112: Back To Basics

I read a lot about how cameras are missing focus and exposures, poor babies!!

I have not talked much about the equipment of my past. I guess it is time. My first published photograph was made with a grandma style box camera. The only "adjustment" was a shutter button, click and that is all. My first adjustable camera was a Kodak Pony 135. It had adjustable focus, it had adjustable exposure, but it missed a few things. First it missed a focusing tool, to focus you estimated the distance dialed it in and away you go. The next thing missing was an exposure meter. You could set the f-stops and shutter speed kind of like the focus, an educated guess. I will not even mention it had a single focal length lens that was not interchangeable.

Thing were not as bad as they might seem. One learned two magic rules. F8 and you are there. This suggested if one shot at f8 or smaller (f11 etc) your guess focus would be plenty close. Next was the Sunny 16 Rule. It said if you set exposure to f16 (smaller than f8) and set the shutter to 1 over the ISO, sunny exposure would be right on after that it was a guess unless one had a Kodak Master Photo Guide.

After being assured that things that applied to film would not work with digital, I set out to do a test. I mounted a very old single focal length manual lens on my digital body. Set the f-stop to f8. ISO set to 400. Shutter speed to 1/400 minus 2 stops ?(remember f8 is two stop bigger than f16) and off I went. Here is my first image converted to B/W because that is what I shot back then.

Door with wreath, broom and porch light

Seems to me light has not changed in the last 50 years, or so.

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ED. Note: Boy I did not realize how bad the compression was on here until today. Check the full size image (double click on the image) it is a bunch sharper.

Ed Note 2: I uploaded this again. See 112 Revised.