The Well Equipped Lensman

Sheathed in gleaming black pebbled leather and burgeoning with an array of polished chrome dials, knobs and levers, today's precision camera is a fascinating instrument. It represents not only canny manufacturing methods but also, despite its intricate looks, the utmost simplicity of operation. Once you learn what those hieroglyphics on the box and around the lens mean, you'll realize that the modern camera is a lot like the modern car: to get results, sometimes startling ones, all you really have to do is aim it.

If you've been out of touch with the photographic world for the past couple of years, some real kicks await. Sure, the old stand-bys are still big stuff -- Leica, Contax, Rolleiflex -- but the names that will cause you to cock an eyebrow are the exotic tongue twisters: Mamiya, Nikon, Minolta, GaMi, Miranda, Hasselblad, Praktina, Canon, and Asahi, among others.

Most of the new -- and newsworthy -- jobs come from Japan, and the first to stumble across them were the GIs on occupation duty after World War II. They lugged them home, along with samurai swords and a taste for sake, but nothing much happened. Prewar Japan had earned itself a reputation for tawdry imitations, and the curse of "Made in Japan" stamped upon these souvenir cameras was enough to make any respectable photographer wince.

If it hadn't been for the Korean fracas, the Japanese influence on the camera market might never have reached the importance it has today. Dispatched by Life magazine to cover the war, combat photographer David Douglas Duncan was handed a set of Japanese lenses to test during a stopover in Tokyo. Duncan was awed by the fine resolving power they exhibited under all kinds of conditions, and Life's photo lab in New York confirmed his hunch that these optics were among the finest in the world.

As soon as Japan discovered the trick of producing boxes to match its glass, things started popping. The venerable German firm of Franke & Heidecke, noting the amazing similarities between its long-popular Rolleiflex and the new less-expensive Japanese twin-lens jobs, quickly introduced a spanking new f/2.8 model and began a series of biennial changes on its f/3.5 line. This, mind you, from an outfit which had stood pat on a 1937 number for 12 solid years. Ernst Leitz -- of Leica fame -- reacted too. While maintaining his regular line, he brought forth the superb Leica M3 -- bigger, heavier, yet easy-handling -- which represented a startling departure from his traditional design. Of the kingpin camera makers in Germany, only Carl Zeiss thumbed his nose at the threat. His Contax line has not seen a major change for the past seven years.

While most all of today's cameras sport the latest mechanical gadgetry, the lens always has been and remains the heart of the system, and without a good set of optics it's impossible to take a decent picture no matter how many gewgaws adorn the box. Sadly, there is no such thing as a perfect lens. In lens-making, compromises must be made for the type of performance expected from it. A fast lens (one of extremely wide aperture, say an f/1.2) is built for speed and will perform magnificently wide open at 1/500 second; but there may be a lesser degree of sharpness in the photo if that same lens is stopped down to a smaller aperture at a lower speed (say f/11 at 1/50 second). Such a lens should not be purchased if critical detail is what you're looking for, but it's dandy if you (continued on page 46)Lensman(continued from page 34) like to catch a Maserati in action at Sebring.

If your present camera is a fixed-focus affair with a lens made from an old Budweiser bottle, it's time to donate it to cousin Bill in high school, the kid who likes to shout "Say Cheese" right before he snaps a photo of the gang. This gracious act performed, set your thoughts on a new instrument, but ask yourself two questions before you buy: what do I want from a camera and how much do I want to pay for it?

If you are as discriminating about your camera as you are about your hi-fi rig, your sports car and the way you dress -- and you should be -- be prepared to spend between $75 and $150 if you want a dependable, all-round camera that's swell to tote on weekend jaunts, vacations, beach parties and business trips. But if you're a perfectionist who wants only the best, you can easily go as high as $500. This, remember, is for one camera alone -- not a studio camera, but a small, portable affair.

