
The Selection of Apparatus 
When an amateur buys an article it is his 
right to demand, and the seller’s obligation to 
see, that the article purchased shall be fully 
equal to the claims made for it. When one 
buys a camera, lens or shutter bearing the 
name of a reputable maker he can be assured 
that back of his purchase is a sufficient guaran- 
tee to make good any defect, without argument 
or unnecessary delay. All reputable makes of 
photographic apparatus are of such a high 
standard of excellence that it is impossible to 
discriminate in favor of or against any of them. 
So uniform are the various grades of the 
reputable makers’ goods, that a jury of experts 
cannot detect in the finished work which make 
of camera, lens or shutteris used, and the selec- 
tion of any of these can safely be a matter of 
individual choice, the purchaser feeling assured 
that he is receiving as good value for the 
amount expended as can be obtained. 
Our advice to the amateur is, “Get acquaint- 
ed, either personally or by letter, with the 
nearest reputable dealer.” He wants your 
trade and will do more to retain it, will treat 
you better and give greater value in return 
for your patronage than any of the far-away 
mail-order concerns who put so much stress on 
their cheapness and not infrequently have the 
stock of some defunct concern which never 
existed, a lot of inferior stuff, to unload upon 
the uninformed amateur. It is against this 
class only that we discriminate, and having — 
personally tested some of the goods, we warn our 
friends to let them alone. This is without 
prejudice to those reputable dealers who take 
in exchange for other goods cameras, lenses 
and other apparatus, and then sell them for 
what they are, second-hand. If a dealer 
carrying the line of goods desired is not avail- 
able, order from the manufacturer direct. 
For general amateur use, especially for 
instantaneous work, one of the standard hand 
cameras, so-called, is recommended. It may 
be of any size, from the smallest to 5 x 7 
inclusive. Regardless of the size, when larger 
pictures are desired very satisfactory enlarge- 
ments can be made from any good negative. 
As good work can be done with a film as with 
a plate camera, and while the use of the former 
will be more convenient (loading, unloading 
and developing can be done anywhere without 
a dark-room) the plate camera will be less ex- 
pensive to operate. For commercial work there 
is no better all round size than 6} x 83, al- 
though larger sizes can be used; but they are 
not recommended as they are too cumbersome 
and only in exceptional cases will they prove 
as profitable. The camera should have a sliding 
front and a double swing back; if it has a long 
draw, both front and back focusing move- 
ments, it will do for a copying camera, an en- 
larging camera and on many occasions be ser- 
viceable when a camera of different construction 
would not. 
In the consideration of lenses, especially for 
cameras of this type, we come in conflict with 
a variety of opinions. There are some who 
would have nothing but a wide angle, others 
who would not use one unless they could not 
do the work without it. There are some pic- 
torial workers who prefer a good single lens. 
And there are others who are satisfied only 
with a modern anastigmat. With all these con- 
flicting opinions, how shall the inexperienced 
amateur decide? There is no lens that will 
meet all requirements. The purchaser must 
be governed in his selection by the classes of 
work he intends to do. For general com- 
mercial work, which includes architectural 
subjects, and when but one lens can be afforded 
at the beginning, we advise that a wide angle be 
selected. For pictorial work, choose a lens 
with a focal length equal at least to the diagonal 
measurement of the plate; it may be a recti- 
linear, an anastigmat, or, for landscape work 
only, a single lens. The same rectilinears and 
anastigmats are recommended for home por- 
traiture and for groups. For copying, select a 
rectilinear or an anastigmat of not more than 
a six-inch focal length. But let the amateur 
who cannot afford so many lenses be not dis- 
couraged. Some rectilinears and most of the 
anastigmats, when moderately stopped down, 
will cut much larger plates’ than the sizes for 
which they are listed, and a lens of six- or 
seven-inch focus, no matter what its construc- 
tion may be, is a medium wide angle if it 
covers a 63 x 84 plate. We know of an instance 
where an amateur used a rectilinear of about 
