is a heck of a lot of
fun, precisely because it is more challenging, demanding, and maybe a bit
contrarian.

Film camera tips and techniques

Handling film

The light-sensitive, image-capturing layer of film is composed of
silver-halide grains that are subject to aging, fogging and heat damage.
Film should therefore be stored in a cool, dry place (refrigeration and
freezing can prolong its life) and never in a hot place such as the glove
compartment of a car. To prevent possible light fogging, film should never
be handled or loaded into a camera in bright sunlight, but in the shade
or, as a last resort, in the shadow of your body.

Always try to use film well before its expiration date, but be aware that
properly stored black-and-white film will give good results up to about
two years after its expiration date, color films about one year past
expiration. Film stored in a refrigerator at about 45 degrees F can be
used immediately. If you store film in the freezer (about 0 degrees F), do
so before the expiration date if possible, and thaw it out at room
temperature for at least 12 hours before use.

Loading film

When loading manual 35mm cameras, make sure to attach the film leader
securely and squarely to the take up spool, then wind the film (firing the
shutter if necessary) until you can see that sprocket holes at the top and
bottom of the film are properly engaged by the sprocket wheel teeth. Make
sure the film is lying flat across the film guide rails, close the camera
back and turn the rewind know in the direction of the rewind arrow
(usually clockwise) until you feel slight tension. Now wind the film to
frame number 1--as you do the rewind knob will turn counterclockwise to
verify that the film is being transported properly.

With roll film cameras, make sure the paper leader is firmly attached to
the take-up spool (crimp it if necessary), that the paper leader is
passing correctly under or over any film-guide or film-counter rollers, or
under any film guide devices (e.g. Hasselblad V-series)--check the manual
for the proper procedure. With cameras having manual first-frame
positioning, wind the film until the arrows on the paper backing coincide
with the loading marks (typically red dots on the film guide rails). Now
close the camera, and wind to frame 1. Important: Make sure the pressure
plate and film counter are properly set for the film type you are using
(120 or 220) on cameras having this feature.

With 35mm cameras that feature auto-wind and easy loading, pull the leader
end out to the loading mark (usually a red or orange line to the right of
the film aperture, make sure the film is lying flat, and close the camera
back. If the film has been properly loaded a 'Äú1'Äù will be displayed on
the frame counter LCD. If loading was not successful, you will see a
flashing cartridge icon. Auto-loading roll film cameras have similar
features--check your manual for details.

Rewinding film

With manual 35mm cameras, make sure to rewind the film before opening the
camera! This is by far the most common cause of ruined pictures with
manual, mechanical 35mm cameras.

With manual cameras, stop winding the film as soon as you feel tension on
the film-wind lever or knob--do not attempt to wind to the next frame or
you can tear the film. Now push in the rewind button or push the rewind
lever to rewind (R) position, and turn the rewind crank (usually
clockwise) as indicated by the rewind direction arrow. Note, with some
cameras, you can press the rewind button in and it will stay in until the
film is rewound. With other cameras, you must hold the rewind button in as
you rewind.

When rewinding is nearly completed, you will feel some tension on the
rewind knob as the film disengages from the take-up spool. If you now turn
the rewind knob an additional 1/2 to 1 full turn before opening the
camera, a small amount of film leader will remain outside the cartridge--a
convenience in reloading a partially exposed roll. To rewind the leader
all the way in, just continue rewinding for a few more turns after you
feel tension on the rewind knob.

Using the rewind button for multiple exposures

With most manual 35mm cameras lacking a specific multiple exposure
feature, you can shoot double or multiple exposures by taking the first
shot, then pushing in the rewind button, stroking the film-wind lever to
cock the shutter, and taking additional pictures on the same frame.
Pressing in the rewind button disengages the sprocket shaft so you can
cock the shutter and take additional exposures without advancing the film.
With some cameras (e,g, rangefinder Leicas) , you must flip the lever to
rewind position, return it to advance position, and then wind to cock the
shutter. Obviously, if your camera has provision for multiple exposures
it's more convenient to use this feature than any of the above.

Shutters and how they work

Focal-plane shutters, as their name implies, use curtains or metal blades
that move horizontally or vertically across the focal plane. They are not,
of course actually in the focal plane, where the film is located, but
usually a millimeter or two in front of it. Basically, focal-plane
shutters operate by forming a slit in between the first (opening) and
second (closing) shutter curtains that scans across the film to expose it
sequentially. Only at slow speeds (1/30 sec or slower) is the entire
shutter open for a finite period.

An advantage of focal-plane shutters is that they can provide very fast
speeds--up to 1/12,000 sec in some cases. A disadvantage is that their top
flash sync speed is often pretty slow--1/30-160 sec with some
medium-format cameras, 1/125 sec or so with many 35mm cameras. This can
lead to ghost images when shooting flash pictures in bright light.
However, many modern focal-plane-shutter 35mm SLRs, manual, automatic, and
autofocus, provide a top X-sync speed of 1/250 sec and some use pulsed
flash systems allowing sync speeds up to 1/4000 sec, albeit only at close
shooting distances.