Aside from the Polaroid Land camera, it's the small jobs that are big in popularity -- deservedly. It is within this select group that all the frantic activity and technical advancements are taking place. While any of these cameras will perform well for most any activity, each has its own specialties because of its unique design and film size. These specialties, translated into what you might be looking for in a camera, are: 1) versatility, 2) crisp detail, 3) convenience, 4) pictures in a hurry.

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If it's versatility you want, get a 35mm. Richly encased in leather, with the strap slung over your shoulder, it'll stay tucked under your elbow and you'll rarely be conscious of it. You can't beat it for compactness.

You can't beat it for taking color slides either. It's the only size in which you can still get Kodachrome, which we prefer over other color films simply because it gives you the combination of brilliance and an almost grainless image that produces the sharpest definition -- when projected -- we've ever seen.

If black-and-white is your forte, 35mm offers you the fastest lenses and shutters available today. Armed with such optical beauts as Nikon's f/1.1 lens or the superb Canon f/1.2 combined with hypersensitive film, you can do your own photo recording under almost any kind of lighting situation. Whether you focus on the Chico Hamilton quintet in a dim and smoky jazz cavern, or a lovely companion in the sanctity of your own lights-down-low apartment, you are assured of getting the shot. Out of doors, during the day, you can stop the zippiest motion with nary a blur, whether you're concentrating on a water skier skimming along or a fellow golfer in mid swing. If rapid-sequence action pictures are your cup of emulsion, you can purchase accessory spring motors for most of the top 35s; and one of them -- the Robot -- throws in this feature as standard equipment. You can blast away at a moving object just as fast as you can press the little button: the spring motor automatically cocks the shutter and advances the film.

Then too, 35mm is one of the few cameras that offers you the luxury of interchangeable lenses. Now don't get us wrong: for ordinary snapshooting, the glass that comes mounted on your 35 is adequate -- as adequate as owning a turntable that spins discs at only one speed. There will come a time when a photographic situation will pop up where a wide-angle or telephoto lens will get the picture, and a standard lens simply won't. Like we said, the 35 will take other lenses; most of the 120s and sub-miniatures hold permanently mounted lenses.

There are just two types of 35mm cameras that you need bother about: 1) the traditional design, modeled after Dr. Oskar Barnack's Leica, that employs the lens for picture-taking alone -- focusing and composing are done through a window at the top of the-camera, 2) the single-lens reflex system, in which the shooting lens is used to compose and focus as well as take the picture. Of the two most popular types, the traditional design is the more efficient for all-round use.

Four of this type -- Nikon SP, Leica M3, Canon Vt Deluxe, Contax 111a -- vie with each other in the prestige price field ($300-$500). Of these, only the Nikon wisely clusters the major controls (wheel-focusing, single-stroke film advance and shutter release) on the top right-hand side of the camera, and is, therefore, the easiest to handle.

The gap in precision construction and special features between the top-line and medium-priced 35s has been narrowed considerably by a slew of recent improvements in the latter. The best of these medium-priced cameras are the Wittnauer Professional (yes, the watch people now make cameras), Voigtlander Vitessa T, Aires, Argus C44, Minolta Super A, Diax IIb, Agfa Silette and the Lordomat. The tabs for these range from slightly more than $100 up to $200. Another camera, the Mamiya 35, deserves a special nod because it provides the intelligent feature of interchangeable backs, making it possible for you to switch films -- from black-and-white to color -- in the middle of a roll.

But don't overlook the single-lens reflex Apparat. It gives you the advantage of being able to sight directly through the shooting lens (thanks to a 45-degree mirror placed between the lens and the film; when you release the shutter, the mirror swings out of the way to permit exposure of the film). With these, you see precisely what the film will get before you shoot, and you have no parallax problem whatever. This can be important in telephoto work, where a hair's difference at the camera can mean being off-target by several feet.

