Ansco film in a Kodachrome cardboard mount
Even when Kodak was a real company they made mistakes. They processed my Anscochrome film right but somehow placed the slides in their Kodachrome mounts.
Gentlepersons:
The Pictures...
These recently uploaded pictures have no artistic value. They were just uploaded to be representative of color picture recording during about 75+ years that I was able to take color pictures, mostly slides at first. Unlike in today’s digital world it took time, money and effort to make a color slide. We took fewer pictures back then, trying to stretch resources, but some sere still frivolous.
I'm 97 (2016). In between health downturns, I fear this will be my last chance to post much. The ratio of today’s digital pictures that are kept for any length of time and/or printed is much less than the film photos taken in days past. History will be lost. Meanwhile you get to be bored by some old Kodachromes, Anscochromes, a Dufaycolor and perhaps an old black & white or so.
The Camera:
Most of these pictures are not very sharp. They were taken with an Argus AF 35mm miniature Bakelite camera bought in 1938 at the USNA by saving much of my small student stipend for about six months. It had a Cooke style three element lens of marginal quality for its day of laughable quality compared with any of today’s SLR lenses. It had slightly better resolving ability than today’s ever more scarce disposable film cameras. The AF was an Argus upgrade which enabled the camera to focus at different lengths from about 1.5 feet to infinity. Most consumer cameras of that day were what we call medium format today. Most of the cheaper consumer grade cameras were little more than box- cameras with single element non-focusing meniscus lenses. The larger film hid much of the softness. The then newer miniature cameras had to do better because of the smaller film exposure size.
The Anscochrome film...
Anscochrome was an early film which could be processed in smaller and more compact environments than Kodachrome. It had all the color material within the emulsion so none had to be added by the processing chemicals. At first, AGFA/Anscochrome required a complicated processing process but was quickly simplified and chemicals were available to non-factory owned processors. When Kodachrome was rated (generously) at 10 ASA Anscochrome was rated at 32 ASA. They advertised “natural colors” as the color palette had a warmer look. Not only does faster film usually have less sharpness but the grain is more pronounced. Anscochrome suffered from both and furthermore did not have the inherent sharpness or grainlessness of Kodachrome. Colors also faded and distorted over time.
The Scanner, a Nikon IV ED:
The Nikon IV ED was rated by the manufacture to scan at 2900 PPI. Unlike most other scanners testing with a glass plate USAF 1951 with the resolution chart metal deposited on it, showed both vertical and horizontal resolution to be very close to that figure. When scanning a chart at maximum resolution one has to be concerned with registration between the lines on the chart and the pixel placement of the sensor. Exact registration is a hit and miss, re-trial exercise. With film the scanned bits of silver and dye clumps are randomly scattered without the need to have perfect alignment. I’d rate the IV ED at or very near 2900 PPI on film. Most scanners are over rated by 50-100%
Ansco film in a Kodachrome cardboard mount
Even when Kodak was a real company they made mistakes. They processed my Anscochrome film right but somehow placed the slides in their Kodachrome mounts.
Gentlepersons:
The Pictures...
These recently uploaded pictures have no artistic value. They were just uploaded to be representative of color picture recording during about 75+ years that I was able to take color pictures, mostly slides at first. Unlike in today’s digital world it took time, money and effort to make a color slide. We took fewer pictures back then, trying to stretch resources, but some sere still frivolous.
I'm 97 (2016). In between health downturns, I fear this will be my last chance to post much. The ratio of today’s digital pictures that are kept for any length of time and/or printed is much less than the film photos taken in days past. History will be lost. Meanwhile you get to be bored by some old Kodachromes, Anscochromes, a Dufaycolor and perhaps an old black & white or so.
The Camera:
Most of these pictures are not very sharp. They were taken with an Argus AF 35mm miniature Bakelite camera bought in 1938 at the USNA by saving much of my small student stipend for about six months. It had a Cooke style three element lens of marginal quality for its day of laughable quality compared with any of today’s SLR lenses. It had slightly better resolving ability than today’s ever more scarce disposable film cameras. The AF was an Argus upgrade which enabled the camera to focus at different lengths from about 1.5 feet to infinity. Most consumer cameras of that day were what we call medium format today. Most of the cheaper consumer grade cameras were little more than box- cameras with single element non-focusing meniscus lenses. The larger film hid much of the softness. The then newer miniature cameras had to do better because of the smaller film exposure size.
The Anscochrome film...
Anscochrome was an early film which could be processed in smaller and more compact environments than Kodachrome. It had all the color material within the emulsion so none had to be added by the processing chemicals. At first, AGFA/Anscochrome required a complicated processing process but was quickly simplified and chemicals were available to non-factory owned processors. When Kodachrome was rated (generously) at 10 ASA Anscochrome was rated at 32 ASA. They advertised “natural colors” as the color palette had a warmer look. Not only does faster film usually have less sharpness but the grain is more pronounced. Anscochrome suffered from both and furthermore did not have the inherent sharpness or grainlessness of Kodachrome. Colors also faded and distorted over time.
The Scanner, a Nikon IV ED:
The Nikon IV ED was rated by the manufacture to scan at 2900 PPI. Unlike most other scanners testing with a glass plate USAF 1951 with the resolution chart metal deposited on it, showed both vertical and horizontal resolution to be very close to that figure. When scanning a chart at maximum resolution one has to be concerned with registration between the lines on the chart and the pixel placement of the sensor. Exact registration is a hit and miss, re-trial exercise. With film the scanned bits of silver and dye clumps are randomly scattered without the need to have perfect alignment. I’d rate the IV ED at or very near 2900 PPI on film. Most scanners are over rated by 50-100%