The Optical Magic Lantern Journal (January 1900)

The Optical Magic Lantern Journal and Photographic Enlarger. 3 Ripple on Waves. By H. W. OME passages in one of the recent numbers of the Optican Maaic LanTeRN JouRNAL remind me of a peculiar way in which a sunrise set of dissolving views was painted for me in Iiondon some months ago— ©) and I venture to hope that my remarks may not be without utility for slide painters, who seem too often to execute their work in a very mechanical routine and unreflecting fashion. The set in question professes to depict sunrise at sea. To say nothing of the clouds which are absurdly unnatural, the sun rises, not in the centre of the view—the position surely the best in such a picture where the rising luminary must be the main object of the spectator’s attraction, and that in which Turner places his setting suns— but at one side. Worse than this, however, the ripple of light on the waves is made to lie in a path perpendicular to the horizon, a direction it can follow only when it is central. This of course is a glaring blunder, while the position chosen for sun or moon in such a view, it may be contended, is merely a question of taste or judgment. Gross, however, as this blunder is, it is far too frequent in “ effect slides ’’ for the magic lantern. Whatever the position of the sun or moon or other luminaries in the picture, the ripple caused by the reflection on the waves must follow a line towards the position of the spectator, which is of course always equidistant from either side limit of the picture, 7.e., central, although usually below the base. To prove this optically and mathematically would not be difficult but would probably take up too much space. to Nature at once. If these slide painters who give us such false optics in their pictures will take a walk any night by the Thames, a harbour, or any other water when it is ever so slightly agitated, and when the moon is shining, or the reflection of lamps is visible, they need only the commonest observation to convince them that all the paths of light reflected from the lamps, etc., converge towards the point at which the observer is situated. They should accordingly in a picture be made to follow paths which would meet at that point, for only that path of light can be perpendicular to the horizon which proceeds from luminary. In a question of art—go | a centrally placed | Cycling and Lanternising. By ALBERT TRANTER. (Ee CPE unne is a great deal of truth in the old saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, and for that reason the indulgence in such pleasures as cycling and lanternising will always have the effect of making the devotees of such pastimes or hobbies realise that there is something in this world to make them happy, and that by such indulgence they can give pleasure to other people as well, and my idea in writing this is to suggest that those who combine the pleasures of cycling and photography should think, on setting out on a tour, whether there is any place or object on the route which, when photographed, would be of interest to the literary brethren of the optical lantern. I am sure there are many places in different parts of the British Isles which would pay for being photographed and supplied as lantern slides to students of English literature. Such subjects could be exchanged or sold, and in the latter case they ought to be supplied at the rate of not more than 6s. a dozen, and not 12s. per dozen, as some dealers ask for plain slides. The use of a good camera for this work, fitted with a Zeiss or Goerz lens, would be desirable, but not one that is too heavy. I venture to think that many a pleasant Saturday afternoon could be spent in this way, provided the cyclist did not object to the slight extra weight to be carried on his machine. sisi > See~< sii | How Cinematographic Machines work.—No. X. By MAGNET. ANY interesting points in the construction of cinematographs are embodied in the invention of ae Se Stafford-Noble and Liddle. These yer consist mainly in the feeding of the 324 film forward and perforating. Their Za methods of accomplishing this will be = easily understood by the accompanying views of their machine, Fig. XXIV. being a side elevation, and Fig. XXV. a front elevation. Upon a base a are mounted two side frames BB with cross bars B', adapted to carry the