Musings
Recently I had the misfortune to damage my shoulder and was advised by a chiropractor to leave my SLR kit at home until the muscles had recovered. We had several day trips planned on which I had planned to take photographs, so, in desperation, I dug out a compact camera, a Samsung Fino 800, which I bought on the spur of the moment to use at family events when it could be slipped into my pocket.
I loaded it with FP4 Plus and set off for Anglesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire with the aim of putting the camera through its paces. The film was processed in Jessops Econotol 2 and prints split grade printed on Ilford Multigrade. Results and observations follow (exposure and focus was controlled by the camera):-
"Anglesey Abbey"
Taken from about 100 metres. Camera handled the exposure well. Autofocus was good enough to pick out the details in the windows. Printed well up to 12" x 9" but above this the image softened considerably. (Printed Split Grade "1" for 20 seconds f 11. Filter "4" for 15 seconds).
"The Garden Door"
Taken from about 15 metres. Camera handled the exposure and focus well. Printed well up to 12" x 9". The most successful print of my visit. (Printed Split Grade Filter "0" 20 seconds f11. Filter "5" 20 seconds f11).
"Woodland Stream"
Stream in heavy shadow. Camera used flash which had no effect whatsoever. Camera hunted for focus. The negative was considerably under-exposed but printed quite well. (Printed Split Grade "1" 10 seconds f11, Filter "4" 12 seconds f11).
"Chatsworth"
Taken on a second day out. Taken from a distance of about 1 km. Exposure was good but the image is rather soft. (Printed Split grade Filter "0" 20 seconds f11, Filter "4" 18 seconds f11).
Conclusions
The camera functioned well and handled exposure very well. However, the focus system is designed to function on subjects which are fairly close so is not suitable for landscapes. I shall, certainly, carry it when SLR kit is not suitable but will be selective with the type of subject I choose to photograph.