The top-priced cameras ($300-$500) of the single-lens reflex group are the Exakta and the Alpa, and they are beauties. But for average use, the medium-priced models ($175-$300) offer excellent buys. The German Praktina FX and the Japanese Miranda have the endorsement of knowledgeable pros, as does the less-expensive Asahi-Pentax. Aimed more for the amateur market are the Contaflex and the Kodak Retina, both of which sport built-in light meters (best you should know, though, that the real camera buff prefers to lug his own meter).

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So versatility isn't all you want, and you've ruled out the 35. OK, maybe you want crisp detail. Best you do your browsing at the counter containing 120-film-size cameras, all but one of which sport twin lenses (one lens for focusing and composing, the other for taking the picture). The 120s deliver large 2-1/4 x 2-1/4 negatives from which easy-to-see contact prints can be made; in other words, no enlargements are really necessary in the 120 size, and the box itself is only a shade bigger and heftier than the average 35mm camera.

The 120s function felicitously for snapshooting or for serious, professional work, in either color or black-and-white. Their clear-cut superiority over the 35 is their larger negative. With 35, you either fight grain all the way or you learn to live with it and love it when the enlargements arrive. If your hand trembled slightly while making an exposure with a 35 at less than 1/100 second, your enlargement is going to be fuzzy. A speck of dust or a tiny scratch on the lens of your 35 shows up as big as a boulder when your prints are made. While these are headaches common to all photography, they are a lesser evil with the larger 120 negative size.

Best of the 120s are the single-lens Swiss Hasselblad that will dent your money clip to the tune of $500, and the German twin-lens Rolleiflex, retailing around $350. Both are magnificent instruments, as they should be. Not only will the Hassel take interchangeable lenses (just like a 35), but you can also switch film in the middle of a roll or use cut film if you so desire. But if all you want is a good all-purpose 120 that will take a lot of banging around, and not much money, you'll find bargains galore (concluded on page 62)Lensman(continued from page 46) among the Japanese imports. Cast an eye on the Yashica-Mat, which costs but $75 and boasts practically all the features of a Rollei, including a sharp-cutting lens. For under $150, you can pick and choose among the Minolta Autocord L, the Ricohflex and the Kalloflex -- all smart buys. And, if you're real hot for interchangeable lenses, the new Mamiyaflex is the camera for you: not only does it come with a standard pair of 80mm lenses; but matched glasses of 105mm and 135mm focal-lengths are also available for it. Always a wise buy is Franke & Heidecke's economy model of the Rolleiflex, the Rolleicord. (As a compromise between the 120 and 35 sizes, F & H has just brought back to the market its 127-film-size version of the Rolleiflex. The baby Rollei delivers a 1-5/8 x l-5/8 picture, which is the size of the currently popular super-slides.)

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If you're the type who can't be burdened with extra luggage dangling from your neck, then take a gander at the jewellike display of subminiatures at your dealer's. There is no camera as convenient as the sub. You can toss it into your jacket pocket with no stress on the stitching. With it concealed in the palm of your hand you can fire away without being detected. The subminiatures take good pictures too.

Not surprisingly, the subs were favored by the professional spies of World War II. The British even came out with a couple that were built into walking sticks, bowler hats and cravats, but there wasn't a truly precision subminiature available on the market until Minox came along. Of the many on the market today, Minox is the only one that can crow about using a special 9.5mm film (the others rely on 16mm); haughtily, Minox calls itself the ultra miniature.

Call it what you may, it's still the leader of the bunch. Approximately the size and shape of a package of Beeman's Pepsin chewing gum, it has a sharp f/3.5 lens and a shutter speed ranging from one-half to 1/1000 second, fast enough to stop the speediest race horse in his tracks. At the same price ($140) is the Minicord, the only twin-lens subminiature around. The Mini, about as big as a pack of king-size Kents, is not only a precision instrument, but has the added virtue of having the quietest shutter ever devised. Lens: a fast, sharp-cutting f/2. Speed: up to 1/400 second.

