Film and Processing Questions

Hello,

 

I am a college student and I am currently taking Introduction to Photographic Medium and I have a few questions if anyone is willing to help me with:

 

1. How do I clean the inside of my camera, because when I look into the camera I see black dust, so I removed the lens to see if its the lens but its the inside of my camera thats dirty, what do you recommend I do to clean it? (I use a 35 millimeter camera)

2. Can I use and process old film?

3. Can someone explain how to bracket when you are taking film pictures?

 

 

Thanks,

Lauren

because when I look into the camera I see black dust,...

 

Do you mean that when you look into the eyepiece (the viewfinder) that you see the dust? Or is it somewhere else.?

 

Whatever you do, DON'T be touching either the shutter or the front of the mirror.

What camera? Where is the dust?

Bracketing means using different exposures for the same scene. Normally you would take one shot at MRE (Meter Recommended Exposure), then one shot half a stop or a whole stop more (ie open the aperture), then a third shot half a stop or a whole stop less (ie close the aperture).

How do I clean the inside of my camera, because when I look into the camera I see black dust, so I removed the lens to see if its the lens but its the inside of my camera thats dirty, what do you recommend I do to clean it? (I use a 35 millimeter camera)

1. Please specify. - Is it a SLR and you see the dust on your focusing screen? - If so: Do nothing! Your film won't see it and it is very easy to damage both screen and mirror.
   
2. Most likely "yes" the film might show colors that look off, could have lost a bit of speed and some contrast. things depend on film type speed and storage. - In doubt try your luck.
   
3. Switch to manual mode, set a shutter speed with an available aperture below the matching one - Let's say you measure 1/250 @f 6.4 set 1/250 f4.5, fire, close aperture 1 stop (f6.4), fire, close aperture one stop (f9), fire. Or use smaller steps with slide film. - Some lenses click at 1/3 stops, others at half stops, some at full stops, others not at all and for confusion's sake some switch between half and full stoips over their aperture range... Depending on your camera's sophistication level you might be able to find a way to set it to bracket automatically in It's manual.
   

Depending on the camera, if the dust really bothers you it may not be all that hard to clean but as others have said, there is a risk of damaging the focusing screen and/or mirror. You don't want to touch either one. You can use a blower to get loose dust off the mirror and underside of focusing screen. If the dust is on the inside of the focusing screen, then it really depends on the camera. Some of them have removable screens and those are easier to clean.

 

If this is an SLR, dust on the mirror or focusing screen doesn't affect the picture at all, - it's just annoying to look at.

 

If by old film, you mean expired, then yes, you can certainly use it. If it expired recently and was kept in a cool place, there may be little to no noticeable affect on the image. I've taken pictures with film that expired 20 years ago with pretty good results and others with film that expired 5 years ago that was fogged a bit.

 

Again, as others have said, "bracketing" just means taking multiple shots of the same thing using different exposure settings to increase the odds of getting it exactly right. Some modern film cameras will choose the settings for you if you turn "AEB" on. You just take three consecutive pictures. It's very likely your camera does not have that feature and you will have to choose the settings on your own. My guess is that your coursework will cover how film speed (ISO), aperture setting, and shutter speed setting work together. It's best to have a good grasp of that before trying to bracket. Not that it's hard, but it's good know what is meant by a "stop" and how varying the aperture or shutter speed a stop in either direction can affect your picture.

And whatever you do, don't used compressed air to clean away dust. Long ago when I worked in a camera store I saw the shutter of a Minolta SRT101 blown out by one of my co-workers. The customer was not amused.

Thank you all for your feedback!

I'm usually not shy about cleaning dust out of the viewfinder path, but it depends on the specific camera and how much disassembly is needed to get to that point. I've also "sacrificed" a few in learning.

 

There are certain cameras that I simply won't do. The Canon AE-1 is one of them, as the tungsten wire that runs between the ASA dial and the shutter dial has gotten me more than once(the camera is trash if you break that wire).

 

If the focusing screen and/or prism are easily removable-or I should say designed to be removed/replaced with disturbing the alignment I'll do it. With that said, as I said I have the practice, the correct materials, and the finely developed watchmakers touch to clean them without damage. Even then, there are cameras I won't touch-i.e. I won't clean the mirror on a Canon Pellix.

 

In general, as said it's best just to live with it especially if you don't know what you're doing especially since(on most cameras) dirt in the viewfinder. SLR mirrors can be cleaned and are more durable than often given credit for, but still if you get too heavy handed or use the wrong material they can be irrepairably damaged. They are what is known as a "front surface" mirror, meaning that the silvering is applied on top of the glass(your typical bathroom mirror or other common mirror is a rear surface mirror, meaning that you look THROUGH the glass at the silvering). Damage or incorrect alignment of the focusing screen can result in focus errors.

Please tell your tutor to answer your questions his/herself, and not to direct you here.

 

You're at least the fourth member of your class to post here with questions that are better answered by demonstration, or by two-way discussion.

 

How can your tutor assess your learning if they don't even know what areas of knowledge are lacking through your questions?