Extra Edition 3. : Photography Consultations Corner

There were more questions on cleaning and storing equipment than in any other single category.
I received questions from a large number of people, including Mr. Dominique LEVEQUE (Spain), Mr. K.K. VIKAS (India), Mr. NISHIMURA, Jun (Japanese person living in Laos) and Mr. YOKOI, Kazuya (Japan(Nippon)).

The most important point here is to prevent cameras and lenses from getting dirty enough to need cleaning.
The next point is to read the user's manual thoroughly.
It usually provides tips on cleaning and storage.
For dust and dirt on a camera, first try blasting with a blower (remove the brushes) or aerosol air spray, then wipe with a soft cotton cloth.
Be sure to clean your soft case, hard case and strap, too.

Lens surfaces should be sent to the service center for cleaning. It's best not to touch them yourself.
Reflex mirrors and focusing screens should be blasted with a blower, but not touched at all, even with a soft cloth.

If you are willing to take the risk, you may consider cleaning them with special camera lens-cleaning paper (available commercially), dampened with a very small amount of lens cleaner. Be very careful.
A certain camera manufacturer used to use alcohol (ethyl alcohol) as lens-cleaning fluid.
Over 20 years ago, this manufacturer was mixing a little ether with the ethyl alcohol. However, due to the fact that ether causes health problems (ether is highly poisonous and a person can fall into coma just by inhaling the vapor), they have abandoned this practice.
Commercially available lens-cleaning fluid is generally water-soluble, basically consisting of a neutral detergent or soap water mixed with a surfactant. Both are difficult to dry cleanly, and if the lens-cleaning paper is excessively wet it will leave streaks.
Never directly allow drops of cleaning fluid to fall on the lens.

Always use lens-cleaning paper, and never tissues or other papers which easily leave fibers.
Water-soluble papers like toilet paper are the worst possible choice of all.
Always use a clean cloth or paper to wipe lenses; never use one that has already been used to wipe the exterior.

Be especially careful of silicone cloths, often sold for polishing furniture (sometimes camera stores give you one free when you buy a camera).
Perhaps you might want to use one on the wooden frame of large-format cameras, but never, ever let one touch your lenses, because it will seriously degrade optical performance.

Gloves made of "Micro-Fiber Cloth"
The photo shows the gloves I bought about three years ago.

The new ultra-fine fiber textiles developed especially for cleaning a pair of glasses, such as "Toravino" from Toray, are quite good.
They are especially handy for cleaning finder eyepieces.
You can also find gloves made of these new materials, and if you put on a pair to use your camera you will find that the more you use your camera, the prettier it gets! I definitely recommend that you try a pair if you are truly fanatic about your camera.

Be sure to wash the cloths regularly.

Modern cameras are designed for excellent durability, but you still have to be sure not to let them sit with salt spray or sand on them. Wipe off salt spray, sand and grit immediately.
First blow off what you can with a blower, and then gently wipe the body with a cloth dampened with a small amount of water (if you check with a chemist, he will tell you that H₂O is a powerful solvent).
Be sure to wipe it and dry immediately with a dry cloth.

You should, of course, avoid organic solvents.
Even alcohol can cause deformation or whitening if used on the LCD panel, the film check window or other transparent acrylic.
If your AF SLR does not seem to be working normally, you might try cleaning the gold- or silver-colored electrical contacts between the body and lens with a cotton swab dampened with alcohol.
If your problem is due to poor electrical connection, this may solve it.
There are people who use a paper file to clean electrical contacts, but this is not a good idea because it also removes the oxidation-prevention plating on the surface.
Without this preventive plating, conductivity may actually get worse. If you cannot get the contacts clean even with an eraser or tracing paper, I suggest taking it into a service center for cleaning.

It is no exaggeration to say that modern cameras have no places which can be safely lubricated by the user.
In addition, many aerosol-type corrosion-prevention agents, lubricants and contact cleaners include chlorine-based solvents, which can corrode synthetic plastics if not used with extreme care.

