Page Two

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Thursday, November 18. 1971

Page Two THE MICHIGAN DAILY
1

.., . , 78 ., r -.aI. R . s -

I

Camera lenses: A matter of viewing
by Richard Lee

F

I

9

EDITOR'S NOTE: This question-
and-answer column, published each
Thursday by The Daily is written by
Richard Lee, a local free-lance pro-
fessional photographer. Lee is a mem-
ber of the National Press Photogra-
phers . Association and his pictures
haveappeared in national magazines.
Questions for this column may be
mailed to Richard Lee, c/o The Mich.-
igan Daily, 420 Maynard St.
Q. What are the main differ-
ences betWeen a range-finder
and a single-lens reflex camera?
-Tom B.
A. A range - finder camera
sights the subject through a
separate viewing lens. This
means that there is a perspec-
tive error, how slight depends on
the camera to subject distance.
A single-lens reflex camera
on the other hand sights the
subject through the taking lens.
In other words, there's only one
lens on the camera, and what
you see through the viewfinder.
is exactly what will be recorded
on the film. No perspective or
paralax error.
In a RF camera foscusing is
achieved by superimposing the
image defined by a yellow rec-
tangle onto the main image. In
almost all RF cameras, even

when using lenses of different
focal lengths, the image seen
through the viewfinder is inde-
pendent of the lens focal length,
other than for the appearance of
frame corner markers showing
the area covered by that par-
ticular lens in use.
It is precisely this "drawback"
..of unaffected viewfinder image
of RF cameras that makes it
particularly useful for certain
applications.
This is because focusing thru
a SLR lens is done by rotating
the focusing collar on the lens
till the image looks its clearest
in the viewfinder. Because what
is seen in the viewfinder is di-
rectly related to the lens being
used, this method of focusing
can be a pretty guess-timate af-
fair when using wide-angle
lenses.
As you might have guessed, the
term wide-angle meant that the
lens sees a wider angle of view
than the normal lens. That is,
without changing the camera
position, just by switching to a
wide-angle lens will enable the
photographer to take a picture
of a bigger area.

Well, if the film is still the
same size, then something must
have been done. The images'
were shrunk, optically, to fit
within the same film area,
which means that trying to fig-
ure out whether the subject is
in focus is now more difficult-
the subject is smaller and
wideangle lenses have a great
depth of field.
Together, they make locating
the exact point of focus on an
SLR an eye-straining affair.
Not so with a RF type camera.
Since viewfinder image is inde-
pendent of the lens being used,
this particular trait of RF cam-
eras is fully exploited by pho-
tographers who like the ease of
focusing wide and super-wide
angle lenses afforded by such.
So why don't all pros use RF
cameras?
Well, because this particular
"drawback" of RF cameras is
definitely a major drawback
when lenses of 90mm and, over
are used. This is when the de-
sign of the SLR starts making
focusing a "snap" when used
with lenses of 90mm and over.
The viewfinder image seen
through the long focal taking
lens is magnified, relative to the
focal length of the lens being
used, in the viewfinder. This
plus the fact that long lenses
have a much more shallow
depth of field than normal len-
ses, makes the image jump in
and out of focus pretty rapidly
when the focusing collar it ro-
tated.
So, to sum up this one main
difference, the focusing system
of RF cameras are much more
superior and simpler when wide-
angle lenses are used. Converse-
ly, for telephoto lenses, SLR fo-
cusing is a must.
One other difference,-be-
cause RF cameras do not re-
quire a mirror to reflect light
from the lens to a prism and
then to the viewing lens, the

shutter tripping sequence is a
much quieter process.
Typical RF cameras are Leica,
Canonet, Yashica Electro 35,
etc. They don't have the hump
on top of the camera body that
is characteristic of SLR cam-
eras that require a prism to
bend light from the taking lens
to the viewfinder eye-piece. Ni-
kon, Pentax, Minolta SRT-101,
etc. all fall into the SLR cate-
gory.
Oh, one other difference, most
modern SLR cameras have a
thru the lents light metering
system, whereas with the RF
cameras, the metering cell is lo-
cated either on the front rim of
the taking lens or elsewhere on
the front"of the body. In other
words, you can't be exactly sure
what the metering cell is read-
ing. Only one RF camera has a
thru the lens metering system.
This is the as-yet-unavailable
Leica M-5.
The problem with answering a
question like this is you never
know when to end cause. you
might leave out an aspect that
is of major importance to some-
body.
At the risk of boring more
knowledgeable readers, here's
one more difference between the
two systems. Except for the Lei-
ca and Canon 7 systems, very
few other RF cameras offer lens
interchangeability whereas, al-
most all, but the cheapest, SLR
cameras offer lens interchange-
ability. The variety of lenses
that you might wish to buy later
is limited only by the expense
you wish to incur.
* * *
Q. With the cold weather ap-
proaching, will my metering
system be affected by battery
malfunctions?-Steve T.
A. Most metering systems use
either a PX-13 or PX-625 mer-
curic-oxide battery..
Both are supposedly inter-
changeable, since they are the

