ENEMIES TO PERFECTION
The faster and grainier films will yield softer pictures than those designed for maximum acutance, fine grain and high image resulution. Select your film carefully, based on your intended use. Check out the details of available films in the Camera Shop. Higher resolution film is sharper and allows greater magnification, but has a lower film speed. If you end up using a slower shutter speed to compensate, you increase the chances of blurred pictures. In other words, you CAN shoot yourself in the foot with a camera!
Optical aberrations are more easily corrected in subminiature lenses than in those for bigger cameras, but it is still possible to have a poorly made or assembled lens. If you are satisfied with other factors listed here and are still plagued by unsharp pictures, have your camera checked out at a repair shop that specializes in subminiature cameras. For details about the best submini camera lenses check out the Library.
Image quality will be impaired by dust, water marks, fingerprints or dirt smears on the camera lens. Any of these can easily accumulate on your camera if you carry it around in your pocket on a regular basis. Use a lens brush, lens cleaning tissue and lens cleaning fluid, as needed. Care must be taken when cleaning submini camera lenses. The elements are very small and hard to reach. When you are able to reach them, it's difficult to see exactly what you are doing. Over-cleaning can easily lead to a scratched lens, which defeats the purpose. The best advise is to avoid the need to clean the lens by keeping the lens protected at all times from contamination. Use the lens cap and case liberally.
If your pictures are consistently over or under exposed, the fault may lie in the shutter (it may also lie in the aperture and/or the developing).
The smallness and light weight of the camera make it subject to movement the moment the shutter is released. The slower the shutter speed, the greater the risk of blurred pictures.
Even with a fast shutter speed, you can have blurred pictures if you move the camera too much during the exposure. Because submini cameras are so small and lightweight, they are very easy to move during the exposure. Particular attention must be given to holding the camera steady, no matter what the shutter speed.
At the very smallest lens apertures, such as f16 or f22, the image quality is not as good as at wider apertures, such as f4 or f5.6. This aberration, known as diffraction, is a characteristic of all lenses. At the widest apertures, other imperfections, such as spherical and chromatic aberrations are more pronounced.
Except for fixed-focus cameras, a distance focusing scale must be set so that the subject will fall within the zone of sharp focus. Even with fixed-focus cameras, the picture can be out of focus if the subject is outside of the fixed zone of focus.
This film must lie perfectly flat on the film plane of the camera. If the pressure plate does not keep the film flat, the image will be impaired.
You'll never get the best results if the film is over or under exposed. There are many good books on correct exposure, which is the same for every type and size of camera.
A developer should be chosen to bring out maximum image acutance. Bringing your film to the local drug store won't give you the special attention that submini negatives require. Strict attention must be paid to cleanliness and time-and-temperature controls.
Film carriers for the submini format that you use may be hard to find, but they assure better results. The film must lie perfectly flat in the enlarger, and a negative carrier designed for a different format will not provide the best flatness. Light leaks will also deteriorate the image.
The best results will be achieved with a top quality lens designed for subminiature work. Standard lenses, such as in the 50mm range, need an uncomfortably high enlarger head and are not designed for the high magnifications demanded by the submini negative. And just because a lens is designed for smaller negatives doesn't mean it is of good quality. For more information about choosing an enlarger lens, check out the Darkroom.
If the enlarger is not precisely aligned with the easal at least part of the image will be out of focus. Stopping down the lens will help, but it's best to work on aligning the enlarger.
Another problem is lack of stability which leads to movement of the enlarger during the exposure. With the high magnification needed for submini negatives, it is common to find the enlarger head near the top of the enlarger column. This makes enlarger movement and vibration to easy to occur and too easy to miss in the dark.
Use a grain focuser to make sure that the image is sharp. Some lenses are subject to focusing shift when they are stopped down. Always put a piece of paper in the easal before focusing.
At the very smallest lens apertures, such as f16 or f22, the image quality is not as good as at wider apertures, such as f4 or f5.6. This aberration, known as diffraction, is a characteristic of all lenses. At the widest apertures, other imperfections, such as spherical and chromatic aberrations are more pronounced.
Image quality will be impaired by dust, water marks, fingerprints or dirt smears on the enlarger lens. The remedies are the same as for the camera lens.
You'll never get the best results if the paper is over or under exposed. There are many good books on correct exposure, which is the same for every type and size of negative.
A developer should be chosen to bring out maximum image acutance. Bringing your film to the local drug store won't give you the special attention that submini negatives require. Strict attention must be paid to cleanliness and time-and-temperature controls.
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