Amateur Photographer & Cinematographer (1937)

April 7th, 1937 Thi amateur photographer p 6 CINEMATOGRAPHER a expedition called for as much reso¬ lution and courage as a journey to the North Pole to-day. Carvalho, who afterwards wrote a book on his experiences, which was published in America, was a “ tenderfoot ” who had hardly been out of his city studio before. He took with him a daguerreotype outfit, and he told how he buffed and coated his plates on the summit of mountains, stand¬ ing up to his middle in snow, work¬ ing with frozen fingers, and without food for twenty-four hours. There was another photographer attached for a time to the same expedition; this man used the wax process, an improvement on Fox Talbot’s calotype ; but Carvalho tells us, not without satisfaction, that that pro¬ cess proved too lengthy, holding up the camp for twelve hours at a time while the photograph was finished, and ultimately this rival was sent back. But the daguerreotypist had his own troubles. The muleteers objected to his baggage and took to “ accidentally ” forgetting his appa¬ ratus, losing on the road the in¬ dispensable tin containing his buff¬ ing apparatus, or relieving his keg of alcohol of half its contents. And in the end the whole of the baggage had to be abandoned, in¬ cluding the daguerreotype equip¬ ment and the fruit of much labour. Several searches have been made for the plates, but none has been found. In the following year — 1854 — the first official war photo¬ grapher appeared in Roger Fenton, who accompanied the British forcesto the Crimea. His process was wet plate collodion, and his equipment required a covered van and four horses, drawing 36 large chests containing two large and two small cameras, 700 glass plates of four different sizes, a portable still and stove, chemicals, printing frames, baths and sundries. Camouflage. We have heard of cameras which have pretended to be something else, but now the boot is on the other leg. A new hearing-aid for the deaf is recommended on the -ground that it could be passed off to all appear¬ ance as a camera ! The A mateur Photographer” EXPOSURE T ABLE — April 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 10 in the morning and 2 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/i 6 give four times the exposure. For f/5.6 give half. From 9 to 10 a.m. or from 2 to 3 p.m. double these exposures. From 7 to 9 a.m. or from 3 to 5 p.m., treble them. N.B. — The times given above are by “sun time” The exposures , theiefore, which are laid down as suitable for 2 to 4 p.m., for instance , will be those to be given between 3 and 5 p.m., by the clock, during “ summer time,” which begins on April 18 th. Subject. Ordinary. Medium. Rapid. Extra Rapid. Ultra Rapid. Open seascapes and cloud studies . . 1/25 sec. 1/40 sec. 1/75 sec. 1/100 sec. 1/125 sec. Open landscapes with no very heavy shadows in foreground, shipping studies or seascapes with rocks, beach scenes . . 1/15 1/25 11 1/45 11 1/60 11 1/75 99 Ordinary landscapes, open river scenery, figure studies in the open, light buildings, wet street scenes . . 1/8 1 1 1/12 1 1 1/25 11 1/30 11 1/40 99 Landscapes in fog or mist, or with strong foreground, well-lighted street scenes . . 1/5 1 1 1/8 11 1/15 1 1 1/20 1 1 1/25 99 Buildings or trees occupying greater portion of picture 1/3 1 1 1/5 1 1 1/6 11 1/8 11 1/10 99 Portraits or groups taken out of doors, not too much shut in by buildings . . 1| 11 1 1 1 1/2 1 1 1/3 11 1/4 • 9 Portraits in well-lighted room, light sur¬ roundings, big window, white reflector . . 5 secs. 4 secs. 2 secs. i§ 11 1 99 As a further guide we 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. Ensign, Ultrachrome Film. Gevaert, Super Sensima. „ Sensima Fast. ,, Sensima Ortho. ,, Super Chromosa. ,, Roll Films and Packs. Ilford, Golden Iso-Zenith. Ilford, Iso-Zenith. Kodak, Super Sensitive Pan. Agfa, Iso Rapid Chromo. „ Hypersensitive Pan. Film. „ Roll Film. Plates and Films. ,, Panatomic. Barnet, S.R. Pan. „ Portrait Film (Ortho Marion, Record. „ Studio Ortho. Ensign, Roll Film. Fast). „ Iso Record. ,, Monarch. Nuro Film. Gevaert, Filtered Ortho. „ Press. Selo, Selochrome Roll Film and Chromosa. ,, S.S. Ex. Sens. Film Pack. „ S.R. „ Zenith Ex. Sens. „ Selo. Pan. Roll Film. „ Regular Cut Film. „ S.G. Pan. Voigtlander, Illustra Film. Ilford, Auto. Filter. Illingworth, Fleet. Wellington, Anti-screen. „ S.R. Pan. „ Super Fleet. „ X Press. ,, Pan. Film. „ Super Fleet Ortho. Zeiss Ikon, Pemox Roll Film ,, Rapid Chromatic. Imperial, Non-filter (new series). „ Eclipse Pan. B. ,, Pan. Fleet. Imperial, S.S.S. Press Ortho. and Packs. „ Eclipse. Extra Rapid. „ S.S. Ortho. Kodak, Roll Film and Film Pack. ,, Eclipse Ortho Soft. Agfa, Chromo. ,, Eclipse Soft. „ ,, Isolar. Pathe, Roll Film. „ Eclipse Ortho. „ Extra Rapid. Selo, Roll Film. ,, Eclipse Pan. Soft. „ Isolar. Zeiss Ikon, Roll Film and Film Kodak, Verichrome Film. „ Iso Rapid. Pack. Rapid. Barnet, S.R. „ Self-screen Ortho. Ilford, Screen Chromatic. „ S.R. ,, Commercial Ortho Film. Imperial, Non-filter. „ 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. 339 0