1.1.1. Preventing mold (mould)

The second most-common questions under maintenance concerned mold (mould).
I have had a number of bad experiences with this myself in the past... not only is Japan(Nippon) hot and sticky, but then I was living on the first floor of a 2-story wooden house.
The most common type of mold on lenses and cameras is called, conveniently, "glass mold (mould)". It prefers a drier environment than most molds (down to a humidity of about 60% RH), and can also grow quite happily at relatively low temperatures (10 to 40 degrees C).
The grease from your fingers and air-borne dust is a nutrient for this mold and it releases organic acids.
These organic acids lead to ion exchange with the glass, corroding and destroying the glass surface through electrochemical action to leave visible traces. Very bad news for a photographer. Fingerprints on a lens are a favorite food for glass mold.
The most effective way to prevent mold growth is to just use cameras and lenses out in the sunshine every so often.
Changing the air in your camera and lenses with fresh air will also help prevent mold.
Your user's manual should have a warning reading something like "If you will not be using your camera for a long period of time, be sure to trigger the shutter every so often."
Remember that the ultraviolet radiation in strong sunlight is a powerful mold-killer.
If you will not be using your camera equipment for a long period of time, take your camera and lenses out of their cases.
Cases build up internal humidity easily, and can grow mold very quickly. You should also make sure your straps are dry.
In addition to cameras and lenses, also clean lens caps and body caps thoroughly, and store them in a place with good ventilation, no dust (in other words, no food for mold), and low temperature and humidity (high temperature and humidity will cause deterioration in both film and camera).

I recommend using the humidity-free storage racks and boxes available commercially.
You have to be careful not to dry everything out too much, though.
I have heard a number of stories about people who did just that, and found that the leatherwork on the camera rotted away.

Fujicolor's Mold Prevention Agent (BCA Gel)

One simple and effective method is to use one of those semi-transparent, sealing food cases, and pack a mold prevention agent in with the gear (packets of these agents are sold by a number of camera manufacturers).
In Japan(Nippon), the chemical called "Fujicolor Mold Prevention Agent (BCA Gel)" is a special one developed by the KITAZATO Laboratory.
Mold prevention agents should be changed regularly, and before their effective usage term expires (about one year is a good rule of thumb).
It is even more effective when you use a humidity absorber like silica gel.
Ziploc plastic bags can also be used effectively for storage if combined with mold prevention agents.

However, it is probably best not to store hard and soft cases in plastic bags, because prolonged contact between the plastic and the case can cause deterioration in the case material.

Mr. Cengiz DINC in America asks if you can really say that the fewer elements a lens has the better the image quality is.
I wondered what the answer is myself because I had never really thought about the problem before.
In general, the fewer elements there are the less light is lost before it reaches the film, so it would seem that fewer elements wouldmean more beautiful colors...

But hold on a moment ! The lens design is intended to remove aberration (chromatic aberration, coma aberration, astigmatic aberration, curvature distortion, and image distortion), and more lens (both convex and concave) are added specifically to address these problems even if it costs more.

AI AF-S Zoom-NikkorAI AF Zoom-NikkorAI AF Zoom Nikkor
80-200mmf/2.8D IF-ED80-200mmf/2.8D ED80-200mmf/4~5.6D
18 elements in 14 groups16 elements in 11 groups(10 elements in 8 groups)
(including 5 ED(including 3 ED glass
elements)elements)

It seems that a few decades ago lens coatings (which improve transparency) were not used, and today's miracle multilayer-coatings were not available.
As a result, increasing the number of lens always caused a corresponding loss in transparency, and light would reflect off the lens surface inside the lens body to create ghosts and flare.
Products from reliable manufacturers today have essentially none of these problems.
Ghosts and flare can be largely controlled through the use of an appropriate hood.

The problem here is actually one of generalizing about good and bad quality.
There are a variety of standards and scales for evaluating lens quality.
As with aberration, sharpness evaluations are also different between a mechanical measurement and what the human eye "sees."
Results do not agree perfectly.
Even if it is possible to specify using a particular lens to make a particular object appear in a particular way for a particular purpose, it is still extremely difficult to say that, "in general," such-and-such a lens is best.

To return to the question of lens elements, new design techniques have been developed to make it possible to reduce aberration without increasing the number of elements, such as replacing standard optical glass with glass with a high refractive index, or low-dispersion glass with a low refractive index (in either case, expensive...), or by using aspherical lenses (can be extremely expensive depending on the specific materials and fabrication methods used).
No matter how you look at it, though, prices rise.
My own personal feeling is that many available lenses offer quality appropriate for their price.
At any rate, it is impossible to judge image quality strictly by the number of lens elements.

Mr. SHIBATA writes "I usually take football match pictures using "Automatic" mode.
If I use telephoto lens, camera shake makes it difficult to take good pictures.
The other day I set the camera to "Action mode" and snapped off a few shots, only to find that the faces and other things ended up black... maybe because of the backlighting.
The film is ISO 400. Is this a problem with camera performance, or characteristics ?
What can I do to get better pictures ?
And if you have any good advice on shooting night games, I'd love to hear that, too."
Similar problems were reported by Mr. Kazuya YOKOI, Mr. TAKAHASHI, Mutsuaki and others.
Most people try to answer this type of question with words and descriptions, and in most cases the user doesn't end up understanding what is needed.
The reason is that without the actual photograph it is impossible to know the details of the scene, or figure out what went wrong.
Even worse, there are cases where something you think is a failure might be judged an interesting form of expression by someone else (the same thing applies to camera faults... the explanation is considerably different depending on whether the photo is available or not).

