BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



Whether quarter-plate or any other size, however, the 

 camera, to be of any use, must be capable of extension, and 

 must admit of focussing on a ground-glass screen. This 

 is a most important requirement, and precludes the use of 

 the popular film camera. While dealing with the question 

 of extension, it may be as well to state our opinion that the 

 bellows should be sufficiently long to allow of objects near 

 the camera being brought into sharp focus. Our pictures 

 are taken, as a rule, with the lens little more that eighteen 

 inches from the subject, and a fairly long extension is 

 usually necessary in order that this may be done. Few 

 photographers, we believe, operate from such short range; 

 but it has always been our aim to give a closer and there- 

 fore a more detailed view of the subject than is usually 

 possible with the eye. The question of nearness to the 

 subject is, of course, a matter to be decided by the indivi- 

 dual taste of the photographer ; but, whatever the distance, 

 it should be proved before the apparatus is purchased, that 

 it will meet requirements in this direction. This may be 

 very simply done by extending the bellows to the full, and 

 by measuring the distance at which an electric or other 

 lamp is sharply outlined upon the focussing screen. 



The lens is held by many to be a most important part of 

 the apparatus. Our experience has been that the cheaper 

 of our cameras, with the less expensive lens, has produced 

 pictures every bit as sharp as has the more expensive one. 

 Even the old magazine camera, with a lens valued at only 

 a few shillings, was responsible for pictures which were 

 passable at any rate, and, with proper facilities for focuss- 

 ing, would probably have compared favourably with the 

 rest of our work. 



The shutter is a most important item. Its chief re- 

 quirements are that it should be easily and conveniently 

 released, and that it should be as noiseless as possible. A 

 stiffiy-working shutter is always liable to cause vibration 

 of the camera when operated from a distance in the way 

 we suggest later on. Even the least expensive of folding 

 cameras will be fitted with a shutter which allows both time 

 and instantaneous exposures. The division of the instan- 

 taneous exposure, however, into diff"erent speeds, such as 

 1/25, 1/50, and 1/100 of a second will be provided only in 

 the more expensive models. The provision of these dif- 

 ferent speeds is an advantage occasionally, but we have 



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