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The PAT HE WEBO

The Cine ('amera De luxe wilh lJnique Fea'lurea

There has been in the standard cinema theatre during the past few months a revival of
some of the earnest cinema picture comedies and whilst often enough these have not been
treated very fairly as they have been projected at moving picture speed, although originally
photographed at 16 pictures per second, contemporary audiences have found that. these films
have not lost their early magic and that they are still capable of producing what the theatre
world calls 'belly laughs'. The miming and the artistry of the actors in the early silent films have /'
we venture to suggest, not been surpassed in the ensuing years. /l
From the view point of the modern cinemagoer the pictorial quality of these early films
leaves much to be desired and the trade description as 'soot and white wash' is easily under-
stood. On the mechanical side the cinema industry has of course advanced enormously and
at least so far as studio work is concerned perfection in photographic quality is the rule rather
than the exception.
Although methods differ the results obtained with substandard direct reversal films can now
compare very favourably with those of standard films, for automatic processing is employed
and where errors in exposure hav·e occurred compensation is accorded in processing to provide
the generally high standard. Indeed when precisely corr·ect exposures are recorded the
quality and gradation of present day film stock yields truly wonderful results.
For the keener cinematographer high standard average results are not good enough so some
form of light meter on which the owner comes to fully understand and rely upon is used.
There remains however, the question of focus which changes as the moving subjects approach
to or recede from the camera. The law of averages helps in this respect for with modern film
and the camera running at 16 pictures per second silent speed under ·good summer light a
lens aperture of flO would commonly be used and working at so small an aperture the depth
of focus is such that a reasonable sharp all over picture is obtained. So far so good, but it is
not always summer time, subjects which must be photographed are not always in a brilliant
light and so wide apertures even down to fl.9 become essential and with these the depth of
focus is very small indeed and it becomes necessary to refocus the lens even if the subject
moves but a very short distance. This can be done with any good quality focusing lens by
stopping the camera and re-measuring the distance to the subj·ect and resetting the lens. This
is a very clumsy way, but has been until now the only way to ensure that the subject is held in
sharp focus.
With this in mind it will at once be appreciated how valuable the feature of reflex photo-
graphy is with the View Finder of the Pathe W.EBO 'M' Camera, for with this, one focuses the
lens on the subject whether moving or stationary and can hold the su~ject in sharp focus whilst
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