Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

How To Choose A Camera And Take Motorcycle Pictures' While most motorcycle enthusiasts gladly invest thousands of dollars for 1heir riding gear, 1hey seldom own cameras 1hat can record more 1han a fraction of 1he lOtal picture tor posterity. At every motorcycle event you'll see thousands, even millions of dollars worth of expensive machines and riding or racing gear. Valuable trucks, trailers and camping equipment abound. Yet the pictures people take to preserve these memorable moments are shot with often the most mickeymouse equipment available. $9.95 plastic cameras of the "instamatic" variety are most commonly found. Good cameras are almo~ rare as mo-peds at motorcycle even • There is no good reason why otorcycle enthusiasts should settle f less than good picture-taking equipment, unless perhaps because they think that photography is too difficult and mysterious for anything but the "you press the button and we do the rest" kind of snapshooting. Buying a good camera is no more difficult than choosing a good motorcycle - which is to say, it looks complicated and confusing at first, but with a little experience and good advice, you can make a wise choice. This article is an attempt to interpret the lingo, and separate the cameras SO you can make a wise choice from the crowded display shelves you encounter in a camera store. Almost any camera can be used for taking cycle pictures - even some antique types the average household might have lying around. The decision the prospective photographer will eventually have to make boils down to how much automation, or gadgets· will he expect his camera to have. The less automatic the camera, the more the operator needs to understand the basic processes of picture taking. It would be advisable for a complete beginner to seek out a recognized camera retail outlet. Most of these have clerks with some knowledge of photography, and their advice can helP in making a final choice. To start at the top in features and price, we have what is called a "35mm Single Lens Reflex Camera. These are probably the most commonly used cameras for any type of action photography. They use a long roll of film, with 36 or more pictures in one cartridge. Thetr lenses can be changed, allowing telephoto lenses to be used which bring distant objects up close. They quite often have built in light meters which tell the necessary shutter speed and lens opening combinations for a correctly exposed picture. Sometimes this function is almost completely automatic, leaving the user free to concentrate on snapping the shutter at the right moment. The reason for calling this a reflex camera is the user is viewing the subject through a mirror and prisms which brings the picture to him directly throngh the "taking" lens. Looking through the viewfinder you will see exactly what will appear in the finished photograph. A camera used for taking action pictures should have fast shutter sPeeds, between 1-500 and 1-1000 of a second. These help prevent blur in action pictures. The camera should have lenses with many aperture settings (F-stoPS). A wide opening aperture lets in more light, necessary when shooting in dimly lighted areas or when fast shutter speeds are used. The single lens reflex camera usually costs over $100.00. If you don't feel you can afford that type of equipment, some of the pictures accompanying this article were taken with a camera that cost $3.00. It has a top .shutter speed of 1-200 of a second, and a maximum lens aperture opening of f6.3, which today is considered very slow. Using ordinary snapshot type film, and some rather simple camera techniques, satisfactoryactionshol;s were obtained. The kind of picture desired mightalso give some indication of the camera needed. Ordinary album type snapshots are easier to take than photos that have to be enlarged. Most publications want 8XlO enlargements with good detail. Some people want larger prints for exhibition purposes. These require more care in shooting, better lenses, and sometimes larger negatives. Talking about negative sizes, a 35m m negative is one inch by one and one half inch. This is about as small as it would be desirable to use for motorcycle action pictures. Many photographers prefer a camera that gives a negative 2-1/4" X 2-1/4", and some even use 4X5" • The bigger the negative, the bulkier the camera is, in most cases, and the more complicated it is to operate. Much depends on where you will be when you snap the shutter. You don't need interchangable lenses if you are up close. Built..'in light meters are very convenient, but careful, intelligent reading of ·the pamphiets that are enclosed with the film you buy will helP you determine the proper speed setting for your shutter, and the correct lens opening. If your camera does not have a viewing system, then you will have to guess what the distance is for processing. Don't forget that you will be photographing a moving object in most cases. Rather than try to focus on a rider going 100 miles an hour, pick some place on the track where you expect him to be when you trip the shutter, ·and focus on that spot. You will have a good, sharp picture. Used equipment can sometimes be purchased at a lower price, and usually is in satisfactory condition when purchased from a reputable camera store. If you are a complete novice it is risky . to buy from pawn shops. The