Archive-name: rec-photo-faq
Version: 1.0, 5/1/93

 My apologies -- I was away from the net for a week! This
is normally posted on the 1st and 15th of the month.

  Andrew

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>>>> Contents
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Some rec.photo generalities
 Other photo informational sheets, and mailing lists
 A short lexicon of terms
 Some useful phone numbers
 Some miscellaneous questions
 Equipment - brands, purchasing and quality

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>>>> Some rec.photo generalities
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Kodak Publications

 These are recommended so often that the fact of their existence
 is worthy of a spot here. Kodak publishes a large set of pamphlets
 on various subjects photographic, from how to dispose of darkroom
 chemistry to how to take pictures of monitors and TV screens.
 Some are free, the rest are cheap. All may be obtained from
 1-800-242-2424, easily. The catalogue of publications is designated
 L-1, and may be obtained free.

How to ask a question in rec.photo

 This may seem silly, but a surprising percentage of questions
 asked in this newsgroup are ill-phrased. In an effort to help
 this problem go away, I suggest:

 1) specify make and model of equipment
 2) specify exact film type (read it off the box!)
 3) specify exact camera settings
 4) be as detailed as possible about the circumstances and
  failure mode/problem.

 Try to get the terminology right -- look it up if you're not sure!
 In short, provide as much detail as possible.

Is it OK to flame in rec.photo?

 No ;) We don't flame in this newsgroup. Really! This is one of
 the very few unmoderated newsgroups with almost no flame content.

Hey! Let's split rec.photo up in to several groups!

 Periodically, people suggest that rec.photo get split up.
 The consensus generally arrived at is 'no', and the reasons given
 are many. The big ones seem to be: Too many different ways to
 split the group, everyone would have to read all the groups anyways,
 there'd be a *lot* of crossposting, and the group doesn't get that
 much traffic anyways.

 If you're feeling snowed under, poke around your site, and figure
 out how to use kill files, if you have them, to filter out articles
 on subjects you're not interested in.

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>>>> Other photo informational sheets, and mailing lists
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 These are posted to rec.photo by the indicated people (when
I know 'em -- please let me know of any mistakes or missing info). This
should not be taken as license to mail these people for copies! Please
wait a while for a copy to be posted before trying other routes.


 - Nikon FAQ sheet (monthly posting) --
  (tredysvr!ubbpc!kjm@gvls1.gvl.unisys.com)
 - Camera Feature List(s) --  glporter@zeus.calpoly.edu (Glen Porter)
 - Mail-order house review list -- blondin@rockies.ATT.COM (BlondinDJ)


These are the photographic mailing lists I know of:


 Brian Reid runs a mailing list of people who use Leicas and other
 rangefinder cameras. If you'd like to be on it, send mail to:
        leica-users-request@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
                or
        decwrl!mejac!leica-users-request, if you can't do "@" addressing.


 Medium Format Digest. Moderated. Rather variable frequency, a
 a digest once a week, or more. Send mail to hamish@netcom.com,
 to subscribe, or submit items.


 Mailing list for Bronica S, EC, and EC/TL users.  This list
 is dedicated to these models since many of the parts are
 interchangeable. The purpose is to create a forum that is the
 most likely place to get answers to your questions about these
 cameras.  Subscribe by sending a note to:

 bronysaur-request@post.royalroads.ca


 There is a mailing list for a variety of topics surrounding
 stereo photography, handled by a list server at LBL. To
 subscribe, send a message to listserv@csg.lbl.gov with
 'subscribe photo-3d <your name>' in the text (NOT the subject
 line!) of the message. Contact bercov@csg.lbl.gov for more
 help or information.

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>>>> A short lexicon of terms
------------------------------------------------------------------------


f-stop
 The ratio of focal length to aperture diameter (actually,
 'entrance pupil' diameter, which is not quite the same).
 Any two lenses set at the same f-stop will allow the same
 amount of light to pass through them (aside from minor
 differences in light losses in the lens). Smaller numbers
 mean more light.