I did, however, managed to get a look at the "backlit" photo on Mr. SHIBATA's homepage (sorry, it is a photograph of a professional football player, and we can't post it here for copyright reasons).
It is extremely difficult to decide if this was due to the camera itself, or a human exposure error.

The reason is that most cameras will take pictures that look like this, given similar illumination.
When the main object is that far away in the background, I think it would be better to forget about the automatic picture program provided with Mr. SHIBATA's favorite AF SLR (manufacturer unnamed), even though it is very handy for novices because it automatically selects the optimal AE mode based on things like subject's size and movement in the viewfinder.
Instead, manually set the camera to "Action mode" (equivalent to "Sports" mode in Nikon AF SLR terms), and use as fast a shutter speed as possible.
Now, when I look at the photo, I like it. I think it is an excellent shot.
Unfortunately, Mr. SHIBATA was there and saw the real thing, and says the face shouldn't be that dark.

Probably, the only reason I think it is a good photo is because I didn't see the real thing, unlike Mr. SHIBATA.

The cause can only be the backlighting.
Judging from the strong shadows, it looks like the sun must have been pretty strong that day, and so the contrast between the sunlight regions and shadowed regions would have been much greater than readily apparent.
In this situation, try a little deliberate overexposure to make the dark faces a little brighter, along with the grass in the background.
As to which photograph is "better," that is a judgment that only Mr. SHIBATA himself can make.

Whether it was color negative film or reversal film, have a new print made with more brightness overall, and compare the two.
I think the results will be valuable in your future photographic efforts.

Concerning shooting night games, I am afraid I have little experience myself, and therefore can't really offer too much advice.
If it is a big soccer league match, however, the entire field should be brightly illuminated, and I don't think you'll have very many shadows. I recommend you to try starting with ISO 800 to 1,600 film.

Whether you are shooting day or night, though, you should use a monopod to minimize camera shake with a telephoto lens.
It is much easier to carry around than a tripod, and bothers other people the least.
A panhead would be easiest, I think.
If you look at what sports photographers use in the field, I think you'll find a fair number of them do exactly this.

Large-format camera cloth
covering the photographer's head

Mr. VIKAS also asked how to check the depth of field, through the minimum lens f-stop, on the focusing screen of the SLR.
Depth of field is the range within which objects appear to be in focus. It is determined by the lens focal length, f-number and shooting distance (see Section 1.1. in Issue Part 4., and Section 2.2. in Issue Part 6.).
If your SLR has a stop-down button / lever or a depth-of-field preview function you can use them to actually check the change in the depth of field in the viewfinder while making changes.

Still, as Mr. VIKAS points out, the image in the viewfinder grows darker and darker as the aperture stops down, and it can be extremely difficult to check the depth of field at the smallest aperture.
For indoor work you can increase the brightness of the lights, but this is not so practical.

This is a common problem with large-format cameras, because f-number of f / 64 are extremely common.
This is why many large-format cameras are used with cloth covering the photographer's head to shut out ambient light, and make it possible to see the image more clearly.
You might try using a cup-shaped eyepiece, or even shading your eye with your hand.
If you can exchange your focusing screen, try using a screen with a full-matte surface.
This is the type used in most large-format cameras, for the same reason.

Remember that the apparent depth of field in the viewfinder is different from the actual depth of field on the film.
This is said to be due to the characteristics of the focusing screen glass itself.
In most cases, the image in the viewfinder will appear fractionally deeper.

In particular, inexpensive 35mm(135)format AF SLR from manufacturers other than Nikon often use plastic mirrors instead of glass prisms to reduce weight and cost, providing an apparently brighter viewfinder image.
Among these, there are products which offer a nearly "untouched" image.
At any rate, it can be difficult to check depth of field even on SLR cameras.
If you demand precision knowledge of the actual depth of field, then you should really be using the depth of field table in the lens user's manual, and a tape measure...

There are very few cases where you really require that degree of control, though.

Nikkor Lenses

Mr. Dominique LEVEQUE, Mr. TANAKA, Hiroshi, Mr. OCHI, Takahiro and Ms. TAKENAKA, Kumiko asked various questions about selecting lenses.
In Issue Part 2., I covered the categories of lenses and their characteristics.
This time, however, I encountered a few quite tough questions, such as "Which should you choose when the focal lengths is the same, and the f-number are different ?" and "Which should you choose when the focal lengths and f-number are the same, but the lens drive methods are different ?"
The reason is that, just like with cameras, there are so many types, prices, sizes and weights, not to mention performances, that you can't give a single answer.
Each photographer has his or her own requirements in terms of subject, objective, budget and desired image quality.