Most expensive of the tiny fellows is the fabulous Italian GaMi 16, which will do everything but mix a stinger. The GaMi allows fast shooting (you get three shots from a single cocking), boasts a built-in exposure meter coupled to a shutter that will race up to 1/1000 second. It costs around $300. At the opposite end of the price scale, you can pick up effective subs at a scant $40. These include the Minolta 16, the Mamiya Super 16, the Ricoh Golden 16 and the Stylophot.

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Those who want pictures in a hurry haven't much of a camera choice. There's but a single offering: the Polaroid Land. With the standard camera, the cycle from exposure to finished print will stretch somewhere between several days and several weeks. Dr. Land's system presents you with the moment of truth -- good, bad, indifferent, underexposed, poorly focused -- in a mere 60 seconds. This, for the young in art, can be invaluable, since it can spell the difference between an irretrievable loss or a second chance at capturing a once-in-a-lifetime pic.

While it is an undeniable boon to the shooter of snaps, the picture-in-a-minute process is also important in other areas. There are times -- when photographing private documents and other items -- when one does not wish to subject his personal prints to the scrutiny of others.

Polaroids aren't expensive, either. They range from about $75 to about $170 for the Pathfinder 110A, an instrument quite worthy of purchase, primarily as a second camera. True, they're a bit bulkier and more awkward to use than the more conventional cameras; but then, how trim would you be with a darkroom strapped to your back?

The big drawbacks of a Polaroid have been the fact that you get no negatives from it, and can't make duplicate prints easily; also, it takes only black-and-white, no color. Both of these undesirable features have been fixed: Polaroid has just come out with a small, portable gadget (retailing around $30) that will turn out as many dupes as you want. We've also been told that a direct positive color film has been perfected for Land cameras, with production expected to start shortly.

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If the camera you've selected doesn't boast a built-in light meter, this item should be the first photo accessory on your list. Since a good meter, with a minimum of care, should last practically forever, you should definitely consider one of the top models, costing around the $30 mark. These are: Weston Master III. General Electric Crown, the Brock-way and the Sixtomat. Less-costly models of these brands and the Zeiss Ikophot may be purchased for no more than $20-$25.

Then, if you're planning to do a lot of slow-shutter night photography, still lifes, or even a couple of your own Playmates, you'll probably want to invest in a tripod. The cost is low, and it more than pays for itself in fuzzless photos. Among the better tripods are the Linhof, the Quick-Set (not a home permanent) and the Tiltall.

Another wise investment is a portable light source. True, the conventional flashgun performs well in most situations, but the big drag about it is that you have to tote the flashbulbs as well. It's much more convenient to pack an electronic flash unit, which gives as many as 10,000 flashes from a single bulb. The extra cost will not be felt when you think of the dough you save on bulbs, and you'll never be caught in a situation where you lose a picture because you're smack out of bulbs. Prices on portable electronic flash units range from $40 up to $200. Somewhere between these figures is the model for you. The established brands -- Heiland, Ascor and Graflex -- are well worth checking into, and two new names -- Hico-Lite in the prestige field and Ultrablitz in the medium-price group -- have come out with several of the best models to date.

If you're a color-slide enthusiast, a slide projector is the right device with which to view your work. Hand viewers are OK for editing purposes and solitary viewing, but if you have several people interested in seeing your slides, projection is the only way. An oft-repeated photographic truism is that if a picture is good, its beauty can be more than doubly enhanced by enlarging it. And even poor slides improve somewhat when projected on a screen. The purchase of a good projector is as important as a good camera, since the best slides in the world can be ruined by poor projection.

Around $150, you can choose from three of the best projectors made: the Bell & Howell Robomatic, the Revere 888-D and the brand-new Bausch & Lomb Balomatic 500. An excellent projector around the $100 mark is the Argus Automatic 500-watt model III. For efficient, still lower-priced projectors, you should study the Bell & Howell Headliner and the Kodak 300; and among the least expensive, the Quick-Set Super 300 (despite relatively poor design) and the Ansco Dualet will give you adequate performance.

