THE CAMERA ON HOLIDAY Photography
By W. R. AYLING
MOST amateur photographers will take a camera with them when the time arrives for the annual break. Indeed for many the annual holiday marks the opening of the photographic season. They sometimes take the camera from its resting place and without any examination straightway buy a film and proceed to take pictures. This almost inevitably leads to disappointment. After photographic apparatus has, for any reason, been stored away, it should be examined for defects, cleaned, and the moving parts checked over to see whether they are in good working order. The lens may be cleaned by gently wiping with a clean old piece of linen, the older the fabric the better. If the lens is discoloured breathe upon its surface and wipe with a circular motion. There are also some excellent cleaning fluids sold by the lens manufacturers. These should be used sparingly and not allowed to get between the glass components of the lens. If it is easy to get at the back of the lens, this can be treated in the same manner, but force should not be used to remove the lens mount from its seating.
If the lens is badly discoloured, in a manner that cannot be removed by gentle action, it should be returned to the manu- facturers for repolishing. This is rather a costly matter, and with the moderate-priced roll-film camera it is often an advantage to buy a new one, for preference a more modem piece of apparatus. Sometimes I am asked about the little bubbles which can be seen in the components of the lens. These are not to be regarded as faults, and their presence does not in any manner interfere with the function of the lens. They are sometimes an indication of good lens glass. The next item which' should be given attention is the shutter, although, if it appears to be working satisfactorily, this should not be touched. In any case be most careful of the thin pieces of blackened metal which form - tho " iris diaphram "—this is the mechanism controlling the size of Opening of the lens, the aperture. These thin leaves are very easily damaged. A good sharp gust of air directed on to the shutter will probably clear any small particles of grit and dust lodged therein. The entire outside of the camera and the leather of the bellows can be wiped carefully with a damp cloth, only just sufficiently damp to collect the dust. The insides of the camera can also be wiped gently and tapped so that the dust falls out. The great bugbear in photo- graphic apparatus is dust, every piece of which, when lodged upon the surface of the film, makes a mark which prints white in the ultimate picture. When the camera is loaded with film and is carried around, the dust settles on the emulsion of the film which is in position for the next exposure.
With the bright parts of the camera I have found it an advantage to smear the lightest possible trace of a wax polish— colourless shoe polish will do—on a cloth, rubbing this over the parts to be cleaned. All surplus should be removed, the idea being to leave nothing which will offer a resting place for fresh dust and textile hairs. Do not forget the inside of the case. This often harbours dust in the corners, and it would be useless to clean the camera and not the case. Having cleaned the camera and found it to be in good working condition, please do not lay it on a sandy beach or leave it exposed to the four winds of heaven. Sand in the shutter is a prolific source of trouble; one small particle can soon put the best piece of apparatus out of action. It is also unwise to leave a camera in full sunlight, as it is surprising how it will penetrate cracks and supposedly lightproof joints to the detriment of the negative film. Many of those unexplained streaks and patches of light on the prints are caused by strong sunlight passing through thin parts of the bellows and through the joints.
For the months of June, July and August I would advise amateurs to use -one of the slower panchromatic films such as " Kodak " Panatomic, " Agfa " Fine Grain, " Perutz " Pergrano or " Selo " Fine Grain. All these are improved.
by the use of a K.z, or K.2, filter on the lens. This will help to record the 'clouds with great improvement in the
picture, but will need double or four times the normal exposure respectively. Remember that seaside pictures will require less exposure than others taken away from the strong reflected light of the sea.
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