Recent content by Jim Jones

The aperture in this lens should be centered between the lens cells. I don't know exactly what using a lens cap aperture would do do the image, but it can't be good. You might experiment to check this.

I've used original American-made Tiltall tripods for the last 55 years with complete satisfaction. They are light (maybe 6 1/2 lb.) and as sturdy as other telescopic leg tripods. The built-in head has all the adjustments I've ever needed. The platform extends up to almost 58 inches without the...

In pinhole images, quality decreases with smaller film size and longer focal length. It may seem convenient to adapt a small or medium format camera to pinhole photography. However, any large box that can be made light tight can produce better images with large film and a properly sized pinhole...

I've handled a Medalist, but not photographed with one. It felt awkward compared to my Leica and Nikons. I regularly use. Modern top quality 35mm cameras come close to large format for most photography, and certainly are more convenient. However, solarizing 35mm film certainly would present...

I spent three years north of the arctic circle, and none of my fairly new Leica and Nikon equipment had been prepared for such cold weather. None ever malfunctioned at temperatures above -60 degrees F. We were prohibited to go outdoors just to take snapshots when it got colder than that. Of...

Soon after the first Daguerreotype photographs were made, chemical photographers were seeking ways to create images far beyond what could be captured directly on film or plates. Clouds could easily be added to bare skies. Group photos of people who never met in real life could be composited...

The AI I've seen has a very long way to go, but so did the Daguerreotype.

My sadly battered Seikosha stopwatch bought many decades ago still works fine for long exposures, and for correcting my counting seconds for timing long exposures and telling how far away an approaching thunderstorm is.

60 or 70 years ago, when Kodachrome's speed was maybe 10 or 12 ISO, I did some night photography like Joey's. Fortunately, the camera had shutter speeds down to one second, and some results were good. Exposures could be not fractions of seconds, but sometimes whole seconds if I stopped down. I...

Dan Fromm gave good information in post 18 (and a few years ago) above. Movie camera lenses can give greater magnification than larger camera lenses.

Fine subject, perfectly framed.

Kodak processing for Kodachrome may have been slow for most, but during my Navy career it was wonderfully convenient. I even had a rubber stamp made for the 925 Page Mill Road address in Palo Alto CA. Those 10,000+ Kodachrome slides from many decades ago have few problems attributable to Kodak...

Before starting any repairs, check to see if the door is closing completely. In the photo it appears to be slightly open. If the only value in that camera is the photos it can produce, and it is still fully capable of that, why repair it? Of course it will display better with a careful cosmetic...

I rarely made test strips. They are certainly valuable, but too time consuming. Considering each print as a learning experience for all future prints is one of the best learning tools we have. That includes observing the image on the easel and guessing at the ideal exposure and paper grade...