same size and voltage. Suppos-
edly, because they actually are-
n't exactly the same. Each has
a different drain rate, and a
camera manufacturer w h e n
recommending a specific battery
does so with his camera's spe-
cific drain rate in mind.
However, the PX-13 is design-
ed for use at room4emperature
and has a longer shelf life than
the PX-625 which is better
adapted to lower temperatures,
So, if it makes you any hap-
pier, switch to a PX-625 for
the winter months and when
Spring comes around chanbe
back to a PX-13.
Theoretically, with normal use
such batteries are supposed to
last about a year, but since
they're cheap enough it would-
n't be a bad idea to change bat-
teries twice a year.
The Visual Arts:
-a Film Survey
THE LOUVRE
Tonight, 7P.M. ,
R.C. Aud. FREE
<-I -y - e-o

D-

The School of Music and Department of Art present
MOZART'S OPERA
THE MAGIC FLUTE
(IN ENGLISIJ)

NOV. 19,20,22, & 23

MENDELSSOHN THEATRE

$1.50 and $3.00 ($1.50 tickets for U-M students only)

Conductor: JOSEPH BLATT

Stage Manager: RALPH HERBERT

INFORMATION: 764-6118

BOX OFFICE HOURS:

U.

12:30-5:00 P.M. November 15-18
12:30-8:00 P.M. November 19, 20, 22, & 23
Closed Sunday, November 21

D aily Calendar

11

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18
Film-
Ann Arbor Film Cooperative "Freaks"
Auditorium A 7 and 9:30*
Alley Cinema "The General"
The Alley 330 Maynard 7 and 9:30*
State Theater
'200 Motels" 1,3,5,7 and 9*
Fifth Forum
"Sunday, Bloody Sunday" 7 and 9*
Campus
"Hellstrom Chronicle" 7 and 9*
Michigan Theater
"Play Misty for Me" 1,3,5,7 and 9*
Greenfield Village
"Little Lord Fauntleroy" 8:30*
Drama-
R.C. Players East Quad Aud.
"Overruled," "Cicile" 8*
Hillberry Theatre-Cass at Hancock
"Trelawny of the 'Wells'," 8:30*
Schoolcraft College-Clarenceville High Aud.
"The Cage" 8 P.M.*
Other events-
Aud A
Otto Graf "Classical Contexts: Ventures in a Tradition"
$4:00


NOON LUNCHEON-35c
Friday, November 19
MAYOR ROBERT HARRIS
City of Ann Arbor
"The Feb. 21st Income Tax Election"

GUILD HOUSE

802 Monroe

DIAL 8-6416
Shows
At 7-9 P.M.
"WILL GLUE YOU TO YOUR
CHAIR AND FILL YOU WITH
AWE. THE PHOTOGRAPHY IS
A MIRACLE OF ARTISTRY.
THE SOUND TRACK IS
SUPER."
-Liz Smith,
Cosmopolitan Magazine
Hellstron
Chronicle
rated G
TON IGHT
PAM
OSTER6REN
and
BOWI
THOMAS
original and

The Place to Meet
INTERESTING People!
BACH CLUB
presents
BACH'S
Brandenburg Concerto
No. 6
and.works of
BRAHMS and MOZART
played by CLARINET,
PIANO & VIOLAS
CHILI!
Served after Program
THURS., 8 p.m.
S. Quad W. Lounge
ABSOLUTELY EVERYONE
WELCOME.
No Musical Knowledge Needed.
Further Info-764-7894
482-5858

'I

The
machines
are
winning.
PRESENTS A
FESTIVAL WEEK:
The films of
Jean-Luc Godard
THURSDAY NIGHT
ALPHAVILLE,
A Strange
Adventure of
Lemmy Caution
1965. with Eddie Con-
stantine and Anna Ka-
rina. Using as his vehicle
the science-fiction gang-
ster film, Godard explores
"Alphaville" "nightmare
city -of the future in the
Paris of today.
SHORT: La Berynth
ARCHITECTURE
AUDITORIUM

I

I

I

I

4'

J

7:00 and 9:05

75c


/wrlw

A4

the ann arbor film cooperative presents

TOD
BROWN ING'S

FREI

KS

(1932)

One of the most bizarre films ever made;
withdrawn shortly after its initial release; resurrected at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival. For all
its sensationalism, the film demonstrates the cruelty and irrationality of which supposedly nor-
mal people are capable, and the relative normality with which circus freaks have adapted to their
handicaps.
"FREAKS may be one of the most compassionate movies ever' made."-Andrew Sarris, The American Cinema
". . .one of the perhaps half dozen great horror films of all time."-Vincent Canby, New York Times

*

I

v