ISO/ASA, Film speed
 The rated speed of the film, as determined by a published
 and somewhat technical standard. Higher numbers indicate
 that the film in question requires less exposure. Some films
 seem to perform better when used at speeds different from the
 manufacturer recommendation, however.

EI, Exposure index
 The film speed at which the photographer chooses to shoot
 the film. Often the same as the ISO/ASA of the film.

EV, Exposure Value
 A measure of total exposure given the film. 1 sec at f/1.0
 is EV 0, as is any other equivalent f-stop/shutter speed
 combination (2 sec at f/1.4, 4 sec at f/2.0). EV 1 is one stop
 *less* exposure (e.g. 1 sec at f/1.4), EV -1 is one
 stop more, and so on.

GN, guide number
 Power rating for flash. Given a film speed (An EI, in
 fact), to compute the correct f-stop for exposure,
 divide the GN by the subject distance. NOTE: this implies
 that you need the correct units for subject distance, both
 feet and meters are commonly used. GN's for a flash
 are usually given as 'GN 140 in meters at ISO 100'.


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>>>> Some useful phone numbers
------------------------------------------------------------------------

[I've only tried some of these, and would especially welcome any
 additions and/or corrections! - Andrew]

800 number phone # directory system: 1-800-555-1212

Canon:
 800-828-4040
 NY 516-488-6700 (east coast)
 CA 714-769-6000 (west coast)
Victor Hasselblad, Inc.
 201-227-7320
Minolta Consumer Relations
 CA  714-895-6633 x101  Douglas Dodge or Bill Suarez
 NJ  201-825-4000
Minox:
 516-437-7837
Nikon:
 800-NIKON-US, 800-645-6687 (general info/customer support)
 800-645-6635 (new product information)
 213-516-7124 (parts depot)
Olympus:
 NY  516-364-3000
 NJ  800-221-3000  dealer listings, manuals, literature
 Europe: Germany (++49)  -40-23773-0
  Fax:                     -649
Sigma:
 516-585-1144
Tokina:
 310-537-9380
Tamron:
 516-484-8880
Tamrac ( camera carrying supplies ):
 800-662-0717
Vivitar:
 800-352-7481

Yashica (Contax/Kyocera as well?):
 201-560-0060 (USA main office)
 908-560-0060 (apparently works as well?)
 312-250-0591 (midwest USA office)
 818-247-2140 (western USA office)
 416-671-4300 (Kyocera Canada)
 (040)25 15 07 0 (Yashica Kyocera Germany)
 (01)720 34 34 (Yashica Switzerland)
 283-4244 (Yashica do Brasil Industria e Comercio Ltda.)
 (03)797-4631 (Yashica Japan)
Calumet:
 800-CALUMET
Kodak Information:
 800-242-2424
 800-465-6325 (In Canada)
Ilford Information:
 800-535-9205
Ilford technical support:
 201-265-6000
Pentax:
 303-799-8000
Fuji Customer Service:
 East Coast: 800-279-4419 (??)
 West Coast: 800-326-0800 ext. 4223
Polaroid Customer Service:
 800-225-1618 (technical literature?)
 800-343-5000 (also customer service?)
Light Impressions (dealer in archival products)
 800-828-6216
University Products (dealer in archival products)
 800-336-4847
Photographers' Formulary
 800-922-5255
 406-754-2896 (Fax)
Lightworks (source of photographic chemistry)
 800-776-9678
Bostick & Sullivan (platinum printing and other exotic chemistry)
 818-785-4130
A Photographer's Place (excellent source of photographic books)
 133 Mercer St.
 P.O. Box 274, Prince St. Station, New York, NY 10012-0005
 212-431-9358 or 212-966-2356 (one or the other is current)

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>>>> Some miscellaneous questions
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Will airport X-ray machines damage my film?

 Reports vary. Some machines will, others won't. High speed
 film (ISO 1000, up) is certainly at risk. Ask for a hand search,
 but you may not get one. Lead bags may help. Don't worry
 overmuch about ordinary film.

Is Kodalux the same as Kodak?

