[LargeFormat] Old style films

[Skip Roessel]

Well, there was a banquet camera called the Cirkit (sp?) that spun (panned
horizontally) the lens around by clockwork drive, and at the film side a
revolving slit followed it.  Or perhaps the film rolled by on a motor drive, I'm
not sure.

They were made for film in various heights, eight and ten inches were two of
them... by however wide.  I think the film was supplied on a long roll, and the
finished negs were contract printed of course.   So this camera might introduce
some motion blur on parts of its negative.  You see one for sale every month or
two on eBay.

These were responsible for many of those panos of the teens and twenties, those
giant gathering shots of people, especially companies of WWI troops.  One way to
recognize them is that the camera rendered horizons and architectural lines in
arcs, which doesn't happen if the film is exposed flat in one plane, like a
Korona Panoramic.

If not motion, sometimes those old lenses had some cool spherical aberrations
that made an impressionistic brushstroke feel to detail in the corners.  If you
want to fake that, try adding a simple close-up lens to your view camera lens,
which will "uncorrect" it (and shorten the focal length).  There was an article
about six months ago in View Camera Magazine (allow me to plug my favorite
reading) about improvising taking lenses with simple elements, like close-up
diopters.

Skip Roessel
skiproessel@mindspring.com

Marcus Ward wrote:

> Speaking of old pictures and the qualities...  I was looking at some old
> group photos made with a banquet camera here in the 1920s and there is a
> certain quality to the out of focus areas (bokeh, yes) that is unlike
> anything I've seen in a modern lens.  It almost looks like it's in motion
> but it obviously isn't.  Can anyone comment on this effect?  I'd like to try
> to reproduce it.
>
> Thanks,
> Marcus
> http://www.f-64.org/
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Skip Roessel" <skiproessel@mindspring.com>
> To: <largeformat@f32.net>
> Sent: Monday, December 02, 2002 7:46 AM
> Subject: Re: [LargeFormat] Old style films
>
> > If by old-style you mean pictures made in the 1930's and later, you're
> > searching for the newest incarnations of Kodak SuperXX and its like, a
> > general-purpose and press film, panchromatic (sensitive to blue, green
> > and red light) that was discontinued about twenty years ago.
> > Mid-century, Kodak still had ten B&W films in its catalog, with romantic
> > names like Royal-X Pan, Portrait Panchromatic, Super Panchro Press, etc.
> >
> > Bergger 200, a curent film imported from France, is quite similar.
> > Badger Graphic Sales is one source: ph 800.558.5350
> >
> > There's some new incarations of these classic films, made in Hungary and
> > imported in all sizes by JandC Photo (in Kansas!): a 200-speed, a
> > 100-speed, and a 25-speed extra fine-grain.  Prices are great.  Check
> > their web site. http://www.jandcphotography.com/
> >
> > Weston et al were also fans of pyro developer, two versions of which are
> > sold by Bostick & Sullivan in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
> > www.bostick-sullivan.com  (That's a hyphen, not an underscore between
> > the names).
> >
> > Prior to the mid-twenties most films were blue (and ultraviolet)
> > sensitive, or bit later, orthochromatic (blue plus green).  This gave
> > the particular rendering we associate with the 19th century... white
> > skys, reds and yellows rendered black, etc.  Shooting through a
> > deep-blue filter would approximate this effect.  So would using early,
> > non coated lenses, which exaggerate flare, and higher-contrast
> > developers.
> > Skip Roessel
> > skiproessel@mindspring.com
> >
> > hairy possum wrote:
> >
> > > I am interesting in producing old style photographs.
> > > I am sure someone makes old style film, without all
> > > the T grains, etc.
> > >
> > > I heard about it somewhere, but can't remember the
> > > name of the company making it.  Can anyone advise me
> > > of the film, and maybe a place to purchase it in the
> > > US??
> > >
> > > I like the look of Edward Weston photos, and would
> > > like to have a similiar look in mine.  Reckon this is
> > > possible, with the improvement in all the materials???
> > >
> > > If anyone can suggest methods to approach his look, I
> > > would appreciate it.
> > >
> > > Thanks in advance.
> > >
> > > Lauvone
> > >
> > > =====
> > > www.Lauvone.com
> > >
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