Hyperfocal focusing and more about the "Brick"

[P3D Dr. George A. Themelis <DrT-3d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

One more comment about the double-exposure prevention button in
the "Brick"... (I am writing this while I am actually looking at a
non-functional Realist which I use for paperweight in my office ;))

Later Realists (I would say SN > 60,000) came with a double-exposure
lever in the back and depth of field scale (DOF) next to the focusing wheel.
Many earlier Realists were retrofitted with these features which were
offered as an upgrade to Realist owners by the David White company.

The fucntionality of these two features is, IMO, overstated.  By following
the practice of advancing right after taking a picture there is no reason
to fear double-exposures.  When in doubt, you can check for the "red spot".
If it's red, you have not advanced.  This assumes that the red spot works
(comes on after the camera is fired).  It's easy to fix it if it does not
work (as it is easy to fix the double-exposure features that sometimes
does not work either.)

In one case I was trying to take multiple exposures in subzero temperatures.
Tyring to pull the lever with goves on was a problem and I wished that the
Realist that I was holding did not have this feature.

I rarely look at the DOF scale as I have memorized the DOFs in the two
most used apertures in my camera, f8 and f11.  If you use the rangefinder
to focus, you are running into the risk of throwing the background or
foreground.  For example, if your main subject is at 8ft and you focus
at this distance using the rangefinder then the distant background would
not be in sharp focus.  If you focus at infinity in a scenic then your
foreground will not be in sharp focus.  As I said, I use the rangefinder
only in close-ups and that's because I do not have a good feeling for
distances in ft.  I use the rangefinder as a took for letting me know
where the object is.  I still might focus at a different distance.

To summarize, IMO, the two features of later Realists, DOF scale and
double-exposure prevention button, are not as useful after all.

George Themelis, fan of "La Brick" camera obscura... ;)


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