Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1933)

Ihi amateur photoorapher 1 tj C CINEMATOGRAPHER a \ . . June 2ist, 1933 ^Deaders' Questions ^ ANSWERED Gfnfkai,. — All coinmimimtions tor the E'iitor shoiiUl be addressed : "The Editor, The Amaiexn Photo^aphe> Pfi'i Ciuemniosrapher, Dorsf^t House, Stamford Street, London, S.E.i,** and in every case, without exception, must five the name and address of the writer. Contributions. — The Editor is triad to consider orisrinal. up-to-date manuscripts on photographic subjects. All contrihutions must be tynewTitten, or in verv legible handwriting on one side of the paper only. Letters or communications arisinc out of matters already appearing in the paper are not paid for. The Editor disclaims legal responsibility for the safety of matter submitted to him, but he will endeavour to return rejected manuscripts, etc., when a stamped addressed envelope is en* losed. MSS. or prints that are not actually accompanied by a stamped wrapper or envelope can in no case be returned. Reproduction fees for prints are only paid by arrangenient beforehand. The sending of a print, v^•ithout any condition stated, will be taken as pennission to reproduce it without fee. Enquiries and Criticism. — Advice, Criticism and Information are freely given, but the following conditions should be read carefully before applying, as any communication which does not comply with the rules must be ignored. (1) See “ General *’ above. (2) Every question and ev'ery print for criticism must besentseparatelv through the post, and must be accompanied by a separate stamped addressed envelope. No exception can be made in any case to this rule, except so far as enquiries or prints from Overseas are concerned. (3) Neither enquiries nor prints for criticism must be enclosed with competition prints. (4) On the back of each print sent for criticism, in addition to the name and address of the sender, must be the title (if any), and the criticism coupon from the current issue. (5) Enquiries should be clearly written, on one side of the paper only, and should be specific and not general. Such enquiries as “ How can I take interiors ? ” or “ Can you give me some hints on outdoor portraiture ? ” are loo general to be dealt with in this section. (6) .All envelopes should be distinctly marked “ Query ” or “ Criticism," as the case may be. (7) Prints are sent for advice or criticism on the distinct understanding that by so doing per¬ mission is given for their reproduction without fee. W'e endeavour to deal promptly with enquiries, but cannot undertake to answer by return of post, nor can we give precedence to any enquiry. A selection ot those replies is printed each week, but all questions are answered by post. Enquiries from abroa J must contain a coupon also, but it need not be from tne current number, and should be cut from the latest issue to reach the enquirer. Finishing Proofs. I have been given a couple of photographer’s proofs to finish. Have I simply to fix them, or should they be toned first ? A. L. H. (Thornton Heath.) We cannot answer your question as you do not give any information as to the type of paper on which the proofs are made. If they are on ordinary P.O.P. they should, of course, be toned before fixing. Many professional photographers deliberately send out proof-prints which cannot be satisfactorily finished. Wide-angle Rack. Is it necessary to have a wide-angle rack movement when usmg a wide-angle lens on interiors, etc. ? What is the function of the movement ? ; K. M. T. (Redruth.) Some cameras are so arranged that a very short focus lens would include part of the baseboard. A wide-angle rack movement is to avoid this. The front of the camera is fixed at or near the front of the baseboard, and focussing is done from the back. Condenser. What is the particular purpose of a condenser in an enlarger ? Does it improve the definition of the negatives ? L. K. (Eastbourne.) The condenser collects a certain pro¬ portion of the rays emanating from the light, and projects them evenly through the negative, close to which it is generally placed. Neither the condenser nor anything else can “ improve ” the definition of a negative. The character of the definition is decided, once for all, when the negative is made Time and Temperature. Can you tell me the name and address of the firm that sells developer for the time and temperature method ? J. W. C. (Hanwell.) Your question is quite unanswerable. There are dozens of developers that can be used for time and temperature