Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1936)

Ik AMTEUR PHOTOGRAPHER a 6 CINEMATOOBAPHEft o devoted to a display of the varied cinematograph apparatus incidental to development of moving pictures, lent by Mr. Wilfrid E. L. Day, who, in addition, has undertaken to present the actual twelve films originally shown by M. Lumiere forty years ago, on the identical projector used on that historic occasion. Just Fifty Years Ago. To show that we moderns have not got it all our own way, here is a record of a photographic achieve¬ ment just fifty years old. At the beginning of 1886 when the Forth Bridge was under construction a series of photographs were taken in one of the caissons, where the air pressure was as much as twenty-five pounds on the square inch. At this pressure there is always a haziness in the air which renders it difficult to obtain any sharply de¬ fined image. The contemporary re¬ cord states that it was found that even with the most rapid plate in those days available a comparatively long exposure was necessary. The light used was five arc lamps, each of 1,200 candle-power, and the time of exposure varied from seven to eight minutes with ordinary land¬ scape plates. _ Getting it Across. Professor William Strunk of Cor¬ nell University, who has been work¬ ing with Irving G. Thalberg on the preliminaries of the film version of “ Romeo and Juliet,” said this week “ The screen production of ‘ Romeo and Juliet ' is planned to January 1st, 1936 present the story as Shakespeare conceived it. To an exceptional degree, the play, as written by Shakespeare, is in accord with the principles of scenario writing, be¬ cause of the many intermediate scenes that connect the great mo¬ ments and make the story a con¬ tinuous whole. It is well known that on the stage any important piece of information is regularly repeated for the benefit of those who missed it the first time. Benavente, the veteran Spanish dramatist, once said that in his plays he told every¬ thing three times — ‘ the first time,’ he remarked, ‘ three-quarters of the audience understood it, the second time, the other fourth ; the third time, the dramatic critics got the point ’l” The A mateur Photographer” E XPOSJJRE T ABLE — January. EVERY MONTH a brief exposure table will be provided for the assistance of our readers in their practical work. A glance at the current approximate exposures as here given will serve as a reliable guide for most purposes. The subjects will be varied to suit the time of year. The following exposures will serve as a working guide for any fine day during the month, between the hours of 11 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon, with the sun shining, but not necessarily on the subject. Stop used, f/8. The exposure should be doubled if the sun is obscured or if stop f/11 is used. For f/16 give four times the exposure. For f/5.6 give half. From 9 to 11 a.m. or from 1 to 3 p.m., double these exposures. From 8 to 9 a.m. or from 3 to 4 p.m., treble them. Subject. Ordinary. Medium. Rapid. Extra Rapid. Ultra Rapid. Open seascapes and cloud studies . . 1/15 sec. 1/25 sec. 1/45 sec. 1/60 sec. 1/75 sec. Open landscapes with no very heavy shadows in foreground, shipping studies or seascapes with rocks, beach scenes . . 1/8 9 * 1/12 y y 1/25 ♦ y 1/30 y y 1/40 99 Ordinary landscapes and landscapes with snow, open river scenery, figure studies in the open, light buildings, wet street scenes 1/3 9 9 1/4 y y 1/10 y y 1/12 y y 1/15 99 Landscapes in fog or mist, or with strong foreground, well-lighted street scenes . . 1/2 9 9 1/3 y y 1/6 y y 1/8 y y 1/10 9 9 Buildings or trees occupying greater portion of picture 1 y y 3/4 y y 1/3 y y 1/4 y y 1/5 9 9 Portraits or groups taken out of doors, not too much shut in by buildings . . 2 secs. 2 secs. 1 yy 3/4 y y 1/2 99 Portraits in well-lighted room, light sur¬ roundings, big window, white reflector . . 8 y y 6 y y 4 secs. 3 secs. 2 secs. As a further guide u>e append a list of some of the best-known makes of plates and films on the market. They have been divided into groups, which approximately indicate the speeds referred to above. The hypersensitive panchromatic plates and films require less exposure than the ultra-rapid. Ultra Rapid. Agfa, Special Portrait. „ Isopan ISS Film. „ Super-speed Film. „ Isochrom Film. „ Ultra Special. Barnet, Press and Super Press. „ XL Super-speed Ortho „ Soft Panchromatic. „ Studio Fast. „ Ultra Rapid. Eastman, Par Speed Cut Film. „ S.S. Cut Film. „ S.S. Pan. Film. Gevaert, Super Sensima. „ Sensima Fast. ,, Sensima Ortho. „ Super Chromosa. ,, Roll Films and Packs. Ilford, Golden Iso-Zenith. ,, Iso-Zenith. „ Hypersensitive Pan. Plates and Films. „ Portrait Film (Ortho Fast). ,, Monarch. ,, Press. „ S.S. Ex. Sens. ,, Zenith Ex. Sens. ,, S.G. Pan. Illingworth, Fleet. „ Super Fleet. „ Super Fleet Ortho. „ Pan. Fleet. Imperial, S.S.S. Press Ortho. „ Eclipse. „ Eclipse Ortho Soft, „ Eclipse Soft. „ Eclipse Ortho. Imperial, Eclipse Pan. Soft. Kodak, Verichrome Film. Marion, Record. Iso Record. Selo, Selochrome Roll Film and Film Pack. „ Selo. Pan. Roll Film Voigtlander, Illustra Film. Wellington, Anti-screen. „ X Press. Zeiss Ikon, Pemox Roll Film and Packs. Extra Rapid. Agfa, Chromo. „ Isolar. Extra Rapid. Isolar. Iso Rapid. „ ,, Chromo. Roll Film. Barnet, S.R. Pan. „ Studio Ortho. Ensign, Roll Film. Gevaert, Filtered Ortho. „ Chromosa. „ S.R. „ Regular Cut Film. Ilford, Auto. Filter. „ S.R. Pan. „ Pan. Film. ,, Rapid Chromatic. Imperial, Non-filter (new series). „ Eclipse Pan. B. ,, S.S. Ortho. Kodak, Roll Film and Film Pack. Pathe, Roll Film. Selo, Roll Film. Zeiss Ikon, Roll Film and Film Pack. Rapid. Barnet, S.R. „ Self-screen Ortho. Ilford, Screen Chromatic. „ S.R. ,, Commercial Ortho. Film. Imperial, NonFilter. S R ,, S.R. Ortho. Kodak, Cut Film. Medium. Ilford, Empress. ' „ Chromatic. Ordinary. Barnet, Ordinary. Gevaert, Ordinary. Ilford, Ordinary. „ Rapid Process Pan. Imperial, Ordinary. „ Pan. Process. 6 2