 Nope. Kodalux is the name of a chain of labs, some or all of which
 were previously owned by Kodak. Kodak sold these labs to Qualex,
 which owns and operates the Kodalux labs. To make things more
 interesting, Kodak does own a large share of Qualex, but does not
 control it. Further, there has been some suggestion that the
 Kodalux name applies to only those Qualex labs that were, in fact,
 formerly owned by Kodak.

What can I do about people's eye's turning red in my photos?

 This is red-eye, caused by light from your flash bouncing off the
 subject's retina, back through the camera lens. Red-eye reducing
 flashes emit a series of low-level flashes before the shutter fires,
 to cause the subject's iris to close a little, reducing the effect.
 Increasing the ambient light, even if only for a moment (with
 a flashlight, say, pointed at the subject's eyes) will accomplish
 a similar effect. Turning up the room lights, if possible, should
 help in the same way. These methods work, but to a limited extent.
 A better solution is to move the flash away from the lens, so
 the bouncing light misses the lens. This can only be accomplished
 with detachable flash units, and one usually does so by putting
 the flash on a bracket, mounting it some distance from the lens.
 Lastly, if you can bounce the flash off the ceiling, or even
 diffuse it to some extent, red-eye will be reduced. Note that
 in these cases, you must adjust your exposure, as less light from
 the flash will actually reach the subject.

How do I take pictures of TV screens/monitors?

 Use a tripod and slow shutter speeds. Use a shutter speed of 1/30
 of a second or slower (i.e. 1/15, 1/8 etc..) The longer you can
 make the exposure, the better. Bracket exposures a stop or two
 each way. Longer lenses will help compensate for curvature of the
 screen. Darken the room to help eliminate glare from the screen.
 Do everything you can to align your camera with the screen. It is
 very easy to take crooked pictures!

 See Kodak publication AC-10, as well.

What about this 'movie film' I see advertised here and there (Seattle
 Film Works, for example)?

 There are several labs that sell this film, and processing.
 Usually they offer to process it into prints and slides, as
 well as give you a free roll. This film is indeed movie film,
 the unused parts of long rolls from the movie industry. As
 such, the age and condition of the film is unknown. Also,
 only a few labs can process the stuff, your local one-hour lab
 cannot. In general, it's probably not a very good deal.

How do I take pictures of fireworks?

 You will need a tripod. The idea is to leave the shutter open
 long enough to catch a few bursts. As with flash photography,
 exposure is determined only by aperture. Try F-stop = square-
 root of film speed, as a guideline. With ISO 100 film, try an
 f-stop around f/11, and an exposure of 3-6 seconds, for example.
 Use the widest angle lens you have, 50mm is a little too narrow
 on 35mm camera. Ask your photofinisher to print the sky black,
 lest the print be 'compensated' and come out gray.

Help! I over/under exposed a roll of film!

 Color print film overexposed by 1 or 2 stops can be processed
 normally. It's somewhat more sensitive to underexposure. Slide
 film is not nearly as easy-going. Films can be push or pull
 processed, to compensate (to some extent) for under or over
 exposure. Prices for this service vary from a couple bucks a
 roll on up. Shop around.

My prints look all funny! What can I do?

 Look at the negatives, to see if they're the problem. If a
 huge blotch appears on the print but not on the neg, or if
 there's no detail in grandma's dress in the print, but you
 can clearly see it in the neg, then get a reprint (and ask for
 it to be done free!). Printing problems are common, and can
 be corrected by re-doing the print right.

How do I get film leaders out of film cans?

 If your camera doesn't let you rewind film in such a way as to
 leave the leader out, your best bet seems to be to stop by your
 local photo store and get the little tool they sell for
 extracting leaders from cans. These apparently work really well.
 Some people can fool an power-rewind by popping the back open
 as they hear the film snap off the takeup spool.

The <X> in/on my camera is dirty, how do I clean it?

 If it's the mirror, or something in the viewfinder, don't
 worry about it (it doesn't effect image quality). If it's the
 lens, get some lens cleaner and tissue, and follow the
 instructions. Don't worry about minor smudges or specks of
 dust on or inside the lens, they won't have any serious
 impact. Think before scrubbing!