development, and these are sold by practically all dealers. Fogged Negatives. Can you tell me the cause of the fog on the ac¬ companying negatives ? E. J. H. (Plymouth.) There is no sign of what is properly called fogging on your prints at all. The trouble is due to uneven develop¬ ment of the negative, and is probably the result of rocking the dish in one direction only, that is, lengthways of the dish. This uneven development generally re¬ sults from such a practice, especially with fully-exposed negatives on rapid plates. You will do better to dilute your de¬ veloper slightly, so that the operation is not so rapid, and at intervals to rock the dish gently, first in one direction and then in the other. Daylight Enlarger. WTiere can I find detailed instructions for making a fixed-focus daylight enlarger, 3 1 X 2 f to |-plate ? L. A. W. (Maidstone.) We cannot tell you where you can find the working instructions necessary for making such an enlarger. The construction is quite simple, and the only thing that is at all troublesome is the fixing of the lens panel in exactly the right position. With commercial daylight enlargers the lens used is an uncorrected one, and only works reason¬ ably satisfactorily because the stop is an exceedingly small one. If you use a better type of lens, working, say, at about f/8, you would have no difficulty in focussing with a piece of ground glass so as to get the exact distances. Stained Print. Could you tell me the cause of the stains on the enclosed print ? C. S. W. (Winchester.) Such stains as you are getting in your prints may be the result of keeping them too long in the developing solution, but a more likely cause is insufficient rinsing between developing and fixing, so that you carry over oxidised developer into the fixing bath. Retouching. I send a film negative on which I have tried to do a little modification with a pencil. Can you explain what I am doing wrong, as I cannot get the pencil to “ take ” properly ? F. L. B. (Carlisle.) You must first apply a trace of re¬ touching medium rubbed on smoothly with the finger-tip. Very little is required. It dries hard almost im¬ mediately, and gives a “ tooth ” that enables delicate pencil touches to be made. A small bottle of medium for the purpose can be obtained through any dealer. Matt-emulsion plates or films will take pencil work freely without medium. Copying Print. Can I copy a quarter-plate print by exposing a plate under it ? If so, how should it be done ? C. E. (Bath.) Put a piece of clean glass in a quarterplate frame ; lay the print on this, face upwards ; put a plate, emulsion downwards, on the print ; close the back and expose to artificial light. The operations must be carried out in a dark-room, and the exposure found by trial. It would be far more satis¬ factory to put up the print in diffused daylight, and photograph it ; for this you would require a quarter-plate camera with sufficient extension to carry the lens twice its focal length from the plate. Toning Chloro-bromides . Is it possible to tone chloro-bromide prints by the same methods as those used for bromide prints ? J. B. (Caterham.) Most of the chloro-bromide papers will give tones, by development only, different from those obtained by toning bromide papers, and if the prints are to be toned at all we should certainly use bromide papers. At the same time, it is certain that some makes of chloro-bromide papers, at any rate, would respond more or less successfully to bromide toning methods. The usual procedure of bleach¬ ing with the bromide-ferricyanide bath, and redeveloping with a solution of sulphide of soda should be applied. Streaks in Negatives. What is the cause of the whitish streaks on the enclosed films ? J. R. (Shelley.) We think it almost certain that the streaks on your negatives are due to deposits from what is probably very hard water. At the end of the final washing you should lay the negatives on the bottom of a dish containing clean water and swab both sides with a plug of cotton-wool. It may be advisable to add a few drops of hydrochloric acid to the water. Glossy Prints. How can I obtain a glossy finish to my prints ? G. N. (Norwood.) To obtain a high gloss on prints you must use suitable kinds of paper, i.e., of the " glossy ” type. The wet prints are laid face downwards on to a sheet of clean glass or ferrotype, squeegeed into contact, and allowed to dry, when they should strip off with a very glossy finish. Perfect cleanliness of the glazing surface is an essential to success. 38 596