...just wondering what films, specifically in the standard, modern 35mm format, would have been around and in use circa 1928 or so. Point me in the right direction to find the info or let me know... Koday had a variety of films, but not sure if any in 35mm cassettes... the sort of stuff that would have been used by the first Leica. Thanks,

jeff

Boy I would have to say that 35mm cassettes that old would be a real hard one to nail down...I don't have my referance book handy, but don't think it was introduced quite that early, but I could be wrong, I will keep looking to see if I can find my book.

Dave

Movie film-)

Nick is right. Most early film was bulkloaded surplus movie film, spooled by the photographer into reusable cassettes.

Kodak came out with the disposable cassettes a few years after Leica caught on in Germany.
Ah AH! I found it. The Leica came out in 1925, Kodak cassettes came out in '34.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Les on 2004-07-26 18:19 ]</font>

I'd be surprised if any of the films available in 1928 were still on the market today. Film technology underwent tremendous advances in the years following World War II. And the name alone won't tell you; for example, even the "Tri-X" you buy today is not at all the same material I bought in 1959. And "Tri-X" was introduced in the postwar decade.

This advance was, perhaps, even more pronounced with motion picture film than with material designed for still photography.

You might look at the JandC website. The "Adox" and "Efke" materials are said to be "classic" films, which I suppose means no tabular grains. But "Adox KB14" was one of the first modern thin-emulsion films, in the 1950s.

I have no idea what 1928 miniature camera film handled like -- but I'd hate to have to make an 11x14 enlargement from it!

I printed some nitrate negatives that were probably shot in the '30 and they weren't too bad. About like Tri-X in DK-50--a bit grainy, but when properly exposed decently sharp!

over/under exposure was the worst problem and I have no idea if they were using an Argus A or Leica II.

Oh and I used a cold light head.

Yeah, my little bit of research told me that someone made loadable cassettes for the Leica (screw-off tops, I assume, like modern loadable casettes). I also knew that most used 35mm motion picture film, although I wasn't sure if there were any films specifically manufactured for still photography at the time. I was not sure what film stocks were available in 35mm, cine or still, but the motion picture aspect makes it easier to reseach through Eastman Kodak. This is not for actual use, but for personal research. Thanks,

jeff

The Leica was invented to use 35mm motion picture film in scientific applications, actually. I have more info around here somewhere on the subject, if anyone is interested. (If I can find it, that is.) Until the Leica was born, there was no 35mm format for still pictures in general use.

By some accounts, Barnack invented the "Leica" because he liked to climb mountains, and found the folding cameras of the day awkward to deploy and use when clinging to a ledge.

By other accounts, "Leica" cameras found immediate favor with cinematographers who wanted to make test exposures on film stock before shooting whole scenes with it, both to determine its exact exposure characteristics (quality control being less rigorous in 1929 than it since has become) and to check things like lighting ratios.

The 35mm. cameras made between about 1914, which I think is when the American "Tourist Multiple" hit the market, and 1928 usually used the motion picture cameras' 18x24 mm. format. Barnack, as far as I know, was the first to use the "double frame" format that since has become standard.

Quote:

someone made loadable cassettes for the Leica (screw-off tops, I assume, like modern loadable casettes). jeff

The early Leicas came with three cassettes because there was no way to use the camera without them. They were not screw-off tops but were made of an inner and outer sleeve that locked together and were opened inside the camera by two cams, one to unlock the sleeves and another to rotate them apart. The basic design was later used with modification by Nikon and Zeiss for their 35mm cameras. These things work best with cameras having removable backs or bases, although the concept can be made to work with swing backs with more design effort (Nikon F2). All of them are clever and still useful if you use one of these cameras. Just be sure to never absent mindedly send one to a photo processor or you will never see it again.