Do I need a 'circular' polarizer, and what is one, anyway?

 Circular polarizers are just like regular polarizers, but
 have an additional optical element to stir the light up
 after the filter has done its thing. This stirring keeps
 autofocus mechanisms and some light-metering mechanisms from
 getting confused by polarised light. If the manual says you need
 to use one, you likely do.

Do I need a UV/skylight filter on my lens?

 This is a tough call. Such a filter will protect the lens, and
 will alter your images slightly in the positive ways advertised.
 They will also degrade image sharpness slightly, and contribute
 to flare (you get two more air-glass surfaces in the light path).

What about teleconverters?

 They degrade image quality noticeably, yes. The best image
 quality is obtained from a lens of the appropriate length.
 Next is a lens + *matched* teleconverter (i.e. a teleconverter
 designed especially for the lens, or lens family), followed by
 a fixed focal length lens with a non-matched teleconverter.
 Using that $90 teleconverter on your 3rd party 70-200mm
 zoom lens will make rotten pictures. Using that Nikon 300mm
 lens with the matched 1.4X teleconverter will make nice
 pictures, you'll probably need a loupe to see degradation
 from a real 400mm lens.

What about mirror lenses?

 Mirror lenses are small and cheap and have long focal lengths.
 They also tend to have fixed-size apertures (and slow, typically
 f8 or worse), so you can adjust exposure only with shutter speed
 or filters to reduce light. Finally, they render out-of-focus
 highlights as fuzzy donuts rather than fuzzy dots, which some
 find objectionable.

What's the Zone System?

 It's a system of light-metering combined with development
 tailored to each exposure, to produce as good a negative as
 possible. It was developed by the famous photographer Ansel
 Adams, and Fred Archer.

Is there a Zone System for color photography?

 Not really. You can use the ideas to get your exposures
 'right', but development controls are out, since altering
 development makes nasty color shifts. There are various
 unsatisfactory systems published, but this is the short form.

What's the sunny 16 rule?

 For taking pictures of objects brightly lit by the sun, in the
 absence of a better guess, expose the film at f/16, with a
 shutter speed of 1/<film ISO> (or equivalent). I.E. ISO 400
 film yields 1/400 sec at f/16, 1/800 sec at f/11 etc.. Choose
 the nearest shutter speed your camera has (1/500 and 1/1000
 in the example, for many cameras).

How do I take a picture of the moon?

 Well, the moon is brightly lit by the sun, so use the sunny 16
 rule! Before you say this is crazy, note that it doesn't matter
 how far away Aunt Martha is, as long as she's well lit by the sun,
 right? The moon's a bit farther out.. Often, you want the moon a
 little overexposed (it's a bright white thing, you know) so
 the 'looney 11' rule has been suggested. Use f/11 and 1/ISO
 shutter speed. Also, you really will want a very long lens, lest
 you wind up with a small white dot. The longer the better, really.
 For reference, the moon is around 1/2 a degree wide, while a 50mm
 lens has angle of view around 40 degrees, 300mm has 7 degrees,
 and a 500mm has about 4 degrees. So with a 500mm lens, the moon
 will be about 1/8 of the width of your frame (the long way).

How do I take a picture of a moonlit landscape?

 From Jeff MacDonald (jmacdon@cg-atla.UUCP) comes the
 Loony f/4 rule: Set the aperture to f/4 and open the shutter
 for 1/EI days. That is, if you are shooting film at a speed
 of 100, at aperture f/4, use a shutter speed of 1/100 day
 or around 15 minutes. This is, of course, purely a starting
 point, and is based on the illumination of the full moon.

How about some general guesstimated exposure guidelines?

 Ok! This is a table of compensations, in stops, from the sunny 16
 rule. E.G. For heavy rain, use 4 stops more exposure, for a backlit
 subject in hazy sun, use 1 + 1.5 to 2 stops more.