item may be okay, but neither you nor the pawn shop owner, in most cases have sufficient knowledge to judge the value of the equipment offered. Reading photographic magazines and their advertisements can beagreathelP, but, like with motorcycles, there isn't anyone camera on the market that is an absolute "best buy." Don't overlook a very desirable camera just because you read of a wonder-camera in an advertisement. Among new cameras, the Japanese brands are predominant. Pentax, Niison, Canon, Konica, etc. usually indicate first class Japanese quality and the latest in operating features. The Germans make some excellent cameras, brands like Leica, Zeiss, Rollieflex etc., all in the 'upper price brackets. We recommend avoiding German cameras if most of your shooting will be in dusty conditions. Dust jams German cameras, yet seems to lubricate the Japanese models. There is only one American manufacturer at present making professional type equipment, "Graflex," These are large-negative type cameras, and not automated. They are very useful in some circumstances. Eastman Kodak is the largest American camera manufacturer, but only of the amateur snapshot variety• Kodak owns a plant in Germany which manufactures a line of cameras called "Retina," that can do some of the things discussed in this article which the Instamatic, etc. cannot. Kodak film is of top quallty, however, for any camera. Almost any good camera can take satisfactory pictures of cycle events, if it is used with some understanding of the basic rules of photography. So if you want your photo to appear in "Cycle News", load up and snap away, and good shooting. A popular, inexpenstve camera that is capable of taking high quality, professional style pictures is the "Twin- Lens Reflex." Only the expensive models, such as the Japanese MamiyaorGerman Rollieflex have in-terchangeable lenses. The economy models, particularly the Yashica and the Minolta Autocord in the $100 price range have permanently attached lenses of 75 or 85 millimeters and are perfectly adequate for all but the most unusual motorcycle photography. A good used Yashica or Minolta twin lens reflex can be picked up for $25 to $50, and will give years of service under extremely rough conditions. The twin-lens reflex camera has two lenses, usually one above the other. The top lens is for viewing the subject, and the lower lens is the one the picture is taken through. The only time this creates a problem is when taking close-ups. Then you must remember to allow for the distance between the viewing and taking 1ens when "framing" your shot. Thanks to its large 2-1/4" negative, the twin-lens reIfex produces a large, Heri Is a fine acllon shot but it is cropped too licnlly. Ee sure to choose the correct lens and stand back enouC" to Include whHIs, the rider's head and other close riders. sharp image that can be blown up without loss of detail. Yet, because of its comparatively short focal range, the photographer must get as close to the subject as possible when shooting action, so as to "fill the frame." Polaroid cameras are fun and handy to use. The extremely fast "speed" of Polaroid film" stops" the action without blur. But polaroid shots are only barely adequate for publication and, as they do not produce a negative, they are d1fficult and expensive to enlarge. Bellows-type cameras should be avoided, generally. The bellows eastly wears out when attacked by dust and allows light to leak in·, fogging thepicture. Bellowses are expensive to replace. SIMPLE SHOOTING TIPS Taking good pictures is easy if a few simple rules are religiously observed. Follow this advice at first, and after you have mastered the basic technique, you may want to experiment with "backlighting," blurred action, double exposures, etc. Many people enjoy takin'c pictures. Here is national number one, Gary Nixon WIlD Is a fine pholoil'apher and has had his worll pubIi shed In major nlaculn... This phDlocrapher was on the spot to catch the excitement but the picture is blurred because of usinc a slow shutter speed. To stop action goinC past the can,era, shutter speeds must be fast anli the camera panned to f1olow the motion. Even at hiCh road racinc speeds motorcycle action can be stopped by panninc with lne bik... Here the backcroundls blurred because the camera followed the racer to make him sharp. This good quality night shot was made at a 60th of a second. The picture is sharp because it was lit with an electronic strobe that has an exposure duration of a l400th of a second. Race photographers don't use flash bulbs becaus their longer duration dazzles tne racers. In this picture the backcround is sharp and clear but the subject of the photo, the motor' cycle, Is just a streak because the camera was held stationary. USE A LIGHT METER. A good light m",:er can be purchased for as little as $& new. Always check the light on the ~ubject before you shoot your picture. The J,ight meter will tell you what shutter sp~ed and lens aperture opening to use for your particular speed of film. Under sunny skies outdoors, mqst nictures will be shot at f16 at 1/250th or 1/500th of a second,' using 400 speed (Tri-X) film. SHOOT AWAY FROM THE SUN. A ~ rule to remember is, always have the sun behind you when..you shoot. If the sun is directly overhead, that's okay too. (9ontinued on page 28) ~ ~ Q., ~ t.:I Z t.:I ...::I ~ U

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