Film vs digital camera testing

A very detailed article whose aim is to compare medium and large format film with digital 35mm & digital medium format backs. Very thorough and interesting despite the fact that digital technology has moved on since 2011 when the testing was done. Much of what is written is very relevant in principle.  http://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2011/12/big-camera-comparison/ Some conclusions from the author at the following link – particularly interesting description of the way digital represents detail vs film, especially at the limits of their respective resolution: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/2011/12/camera-test-editors-commentary/

Filters

  Filter is optical device to remove or absorb selected wavelengths or proportion of all wavelengths. Types and description of special effects filters, close-up filters, trick filters, filters for b&w and colour. … PDF: Filters Description PDF: Filters Types   Other filters commonly used with colour film. … PDF: Colour Filters     PDF: Filters

Lens Performance, Getting the Most from a Lens

  Camera motion causes blur. Though some photographers claim to be able to hand hold a camera steady at slow shutter speeds-V” sec. or even slower-it takes only a slight amount of camera motion during exposure to cause a noticeable blur in an image. If a sharp picture is your aim, using a fast shutter speed or supporting the camera on a tripod is a much surer way to produce an image that will be sharp when enlarged. … PDF: Lens Performance Getting the Most from a Lens

Perspective How a Photograph Shows Depth

  Perspective: the impression of depth. Few lenses (except for the fisheye) noticeably dis­tort the scene they show. The perspective in a photograph-the apparent size and shape of objects and the impression of depth-is what you would see if you were standing at camera position. … PDF: Perspective How a Photograph Shows Depth

Lens Focal Length: Normal, Short, Long, Special Lenses

  Lens focal length is the most important characteristic of a lens. One of the prime advantages of a single·lens reflex camera or a view camera is the interchangeability of its lenses; the reason photographers own more than one lens is so that they can change lens focal length. … PDF: Lens Focal Length, The Basic Difference Between Lenses   Normal Focal Length The Most Like Human Vision A lens of normal focal length, as you might expect from the name,  produces an image on film that seems normal when compared with human vision. The image includes about the same angle of view as the human eye Read more

Choosing a Lens for Analogue 35 mm Camera

  With wide angle lenses covering be­tween 63° and 115°, there is some distortion on the wider angles. For a 35mm SLR, a 35mm focal length covering 63° may not be wide enough if your standard lens is 50mm; 28mm covering 75° would be a better choice. A 24mm covering 84° is going to extremes and, unless you particularly need this coverage with its risk of image distortion, the 28mm is the most sensible all-round choice. … PDF: Choosing a Lens for Analogue 35 mm Camera   Why Change Lenses? Altering distance and focal length. Each picture was taken with a lens of different focal length 135 mm format, but  the camera distance was Read more

SLR Camera Simulator

Want to play around with SLR Camera settings and see how it affects your photo, but without actually using an SLR? Well, you can do just that with the Online SLR Camera Simulator. This simple application allows you to choose the lighting, ISO, shutter speed and aperture. A great tool to teach someone the basics of photography. Website: http://camerasim.com/camera-simulator.html

The View Camera

  Cameras and Accessories View cameras come in a variety of sizes, ranging in inches  from 2 1/4″ x 3 1/4″ up to 11 x 14 formats. There are larger models, but those are usually used only for special-purpose photography because of  the limits imposed  by  their massive size and weight. The two most popular sizes are 4×5  and 8 x 10. All monorail cameras are modular  in  design. These can be specifically configured in terms of bellows, monorail length, and type of back and front components to serve  a wide variety of photographic needs.  … PDF: Cameras and Accessories   Definitions The view camera is unique because its lens and back are Read more

Camera Movements

What are camera movements? Essentially, they are controlled independent movements of lens or film plane which enable us to form a more usefull image under a particular set of conditions. They enable us, for instance, to increase depth of field over important parts of the subject, change image shape, and use images of subjects well above, below or to the side of the lens. Camera movements offer us all sorts of image controls, from simple square-on views of mirrors without the camera showing, to a complete change in the appar­ent perspective of a building. Here, indeed, is valuable ‘professional magic.’ Read more

Single-Lens Reflex (SLR) Camera

The 35mm Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera is fundamentally a 45° hinged mirror set behind a lens which reflects the image up to a focusing screen on the camera top. As the shutter release is pressed the mirror flips up to: i) Form a seal under the focusing screen to prevent light from entering the camera through the viewing lens. ii) Move out of the way of the lens and film. When the mirror reaches the horizontal position it fires a focal plane shutter just in front of the film to make an exposure. Distances are arranged so that the Read more

Medium Format: introduction

Format refers to the size of film that you are using. Medium format mostly refers to 120 film which will be 6cm wide but depending on the camera you are using can be 4.5,6, or 7cm long and even longer which would go on to a large format camera. Our cameras produce negative that are 6 X 6cm and 6 X 7cm. We would advice that you do not use 220 film as it doesn’t have a paper back and can rip and is difficult to load, also some of our cameras are not designed for this longer film, So Read more

Shutter speed and aperture

Controlling the exposure. Both shutter speed and aperture affect the amount of light reaching the film. To get a correctly exposed negative, one that is neither too light nor too dark, you need to find a combination of shutter speed and aperture that will let in the right amount of light for a particular scene and film. PDF: Shutter speed and aperture

Camera aperture

An adjustable camera controls the amount of light reaching the film in two ways. It can make the Image darker or lighter by a variable aperture. positioned behind the lens. and it can control the length of time that the light reaches the film. by a timed shutter. The lens aperture consists of overlapping movable leaves which form a diaphragm. This can be set to a range of diameters. so that the quantity of light admitted is controlled In the same way that the width of a funnel controls the quantity of water flowing Into a container. When photographing a Read more