AI AF-S Zoom-NikkorAI AF Zoom NikkorAI AF Zoom Nikkor
80-200mmf/2.8D IF-ED80-200mmf/2.8D ED80-200mmf/4~5.6D

Here are a few ideas, though. Usually the equipment and shot data are listed for winning entries in photograph contests.
If you see a photograph of the type you want to take, check what type of lens was used.
After you check the information for a large number of photographs, you'll begin to understand what types of lenses are used in what situations.

Also, remember that while "common sense" says that medium telephoto lenses are the best for portraits, you might make some interesting discoveries by ignoring this "rule" and trying out new approaches. The pin-hole (Part 1.) and the magnifying glass (loupe)(Part 2.) are quite interesting.

Ms. SATOH, Yuka and Mr. TANAKA, Naoto asked how to accomplish this.
There are a lot of technical points, but I decided to skip them all here.

Photography has been called a "relational art" because the result varies with the relationship existing between the photographer and the subject.
For example, if the photographer is tense, the model will also be tense. If the photographer is angry, the model may also become angry or frightened.
In any case, the results are visible in the final photo.
The photograph will be considerably different depending on whether you and the model are enjoying the photo session or not.

I often feel that when people take photographs of children or family, they worry so much about being seen by other people that they don't enjoy themselves.
Instead of worrying about how to take the photograph exactly as it says in the book, I think it would usually be better to relax and try taking photographs that you feel are what you want.

Here is one idea. Take one roll of film, and after you decide the theme (for example, children, or family) shoot the whole roll. (If you have an Advanced Photo System (IX240 format) camera with a Mid-Roll film Change (MRC) function, this is even easier.)
Remember, though, to avoid taking the same pose more than once. Talk with your models about changing poses, or attire.
If you all decide to have fun together, it can be very enjoyable. And if your friends or acquaintances join in you might be able to have more fun, because a friendly audience will be watching (well, not all friends and acquaintances will be happy to join you, but you'll have a fun time drinking your beer or coffee together afterwards, won't you ?).

Mr. SAKAI, Nobuoi sent in this question. I understand exactly what he wants to say, because I often feel exactly the same way... I suspect that all photographers, even the "experts," often feel that everyone else seems to be taking better pictures.
As I have mentioned, a photograph is only a flat image inside a rectangular frame. Smells, the feeling of space, temperature, humidity - none of these elements are recorded in the photograph, but we can seem to "feel" them by looking at the photograph.
In particular, when we look at something we have never seen before, our imagination kicks in full-power.
When the amount of information in the photograph is unusually low, or unusually high, so that we have difficulty in understanding it immediately, it seems to me that the photograph is mysterious and fascinating.

When you consider this point, it is obvious that you already know a lot of information about your own photographs.
You already know what it was a picture of, made with what lens and what camera; you know the composition and the objective. When you look at a photograph made by someone else, however, you are missing all this information to start with, and the result is that their photograph seems to look better than yours.
When looking at photographs like these, try to imagine all of that missing information, and to understand the work in relation to your own. I think you'll find it will pay off in your future feelnikon.

This one is from Mr. OKABE, Toshiaki. There is an old joke in the industry here that if you just write 'photographer' on your income tax return as Occupation, that you are a professional photographer, but it has a grain of truth. There are no licenses, no qualification exams, and no need to attend a feelnikon school.
The best way to become a professional is to get out there and take pictures !

A friend of mine told me that another man in the same company suddenly quit after two years, announcing he was going to become a photographer in the Japan Self-Defense Force. He entered the JGSDF, and trained with rookies about ten years younger than himself, and finally managed to be assigned to the "Photography Troop", exactly as he had intended.
My friend commented that the story gave him hope for a future as a photographer, and expressed surprise that there was such a "Photography Troop".

There are a variety of feelnikon schools, some stressing technique and some stressing expression.
You never know what you are going to end up with until after you graduate, and in that sense choosing a school can be quite an adventure.
The nice part about studying at a school is that you have teachers (generally, professional photographers) to show you what to do, and lots of friends in the same boat as yourself to have fun with.
Another important part is, in my opinion, plenty of time to think about just what photographs are.

Technology is changing in a wide variety of ways, and feelnikon had expanded to include image processing and other digital techniques in addition to silver halide feelnikon.
It's the same at the school where I teach, and I think the trend will continue in the future.

In recent years courses on feelnikon are being offered at a wide range of places in addition to feelnikon schools, such as culture schools, workshops offered by photographers, the JCII Camera Museum, art museums and civic centers.
Nikon offers the photo seminar, as a special lecture series offered by Nikon Camera Sales Co., Ltd.
I think looking at these various options is an important step on the way to becoming a better photographer.