CAMERAS 75 



difficulty of the reflex camera is the fact that it is focused and adjusted at waist level. 

 In a crowd it is desirable to use a camera which can be held at (or above) eye level; 

 not all reflex cameras can be held upside down for such situations. Certain high-grade 

 miniature reflex cameras are equipped with eye-level finders of the wire frame type. 



Miniature Cameras. — Recent years have seen a remarkable sale of so-called 

 miniature cameras. This increase in popularity of small cameras — which are not at 

 all recent in origin or use — ^is due to several causes, not the least of which is that finish- 

 ing plants catering to amateurs are now equipped to give good service on the small 

 films used and can now deliver an enlargement of reasonable size which compares 

 favorably in quality with a contact print of the same size and made from a larger 

 negative. 



From the user's standpoint the miniature camera has the following advantages: 

 the camera is compact; it is cheap to operate; its short-focal-length lens has much 

 greater depth of field ^ than the lenses on the larger amateur cameras; these lenses 

 may have exceptionally large apertures without too great expense; small lenses are 

 easier to correct for distortion so that the miniature camera will produce negatives 

 which may be enlarged many diameters; high shutter speeds are possible with the 

 small between-lens shutters used in small cameras. To these advantages of the 

 camera and its accessories must be added those secured by modern high-speed and 

 fine-grain films. 



The disadvantages of the miniature camera are largely those which arise from the 

 fact that the image is small and in general cannot be seen on a ground-glass screen as in 

 larger cameras. The difficulty of composing a picture is increased on this account. 

 Because of the small size of picture made with miniature cameras, it is practically 

 necessary to enlarge all the pictures. In the enlargement process, some fineness of 

 detail is inevitably lost, especially in large "blow ups." A print 8 by 10 in. made 

 by contact from an 8- by 10-in. negative will have greater detail than one blown up 

 from a 24- by 36-mm. negative. Therefore, in those situations where the maximum 

 detail is required, the large camera must be used. This is the case where photo- 

 engravings are to be made with a fine screen for use on coated paper. The loss of 

 detail will not be apparent, however, if engravings are made with coarse screens or are 

 printed on anything but the better grades of coated paper. 



The miniature camera of good construction and with coupled range finder comes 

 the nearest to the "universal camera" of any yet devised. It will make pictures 

 under light conditions which would preclude the possibility of any sort of success 

 with large cameras having longer focal-length lenses of smaller aperture. The minia- 

 ture will make pictures which can be enlarged many diameters and thus can compete 

 with the larger cameras when a large print is desired — with the disadvantage that the 

 detail in the enlargement will not be so great as in the contact print. The depth 

 of field of the short focal-length lenses used on miniature cameras is a distinct advan- 

 tage not possessed by lenses of larger focal length used on large cameras. 



Portability is one of the small camera's great advantages. 



Types of Miniature Cameras. — Cameras taking pictures 21^ by 2J4 in. in size are 

 usually classed as "miniatures" although no strict definition is possible. Cameras of 

 this general class, therefore, may be grouped as follows: (1) small cameras not equipped 

 with coupled range finders; (2) small cameras equipped with coupled range finder; 

 (3) reflecting cameras. 



In group 1 are found fixed-focus cameras or cameras which maj^ be focused. The 

 latter are equipped with focusing scales. With the latter camera the user must first 

 estimate, or measure, the distance of the object from the lens and then set the camera 



1 When the lens is focused upon an object 4 ft. distant, the range of sharp focus for a 2-iu. lens 

 operating at //2 is about 3 in; with a 514 -in. lens the range of sharp focus at //4 is about 1 in. 



