Evening star., 1952-08-10

Barnack, invented a miniature
camera which would take stills
on standard 35-mm. movie film.
Ten years later, after the inter-
vention Of World War I, Bar
nack's camera went into pro-
duction under the trade name
Leica. Since then, many 35-
nm. cameras have contributed
to a continuing era of minia-
ture photography. There are
many reasons why the 35'S are
the choice of large numbers of
camera fans. as we shall point
cut in the following paragraphs
for the benefit of those consid-
ering the purchase of a camera.
Right away we can say that
the IS is one Of the most YER
6atile cameras on the market.
It will take care Of almost any
picture assignment you will run
across, with a few possible ex-
ceptionS. Twin advantages are
to be found in the fllm size.
First, it is very inexpensive as
compared to the larger films.
and, secondly. It's miniature size
allows for a great many more
exposures per roll than the
others.
You will find that you can
get from 20 to SO shots per roll
as compared to 8 or IL with
many other cameras. The film
can be purchased in ready-made
rolls at a very modest price. or.
Il you have a darkroom or other
equally dark place to work in,
you can save money by purchas-
ing 33-mm. movie film in 100
foot rolls and load your own
film magazines or cassettes to
bring the price per shot down
to a fraction of a cent. The ac-
tual size of each negative will
be about 1x11a inches-ample
for most Photographic prob
lens.
Light Weight Is Advantage
Another desirable feature of
the miniature camera is its size.
Regardless of make. all are
small enough to fit in a coat
pocket. This also gives you a
light camera that is not apt
to be bothersome in weight.
This feature is of value when
you have to make a picture in
a hurry.
If price is uppermost in our
minds, we find that the 35"mm.
ranges in price from a few dol
lars to several hundred. The
price bracket of your choice
should depend largely on what
you can afford and what type
of photography you will go in
for. There would be little point
in spending $400 or $500 for a
camera you have little use for
the things that would make it
cost so much.
Practically all miniature
cameras have the eye-level view
Under, although a few, such as
tne twin-lens Reflex. are diff
fereatly equipped. Some, but
not all. are fitted for synchro-
nized flash. Many have special
range finders that make an out
of-doors picture almost out OF
the question. Many are so con-
structed that you can switch
from one lens to another with
little effort. Almost all are
suitable for shooting color. as
well as black and white.
Short FocoI Length
Most of us know by now that
the lens is not only a very i'm
portant part of the camera but
greatly affects the ultimate price
of the instrument. In the mini
ature field, you can get a fast
lens at much smaller price
than if you were buying one of
equal speed for one of the larger
cameras. The smaller negative
requires a lens of shorter local
length than those designed for
larger cameras which means
that your 35-mm. camera will
operate on a smaller lens aper-
ture to transmit the same
amount of light required by a
larger camera. Another ad-
vantage of the short focal length
of miniature camera lenses is a
relatively great depth of field
even at larger lens openings.
With the fast lenses which
come as normal equipment for
most 35s you will be able to
make pictures under what would
be considered adverse lighting
with other cameras. This will
enable you to expose film both
indoors and out without the