Additional gear for your camera is available too, and the true photophile loves to collect it all: a set of filters, a lens hood, a color temperature meter, a self-timer, changing bags, a magnifying hood, variable field finders, grip handles, daylight film loaders, extension tubes, prism finders, cable releases, a remote-control extension unit and a gigantic gadget bag for over-the-shoulder wear. But these can await your pleasure. For all practical purposes, and even a few impractical ones, you're all set to shoot with the gear described here.

35mm Camera Cache

For The Color Slide Enthusiast

Above, left, great for preserving memorable moments is the husky Mamiyaflex, a Japanese twin-lens job that delivers big 120-size negatives (2-1/4" square) and permits you to view the full picture through the ground glass before you click it. Its pistol-grip handle and unique extension bellows allow you to take extreme close-ups that come out sharp. With standard 80mm lens, it sells for around $160. In panel above are additional 120-size cameras.

From top to bottom, the classic German Rolleiflex, with built-in exposure meter, costs around $350. Swiss-made Hasselblad is a single-lens reflex, the ne plus ultra of precision instruments, that runs around $500. Resting on the Tiltall tripod is the Japanese Minolta Autocord L twin-lens reflex, which comes close to matching the premium-priced 120s in fancy features and sharp-cutting lens, is a wise buy around $125.

Photobugs who want a smallish, versatile instrument that's tops for color work automatically turn to the 35mm camera. Below, left, is the Japanese Nikon SP with f/1.4 lens, unbeatable for fast handling and efficient design; sling it over your shoulder for $415.

Center, Swiss Alpa 6 is the premium-priced single-lens reflex in the 35mm size, can be had for $469 with f/1.8 lens.

Right, German Exakta Ila with waist-level viewer permits no-squat, low-angle sighting, is priced around $400 with f/1.9 lens.

In panel at right, top to bottom, Canon Vt Deluxe, f/1.2 lens; $458.

Leica M3, f/1.5; $477.

Voigt-lander Vitessa T, f/2.8; $155.

Wittnauer Professional, f/2.8; $160.

Asahi-Pentax, f/2.2; $200.

Contaflex II, f/2.8; $175.

Miranda, on Quick-Set tripod, f/1.9; $260.

Above, even your prize-worthy slides will be duds without a projector that throws a crisp, brilliant image on the screen. Quality projectors that can do the job both speedily and with a minimum of bother include: (1) Bell & Howell Robomatic that changes slides automatically at. pre-set time intervals. With remote unit; around $150.

(2) Minolta portable projector; $38.

(3) Kodak 300 with automatic magazine changer; around $75.

(4) Kodaslide Compartment File holds 240 slides in storage; $4.

(5) Ansco Dualet will project either 35mm or 120-size slides; $40.

(6) Argus 500-watt with automatic magazine changer; $80.

Right, a galaxy of gadgetry and different-size cameras to fill out the shutterbug's collection. (1) Heiland Strobonar 64-B electronic flash unit; $60.

(2) Ultrablitz Comet flash unit with power pack; $55.

(3) Ikophot light meter; $20.

(4) General Electric Crown light meter; $35.

(5) Sixtomat meter; $30.

(6) Weston Master III meter; $33.

(7) FR electronic flash with remote-control slave unit; $45.

(8) 4 x 4 Rolleiflex with f/3.5 lens; $150.

(9) Hico-Lite electronic flash with portable power unit; $280.

(10) Polaroid Pathfinder 110A with case and flash unit; $210.

(11) Minicord twin-lens subminiature camera; $140.

(12) Minolta 16 subminiature; $40.

(13) CamBinox 16mm camera with telephoto lens coupled to 7 x 35 binoculars; $450 with case.

(14) Minox ultraminiature camera; $140.

(15) Ricoh Golden subminiature with case; $40.