 I stole this table verbatim from (faust@bagels.enet.dec.com):

 Sunny 16 variations  Lighting correction
 Bright sun      0  Backlit subject         +1-1/2 to +2
 Hazy sun        +1  Sidelight Subject       +1/2 to +1
 Light clouds    +2    (-1/2 under hazy conditions, -0
 Overcast        +3    under overcast or shade conditions)
 Heavy rain      +4
 Dense Shade     +6

 One more thing: A rule of thumb for the slowest shutter speed
 you should use, hand-holding your camera, is 1/focal length of
 lens. That is 1/50 sec or so for the standard 50mm lens, 1/300
 sec or so for the long 300mm lens. This is purely a rule of thumb,
 steadier people may get away with slower shutter speeds.

What's a grey card, and what's it good for?

 A grey card is, well, a grey cardboard card. It's a specific
 shade of grey, 18% reflectance  that's visually about the middle
 between black and white. More usefully, it's also the 'average'
 tone camera meters aim at. Taking a meter reading off of a grey
 card held next to your subject gives you the exposure that will
 render the grey card the right tone on film -- and as a corollary,
 should render a black subject black and a white subject white.
 Metering off the white subject will render it 18% grey, you see,
 which isn't always what you want.

Is there an FTP archive for rec.photo?

 Yes! moink.nmsu.edu (128.123.1.46) has a number of possibly
 useful files. Log in as 'ftp' or 'anonymous', with your FTP
 client, please do send your real email address as the password,
 and look around.

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>>>> Equipment - brands, purchasing and quality
------------------------------------------------------------------------

 This section is full of probably unfair generalisations, and
exceptions to the things said abound. The author has tried to write short
rules of thumb to be taken with a grain of salt, the most important
of which is that you tend to get what you pay for. Expensive things
tend to be better than cheaper things. Do not expect the $30 Pakina
special to perform as well as the Canon!

 The term 'Big Name Manufacturers' is used below to avoid writing
long lists of manufacturers of things photographic. By way of example
only, Nikon and Canon are Big Name makers of cameras, Kodak and Fuji
are Big Name film manufacturers.

What's a good cheap camera?

 There are lots of them. Go to your local dealer, and spend
 some time talking and trying things out. Find out what
 features *you* want. Be prepared to take some time to handle
 equipment.

 In general, they are not as good as those made by the Big Name
 Manufacturers -- this should not be surprising, since they are in
 general cheaper. The modestly priced zoom lenses are likely fine
 for snapshots. Durability of these lenses is reputed to be lower
 than the Big Name lenses. However, some of these lenses are
 excellent. Use the price as your guide, it's reasonable to guess
 that an expensive Sigma is about as good as a similarly priced
 Nikon, and it may well be worth further investigation.

Who makes the best cameras?

 See 'Who makes the best lenses'!

Who makes the best film?

 That depends on your application. The standard color print
 films are probably fine for most normal applications. Is
 there a problem with the film(s) you have used in the past?
 If not, stick with them. All the Big Name manufacturers make
 decent films, and there are very few bad films.

 Some color print films:
 Under lights of mixed color or fluorescents - Fuji Reala.
 High resolution -  Ektar 25.
 High speed - Ektapress 1600 (and other Ektapresses)
 Low contrast - Kodak VPS VPH
 Wide exposure latitude - Gold 100.

 Some slide films:
 Good archival qualities - Kodachrome.
 Saturated (bright) colors - Fuji Velvia.

 Black & White Slide Film:
 TMax from Kodak, processed in their reversal kit (at home)
 Kodak Duplicating Film (process in Dektol, at home, ISO .5!
  Available from Freestyle in California)
 Agfa DiaDirect. Slow speed direct positive film. Hard to
  find?

I have a chance to buy <X> for $<Y>, is it a good deal?

 Get a copy of Shutterbug, and look around in the various
 advertisements for an idea of current prices. If it might be
 a 'classic' of some sort, look at McKeown's or McBroom's
 guides (my local photo shop has a copy they let me look at,
 your local library may well have copies as well).



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