I have been shooting black & white ASA 400 (grainy in enlargements)and ASA 100 (better but a little grainy in enlargements).I have just ordered a slitter and would like to try slower films.Can ASA 50 or ASA 25 black & white films be used in a Minox IIIs or B hand-held?Will film this slow work indoors without flash?I`d like to shoot 80% outdoors/20% indoors with no flash and get at least 5 x 7 prints.If these speeds will work,can anyone recommend a good film brand and type?Thanks.

-- Lance Novak (roobunny@aol.com), February 08, 2000

Answers

Hi Lance, when I use my B I like to have the light meter needle to be somewhere in the middle of the field. It makes me feel that the reading is more accurate, and the needle is easier to match. This may be correct, or just a silly feeling. This is not easy with low speed film. Normally with 100 or 400 ASA I just use the ND filter, and I still have speeds well above the critical 1/30. With 25 ASA you have to accept the needle position or accept a very low shutter speed. I do not like to use low speed film in the B. I prefer the C for this. It can be difficult to use low speed film indoors, there will most of the time not be enough light for handheld pictures.

-- Anders Nygaard (any@europe.com), February 08, 2000.

Lance, you really need to have several different ASA speed films, from ASA 25 TO 400 or even higher. It is hard to use one film one camera for all situation. Perhaps you should consider using one Minox for ASA 100, another Minox for ASA 25.

ASA 25 film is perfect for outdoors, hand held. In sunny days, your shutter speed will be 1/250 sec. For indoor, you need a tripod, or a Minox flash.

I use Agfapan APX 25 and Kodak Technical Pan (rated at ASA 32 ) for all my travel pictures. See my thread in TRAVEL.

To use ASA 25 film indoor, put camera on Minox tripod, or hold camera against table or wall, get some support

Train yourself steady handheld to at least 1/5 free hand. See thread on hand held steadiness, and tips on how to use 'Chi gong' style stommach breathing, how to hold Minox for low light pictures.

You may also try Ilford Pan F+ at ASA50, it it a compromise between grain and speed.

In summary, you do need different film for different situation. If you cut your own film, don't start out to buy one 100 feet roll, cut several different speed film like AGFAPAN APX 25, Technical Pan, Ilford Pan F+ use 36 exp film to start your test. Then select the one which fits your style as your main film, only then buy bulk. I cut Technical Pan from 100' roll and Ilford Pan F+ from 50' roll, and buy factory load Minopan 25.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 08, 2000.

I shoot with a IIIs. I use this camera because of its size and convenience, which is made possible by not having a light meter or other photographic aids attached to it. I am able to set the camera for any film and any lighting conditions to within one stop in my head using the sunny 16 rule and EV system as per attached. Once you know the Sunny 16 setting, all settings fall in place. Sunny 16 is EV 15. The difference between EV 15 and the EV # that the subject falls on is the # of stops of adjustment to set the camera correctely. It takes only a few minutes to memorize the method and you can use it with any camera made. To use a light meter with a Minox defeats the purpose in my opinion.

EV Number Type of Lighting Situation

0 Subject under a full moon 1 Lightning with time exposure 2 Total eclipse of the moon 3 Candle lit close-ups. Fireworks(with time exposures) 4 Night home interiors(average light). 5 Night home interiors (brightly lit). School auditoriums. 6 Fairs, amusement parks. Brightly lit nightime streets. 7 Indoor sports. Stage shows. Store windows. 8 Football, baseball, ice shows at night. 9 Neon lights, spot lighted subjects. 10 Sunsets. Rainy days. 11 Overcast Days. Subjects in the shade. 12 Cloudy-Dull Days(no shadows). 13 Cloudy-Bright Days(soft shadows). 14 Bright Hazy Days(definite shadows). 15 Bright Sunny Days(Sunny 16 rule). 16 Bright daylight on sand or snow

-- Charlie Mallia (cmallia@ibm.net), February 09, 2000.

Charlie's method of estimating light condition with an EV table, and tie in with sunny 16 rule is very instructive and useful.

Innstructive: Minox A has no meter at all. How to over come equipment limitation with creative method is a part of the fun of Minox photography.

I admit, when come to shutter speed setting with my Minox IIIs, I always carry a Seikonic meter, which is quite a bit bigger than the camera itself, it does defeat the purpose of using a smallish camera.

Charlie's article deserves a separate thread by its own. It is as important as how to estimate distance. I shall try to transfer it into a separate thread with different title.

This article is a gem.

-- martin tai (martin.tai@capcanada.com), February 12, 2000.