older photographers. older cameras?

Question

how did photographers from the 30s to 70s shoot such great freeze frame shots using manual cameras that are hard to focus fast and to set the proper exposure fast??
ALSO...i have 68degree marathon 1:9 and efke kb 100 film..what developing times should i use???

Answer 1

There were some very wonderful cameras made in those days. They were expensive, usually used only by professionals.

As time went on, film got better, more fine-grain, so formats got smaller, from 4x5 to 6cm (120 and 620) to 35mm. Plus films got faster so fast exposures and/or small apertures were easier to use.

Smaller cameras were easier to carry, easier to use, had faster lenses and more depth of field. Plus smaller cameras were -cheaper- to use because they used a smaller area of film. 35mm cameras meant you could take dozens of shots where you only needed one or two. Digital cameras take this further, you can take as many pics as you want because they cost virtually nothing!

Developing times depend on what kind of film, what kind of developer, and the temperature. Read the instructions!

Do you mean exposure times? For 100 speed film, in daylight you shoot at 100th of a second at F:16. Or you can move any number of F-stops and shutter speeds so long as it's the same number, like three speeds faster and three f:stops wider. For shade you open up two stops. For cloudy days, three stops. Indoors, under artificial light, you probably need a light meter.

Answer 2

One of the biggest and most important skills that autofocus killed was that of prefocusing.

Basically, what you do is you point your camera at the spot where you expect the action to happen, and focus it there.

When something comes into the frame and is in focus, you click the shutter.

This is a wonderful technique which actually works every bit as well with a modern autofocus SLR(eliminating the autofocus delay, however slight it is) as it does with a view camera.

Exposure also works the same way-you meter and set the exposure before hand, and just open the shutter when something happens.

Also, many folks never learn how to manually track focus. This is a skill which can only be acquired through practice, however can be every bit as effective as autofocus.

Having both of these skills and knowing when to use them can cover most any photography situation.

I don't do much sports photography anymore, however I do frequently attend and photograph my church's baseball games in the spring. I generally bring a Canon F-1, often without a motor drive(manual advance, manual exposure) along with a manual focus Canon 400mm 4.5 lens. There's another person who come with a fancy DSLR and zoom lens.

Nine times out of ten, I still end up with the better shots because I know what I'm doing, even using technically very obsolete equipment.

Answer 3

Its no big deal doing it all manual I have for years, really i dont trust auto anything, i'm a better operator than any camera

its easy, read and set exposure, then if its sunny and a cloud goes over the sun just add 2 stops of light ---- or the oppisite

i use manual focus to shoot race horses - im much better than the autofocus is, also when i TV camera operate the cameras are always manual everything so exposure and focus is all manual

what you are asking is not that difficult its just people dont know how nowadays, or are lazy or think the camera is faster or smarter than they are, and if they think it well.........

in TV/Film the 1st camera assistant does "focus pulls" - as humans that are skilled are always better than cameras on auto -

so i shoot all manual just like the guys you mention, really as my eyesight is good why let the camera decide focus??

if you do hand readings like me exposure is easy to read and set in a second or two......for shooting sports using focus pulls im far better than auto

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Answer 4

First question: In any given situation the proper exposure changes less than you'd think. So photogs would take a handheld light meter reading and keep it until the weather changed or it got dark.

Also, up until the 50's, shooters used black and white film, which is much more tolerant of exposure errors than colour or digital. If they were remotely in the ball park they could pull a decent print out of the darkroom.

As for focus, if you plan your shots, you can get away with manual focus fairly often. Many shooters also used zone focusing, especially with wide-angle lenses.

Question 2: Not a clue.

Hope this helps.

Answer 5

It uses the PX625 and they are no longer made. That battery is a 1.35Volt and what most people suggest for replacement is another 625 model that is 1.5 volts. Do not get the 1.5 volt battery. The 1.5 battery will make your light meter too hot (not temperature) and cause you to get readings that can be up to about 2 stops underexposed. That makes for some crappy pictures. There is a solution, however, but you will have to find the correct batteries. Wein makes a Zinc/Air battery to replace the old Mercury battery that was to go in your camera. You can go onto google and put in Wein 1.35 and they will probably come up. Or, you can look in such places on eBay that you would get YashicaMat 124G, which uses the same 1.35 volt battery and usually there are people selling the correct battery that you need. You can also probably order batteries from any of the large camera stores that sell on line. If you can't find them there, you can purchase them at Showcase Camera in Atlanta, which you can find on the internet, and have them ship them to you. I would order 4 or 5 just to have them on hand. Zinc/Air batteries require that you leave them unpackaged and exposed to air for an hour or so before you install them. It might be wise to get someone to drill a really small hole in your battery compartment cap. How do I know this stuff? All of the cameras that I have take the 1.35 Volt Battery and I have tested the 1.5 against the 1.35

Answer 6

They accomplished these because they knew how to use their cameras. They studied photography even as they were photographing their subjects.

To someone who has never used a manual camera and depends on the all-auto camera to do everything those images seem impossible.

I would never ever trust a camera more than I trust my own ability.

I've never heard of "efke kb" film. There should be processing instructions printed inside the box the film came in.

Answer 7

Pure talent and desire. Walter Ioose was a great one for Sports Illustrated and so was John Iacono.