Leaf shutters, also known as inter-lens shutters because their blades are
usually located in between the lens elements, are found on some vintage
35mm rangefinder cameras, many medium-format SLRs, and most twin-lens
reflex cameras. Their blades move radially (their paths are like curved
spokes of a wheel) with respect to the lens axis, an imaginary line
passing through the center of the lens. The advantages of leaf shutters
include flash sync at all speeds (typically to 1/500 sec) and very quiet
operation. Their disadvantages: Relatively modest top speeds of 1/500 sec,
rarely 1/800 sec, and the fact that a separate leaf shutter must be fitted
to the lenses of most interchangeable-lens leaf-shutter cameras.

Exposure

Proper exposure is particularly important with film cameras because you
can't check the results instantly on the LCD as you can with a digital
camera. As mentioned, exposure is less critical with color negative films,
which have a wide exposure latitude, but some black-and-white films will
yield grainy results when overexposed more than about 1 stop, and color
slide films generally have less than 1/2 stop of latitude on the
overexposure side, and less than one stop on the underexposure side.

Film cameras with basic through-the lens (TTL) center-weighted metering
systems deliver a reasonable percentage of accurate exposures when metered
from shooting position providing the lighting contrast is not too high or
the lighting conditions unusual. However, you will achieve a higher
percentage of accurate exposures if you take a close-up reading of an
important subject area (such as a face), set the camera or hold the
reading, then recompose and take the shot.

Using your camera's partial (limited area) or spot metering feature will
let you do this from camera position. Many modern film cameras, especially
autoexposure and autofocus SLRs, provide multi-pattern or evaluative
metering options that can greatly improve your chances of getting accurate
exposures in difficult lighting conditions. Also, don't overlook separate
handheld exposure meters, which often provide true 1-degree spot readings,
incident light metering capability, and the ability to average multiple
spot readings.

Bracketing is way to get the perfect exposure used by many pros, Basically
bracketing entails taking a series of exposures, one at the "proper"
metered exposure and additional ones at 1/2, 1 or 1-1/2 stops over and
under that central point. With slide films bracketing at 1/2-stops or even
1/3-stops from about 1-1/2 stops under to 1 stop over the metered exposure
will almost always get you one perfectly exposed slide. With negative
films, bracketing at 1- stop intervals from 1 or 2 stops under to 1 or s
stops over is more efficicient. Many modern cameras feature built-in
auto-bracketing which lest you set both the intervals and range of the
bracket, a great convenience.

Filter tips

Filters are light modifiers, usually made of glass or acetate, that are
placed in front of the camera lens to accomplish a range of different
tasks. The three most popular and essential filter types are protective
filters, polarizing filters, and special-effects filters. Protective
filters such as UV or Skylight filters protect your expensive lenses from
physical damage and help remove a touch of bluishness from some scenic
pictures with an expanse of sky or pictures made over water. Polarizing
filters, probably the single most useful filter type, minimize or
eliminate reflections on water or glass, intensify colors and bring out
clouds, and you can observe their effects directly in the viewfinder of
your 35mm or medium-format SLR and control the effect by turning the front
ring of this two-piece filter.

Special effects filters come in a huge range of effects--starbursts,
various degrees of soft focus, warming, cooling, color intensifying,
etc.--all predictable effects that can be pre-visualized in your SLR's
viewfinder. When buying a polarizing filter, spend the extra money to get
a circular polarizer which (unlike a linear polarizer) will not affect the
accuracy of through-lens metering and autofocus systems. For more about
filters, see our guide to optical filters.



http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?o...article=032706

BRAVO! BRAVO! WELL PUT MY FRIEND, WELL PUT! Film cameras forever! That

is the truth!
H.

"Bhup" wrote in message
...
maybe this should have been posted in the digital camera news groups



No, I didn't want to start a flame war. Just thought it might be a welcome
addition to the 35mm group. I'm so sick of the "Film vs. Digital" debate,
that goes on ad nauseum.

Jeremy wrote:
"Bhup" wrote in message
...
maybe this should have been posted in the digital camera news groups



No, I didn't want to start a flame war. Just thought it might be a welcome
addition to the 35mm group. I'm so sick of the "Film vs. Digital" debate,
that goes on ad nauseum.
The problem with the article as I see it is that it really does not
talk at all about how to get the most out of film. It did not talk
about the choice of film other then a very short and incomplete
discussion on slide vs print film, even here it did not talk about
things like grain in slide vs print film and pro film vs consumer.
In fact if he wanted to improve people film photography he could have
done better with just one sentence
"don't use consumer ISO 400 print film, ever".

It also did not talk at all about scanning film.

The article seems like something out of the 70s, rather out of date.

Scott

BRAVO! WELL PUT MY FRIEND, WELL PUT! Film cameras forever! That
is the truth!


Er, thank you for remembering to trim your reply. However, doing so
after reposting the entire article is a bit late. Next, you could work
on the stuck caps key, and then a sig delimiter....

--
John McWilliams

I know that you believe you understood what you think I said, but I'm
not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

Please do not patronize me. I fully understood what you meant.