International photographer (Jan-Dec 1934)

Twenty The INTERNATIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER November, 1934 Miniature Camera Photography By Augustus Wolfman Converting Roll-Til in Cameras to Cine-Film Cameras |N the August installment of this department a concise description of how to convert a roll-film camera to accommodate cine-film was included, in response to the request of a reader who wished some enlightenment on the subject. I also solicited the aid of readers who have experimented along this line and have received some extremely interesting letters. Miniature camera photography still offers many fields for experimentation and it is safe to say that a great many miniature workers do quite a bit of experimenting whenever time affords, thereby obtaining some interesting material. As years of progress in science have proven, by exchanging ideas and knowledge gained through experimentation, much more can be realized. This is precisely one of the purposes of this department. Letters from readers, whether containing long stories of successful work, or experimentation in miniature camera photography, or some helpful hints, will always be welcome, and such information will be published in the International Photographer to be passed along to other miniature workers. To get back to the conversion of cameras, I am including below a letter from Mr. Louis A. Inserra, who has ingeniously converted a ten cent camera into a creditable cine-film miniature, as can be seen from the photographs which he has sent along. To quote Mr. Inserra: "Photograph No. 1 shows the ten cent camera. It is a No. 3 daylight loading roll-film camera manufactured by Rocamco Products, Inc., Boonton, New Jersey, and can be found in almost any dime store. Being a plasticproduct, a material similar to bakelite, it is easy to work with. A drill, pen knife, file, or saw, etc., will transform this box to suit your needs. The cheap lens and rubber band shutter can be easily removed, and the required size of lens hole can be cut with a knife. In my case, I attached the whole works on a lathe and turned the opening. "Various sharp corners and the film gate will need filing. The ruby window can be dispensed with. Photograph No. 3 illustrates the possibilities of converting this camera into a neat little cine-film camera. The film spool is a trifle larger than 35mm., and of course the winding of the film on it and loading it into the camera will necessitate a dark room. The winding knob has a check-pawl action, that is, it turns in one direction only ; therefore preventing backward slipping of the film. The film aperture can be masked to suit one's needs. I did not mask mine, for I discovered later that seven perforations would exactly fill the opening; therefore, for each new exposure I turned that many perforations. "Photograph No. 5 illustrates the method by which I counted the perforations. The device consists of boy's Erector set gear-wheel (12 teeth, each tooth filed down), and the shaft, pointer, and dial face of the alarm timeset of a clock. The hole for the shaft was easily drilled with a 1/16 inch bit. Since the dial face has twelve marked units, every seven numbers turned up a new picture area. "I constructed the shutter, mount, and optical unit with what material I found in my miscellaneous parts drawer. They are as follows: A Kodak shutter, the shell from a radio earphone, part of a flashlight casing, a portion of a light socket casing, a few bits of flat metal, and a couple of spare lenses. "Photographs Nos. 2 and 4 illustrate the finished camera. Notice the professional looking lens. I mounted the shutter onto the camera proper. The earphone shell, containing the threaded section of the cap end of a flashlight permanently fixed with liquid solder, I mounted on the shutter. "The lenses I mounted permanently in a portion of the rear end (1^-inch length) of the flashlight case; therefore affording me a spiral mount for focusing the lenses. The lens hood consists of a portion of a light socket shell backed up by a ring of bakelite on which I put a white mark at every quarter turn of the lens mount. A piece of metal soldered on the earphone shell and extending forward over the ring of bakelite enabled me to record the focus at different distances. Each mark on this extension constituted a complete rotation of the lens mount. "As additional improvements, I rigged up a shutter cable release, fixed a finder, and drilled a tripod hole on the bottom of the camera case. This little camera has served me efficiently thus far, and I hope the illustrations clear up any of my descriptions which may seem vague." I am including below another letter from one of our readers, Mr. Leon Miller, who has experimented with the method I had suggested in the August International Photographer, in which the cine-film is wound around a spool together with a black paper covering taken from a regular roll-film. Mr. Miller informs us as follows : "I have a Foth-Derby camera and have had access to a supply of short ends. For some time I have been experimenting to discover a practical and convenient method of using this film (cine film) in my camera. "I first tried the method you have suggested, namely, using the black paper covering to protect the film. After experiencing some difficulty in winding a fresh piece of film on the black paper, I constructed a jig from odds and ends in the shop. I am enclosing a photograph (illustration No. 6) which will show the simple principle involved. "The winder is made from a portion of a toy mechano or erector set. It is about twelve inches long and is punched at intervals of about half an inch. A crank, from the same source, about four inches long, is filed to fit the slot on one end of the spool. I must call attention to the fact that it is important to align the spool accurately. If this is not done, the black paper will roll up with a No. 6 Please mention The International Photographer when corresponding with advertisers.