PH – WO

Makers have provided us with tiny cameras fitted with lenses of enormous rapidity and exquisite defining power, and rollfilms of such quality, speed and color sensitivity as were undreamed of by our predecessors, that the intelligent beginner starts level, as far as the attainment of technical excellence is concerned, with the advanced worker of yester-year. The beginner differs only in this: he is nebulous in his aspirations; he lacks the artistic training of the pictorialist; and he is reluctant to learn the fundamentals of photography. General and appealing advantages are the compactness, portability, and self-containedness of these miniature cameras. Within the space of a few square inches the photographer can carry at all times, in a soft pocket purse or in an ever-ready case slung from the neck, a fully equipped instrument furnished with a single roll of film for twelve, sixteen or thirty-six exposures without reloading and ready for instant use. The facility of immediate operation is, however, of practical value only when a camera is so optically endowed as to make the registration of the subject effectively on the film, irrespective of prevailing light conditions, regardless of the rapidity with which the subject is moving, and in despite of the amount of depth of field definition the photographer desires. For this purpose the lens must possess great light-passing power; so it must be of very large aperture; and it must at the same time have great depth of critical definition in order that planes before and behind the principal object focussed sharply, shall be rendered recognizable in reasonably big enlargements. Good depth of definition and great lens rapidity are, however, incompatible unless the focal length of the lens is short. Hence, these two indispensable qualities can be secured in the miniature camera only, which is equipped as a standard with a lens of five or six centimetres focal length and of nominal rapidity F3.5, F2.9, and F2. With even this last aperture a satisfactory depth of field can be secured without stopping down, thus allowing sixteen times the light intensity at the film surface as that given by a lens working at F8. This advantage of miniature cameras under conditions where the utmost light action must be secured in photographing rapidly moving objects when the illumination is far from brilliant needs no stressing. In the matter of running costs, once the user has mastered the operating of the camera and is able to handle it with the certainty that comes of practice, the expense is small, the cost of each negative being little more than 2 cents assuming the use of higher priced films and including the cost of developing and fixing them. MODERN HIGH-SPEED FILMS AND SOME OF THEIR SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS.— Verichrome.—Highly sensitive to greens and yellows, almost approaching panchromatic in this respect. Excellent for skies and clouds and portraits of dark persons. Ideal for photographs including naked lights. Selochrome.—A fine film for general miniature work. For portraits of very fair people, when used with a pale light filter, gives excellent color values. Agfa Isochrom.—One of the best films for good contrast on dull days and in winter. Develops quickly. Zeiss Ikon, Mimosa and Perutz Fine Grain.—Specially advantageous for copying and where large commercial and technical prints are wanted. Gevart Express.—An exceedingly rapid film particularly effective in rapid action sports work. Perutz Persenso, Agfa and Kodak Super Ban.—Are especially indicated for outdoor night snapshots and snapshots of stage incidents. Zeiss Ikon U.R. Pernox Film.—Has the amazing speed of 2500 H. and D. to daylight and is fully sensitive to yellows and greens. For rapid action work near or at sunset, it will secure fully timed exposures. For ordinary outdoor snaps during the summer months one twenty-fifth second can be given with the lens at F22 or at F8 the same exposure with an eight times light filter on the lens. Using this film with a lens of F2.8 snapshots indoors can be made in ordinary well-lighted rooms.