Reformat Your Memory Card

If you are using a digital camera, it's a good idea to reformat your Memory Card after using it several times.  Even though you delete unwanted images from the card it still keeps some of the information until it is over written.  So if a digital camera starts giving you problems, the first thing to try is to reformat the Card.  See your camera instructions for how to do this. 

IMPORTANT: This will erase all information (and images) you have on this card. So, be sure you have moved the images you want to keep to a safe place first.

 A quick lesson about lens focal lengths

When deciding on a new point and shoot camera the first thing after total size is the focal length of the zoom lens.  If it is a 35mm camera try to envision 50mm as the dividing line.  A 50mm lens on a 35mm camera is real close to what you eye sees.  In other words, the angle of coverage of a 50mm lens will give you a picture of what you normally see without scanning your eyes side to side.  If you have a lens that is a lower number than the 50mm will put more of the scene you are looking at than your eyes will normally see without having to scan side to side.  That’s sort of like being able to back up from what you are trying to take a picture of without actually having to move.    A lens that has a higher number than 50, will cover less of the subject.  Just like moving closer to it.  A zoom lens that covers 38mm to 70mm for instance gives you slightly wider angle of view than you see normally and slightly less than you normally see plus everything in between.    It’s like being able to move forward to get closer or backwards to get more of the scene into your picture. 

From a practical standpoint, certain focal lengths lend themselves to certain subjects.  For instance, a 70mm lens is good for portraits; a 150mm lens is good for sports where you are close to the action, while a 28mm or 24mm lens works well when shooting scenery. 

 Why Shoot a 120 Camera

Why shoot 120 (medium format) cameras?  Basically the larger the negative the more information is stored on it.  A 35mm negative is about 1 x 1.5 inches.  While a 120 format negative (different format sizes are available) is at least 2-1/4 inches by 1-7/8 inches.  There are 3 basic medium format cameras available that use 120 type of film.  645, 6x6, and 6x7.  645 is 2-/4 x 1-7/8 inches, the 6x6 format is 2-1/4 x 2-1/4 square, and the 6x7 is 2-1/4 x 2-3/4 inches. 

The old standard workhorse camera you still see around is the 6x6 twin lens reflex type.  A twin lens reflex camera has 2 lenses on it.  The top lens is the viewing lens, while the bottom lens is the lens that actually takes the picture.  They usually have a metal leaf type of shutter in them that allow you to sync your electronic flash at all shutter speeds.  This is good if you are trying to use fill flash while shooting outdoors. 

These cameras may look like something out of the 50’s, but they are still valuable working tools for photographers.  Yes, we develop and print medium format color films in house, just like 35mm.