With A View up to 180 Degrees

The fisheye lens is an interesting accessory. I have one that zooms from 8mm to 15mm. At 8mm the lens can take in a full 180 degree view. At 15mm it has a 175 degree view.

At the 8mm setting my lens produces a circular image and at 15mm the image is full frame. Regardless of the zoom setting the images are distorted and produce a panoramic effect. You can often recognize one of these images by seeing that straight lines appear curved.

I’ve used this lens both in the field and in the studio and get a kick out of some of the fascinating results.
 
 

Collectors Items

Among the many boxes stored in my basement are several older articles.

Some of them are photography related and may be of interest to those of you who like to investigate historical items.

Here are a few examples from which I’ve brushed off the dust.

Kodak No.4 Cartridge Camera
This booklet is for logging exposures for Kodak Cartridge cameras. For example, the Kodak No. 4 camera used 104 roll film that took 4″ x 5″ exposures.	This is an unused label normally used to return the exposed film to Kodak for processing. Notice the instructions for using the camera’s STOPS.
This is a Kodak No.4 Cartridge camera. Thx to Geoff Harrisson for this photo.
The booklet contains detailed instructions for longer indoor timed exposures and shorter outdoor exposures.	As you can see from the examples, the booklet dates back to the 1800’s.
American Photography Magazine
One of the popular photography magazines from 1939.	Another issue from 1941.
Sample Pages from American Photography Magazine
An advertisement from Kodak showing you how to set up a darkroom.	An advertisement for Voigtlander camera. Willoughbys was a reputable camera store in New York City for many years.
An advertisement for photographic lighting.	Asking readers to visit Yosemite National Park.
An advertisement for the Kodak Enlarger.
Leica M3 Rangefinder Camera
A photo of one of my legacy cameras – the Leica M3 rangefinder and a second telephoto lens.	While not as dated as the above examples, Leica started production in 1953.
Kodak Daylight Film Tank
From the 1940s is this Kodak daylight film development tank.	You are able to load and process the film without having to use a darkroom.
Watson Daylight Bulk Film Loader
As a young enthusiast without much extra money I used a daylight bulk film loader to save on the cost of film.	From a 100′ roll of B&W or color film you can load B&W or color film into reusable canisters. A 100′ roll of bulk film is enough for 18 36 exposure rolls.

 
 
Maybe I can find a few more items in the basement.
 
 
Written by: Arnie Lee
 
 
 

Large Size Prints Without a Large Price

Some call me “old school” but I’m not a big fan of showing pictures on the tiny screen of my cellphone.

Quite often I print some of my favorite shots onto photo paper. With my Epson ET-3750 Printer I’ve made hundreds of 4″x6″ prints and dozens of larger 8-1/2″x11″ enlargements. In the two years that I’ve had the ET-3750 printer I have never had to change an ink cartridge. The printer’s large EcoTanks are refillable making the cost of the prints very affordable.

Every so often I’ll take a picture that I’d like to show off – meaning print a bigger enlargement. Earlier this year I found out about the Epson ET-8550 EcoTank that handles paper up to 13″x19″ at an affordable $600 price.

Here’s a few short steps for setting up the printer for use.

 

The shipping carton is about 30″ x 20″ x 10″ and weighs about 20 lbs.	The bright blue tape secures the parts during shipment is easily removed.
The printer uses four inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black. The shipment includes a second bottle of black ink.	Each ink bottle fills the respective reservoir. The bottles are “coded” to prevent inadvertent filling mistakes.
You can visually view the level of each ink reservoir. The ink supply will yield about 2400 4″x6″ prints for about 4 cents each.	The bottom tray holds smaller paper (e.g. 4″x6″) and larger (8-1/2″x11″). The rear paper feeder holds larger paper up to 13″x19″.
Here is a completed 13″x19″ print. You can see the rear paper feeder.	You can compare the print size next to the 12″ ruler. This print was on standard ink print paper.

As you can see I’ve been able to make a bunch of big enlargements – at a reasonable price.

---

---

---

The ET-8550 has other features other than its large print capability.

Wireless connection to your Mac or Windows PC
Two-sided printing
High resolution document scanning and copying up to 8-1/2″ x 14″
Handles variety of papers including glossy, matte, texture, cardstock

For those of you who like to print big – this is an affordable and capable printer.

 
 

---

 
 

« Older Posts — Newer Posts »