Evening star., 1954-04-25

MS camera on the smell 1Or
the duration Of the cold
months. But now that the
balmy breezes Of spring are
upon us it's time once more to
furbish up the camera and
gadgets for a long season of
picture taking.
Store any object for a few
months and it will very likely
accumulate it's full quota of
dust. The camera is certainly
no exception. AS a matter of
fact the camera is very sus-
ceptible in this respect for.
particularly with the folding
variety. there are many crew
ices and crannieS where the
fine particles of dust and grit
will be deposited over a period
of time.
And dust is the time
honored foe Of the camera fan.
If a Aim Of it settles on the
lens 1t naturally will have a
noticeable effect on your pic
lures If left undisturbed. Dust
in the bellows Of the camera
will in time act as an abrasive
that will eat tiny holes in the
folds and allow light to leak
into the body of the camera.
Gum Con Mar Shutter
Then. Of course. dust and
CRIME mix readily with the
lubricants Of the working parts
and can easily gum up the
works Of your camera. The
shutter is particularly sensi-
tive in this respect. A fleck Of
dust in the wrong place can
materially alter the exposure
from that which is designated
for a given shutter setting.
The camera carrying case
can be a source Of unforeseen
trouble If overlooked. Dust
and CRIME will find their way
in even when the case is kept
closed. If you clean up your
camera and forget to give the
carrying case the same treat
ment 1t won't be long before
the dust in the case will find
its way into the camera.
So before you load the
camera for its first spring try
out, be sure to give it and It's
case a thorough cleaning. The
lense should be wiped clean
with lens tissue and lens clean
ing fluid. Both items may be
purchased at any camera store.
Don't use substitutes for it is
easier than you may think to
scratch the surface of the lens.
And the wrong type of fluid
may cause the lens elements
to separate.
CameI's- Hair Brush
A camel's hair brush is ideal
for dislodging dust from the
folds of the bellows and other
accessible parts A small rub
ber syringe can be used to
blow air into hard-to-reach
crevices of the camera.
Should you have any rea-
son to suspect that there may
be light leaks in the bellows
give your camera the standard
test. It's a good idea to test
the camera once or twice a
year for light leaks just to be
on the safe side. A tiny hole
no bigger than the point of a
needle can work havoc with
your films so look for them and
fix them If they are found to
exist.
A simple test will give you
the answer in just a few min
utes. Take the camera into a
darkroom, closet, or other
place that can be completely
darkened. Open it and insert
q small light bulb, such as a
Christmas tree light or a pen
Gil flashlight. If any holes are
present the light will shine
through. n yours is a bellows
camera, be sure the bellows is
fully extended when making
the test.
Job for on Expert
Should you discover that
any of the mechanical work.
ing parts Of the camera are
gummed up with dust or
CRIME. take the instrument to
a reputable technician and
have it thoroughly overhauled.
Never attempt the job your
self for it takes special train
ing to take apart and reas-
semble the tiny parts that go
into the workings Of a pre-
cision-made machine such as
your camera.
This is particularly true in
respect to the shutter which
is a highly complicated ar