THE GALLERY
Photos by Joe McGloin
various Minolta 16s
"All shots were on the same roll of film -- ILFORD FP4 at ISO 64. The
image is some trees at about 100 yards with a horizon in the background.
The sun was getting low so the contrast was pretty good. All
caneraas were placed on the same sturdy tripod. Developed in D-76 1+1
for 5 minutes at 68 degrees. The central portion of each negative was
scanned with a Nikon coolscan at the highest resolution. The image that you
see would be part an 8 inch section of a 40 inch print (at 480 x 600
pixels resolution).
I'll let you be the judge. I think the results are pretty clear. In
my opinion, the best camera is the one that fits the type of pictures
you take. If you use a camera for close-ups of people and groups -- grab
shots -- you may opt for a different camera than someone who
more-often-than-not shoots scenics. No matter which you choose, you'll get
great results (assuming you hold the camera steady) even for enlargements.
Some cameras, like the P give good results but are limited in their
applicability. Others, like the MGS are more flexible in more situations.
Consider this the baseline. This is a shot with a Minolta 16 II at
f4 and 1/500. No filters. Fine for a small print. The fixed focus is
at 9 feet so it is expected that a distance shot, such as this, would be
out of focus. Minolta lists the depth-of-field at this f-stop as 6
to 13 feet. Despite this, the distance focus is not too bad. In
a 3x5 print it would appear pretty sharp.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 II at f11 and 1/60. No filters. Stopping
down is the standard way to get the distance in focus with these types of
cameras. And it works. The results are much sharper. Minolta
lists the depth-of-field at this f-stop as 4 feet to 205 feet.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 II at f16 and 1/30. No filters. A
little improvement. Minolta lists the depth-of-field at this f-stop
as 3.5 feet to infinity. Much of what is gained in depth-of-field is
apparently lost in diffraction.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 II at f4 and 1/500. Distance #0 filter.
Much sharper. Minolta lists the depth-of-field at this f-stop with
this lens as 14 feet to infinity. The #0 filter is obviously much better
than stopping down.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 P at f8 and 1/100. No filters. Very
fine results for such an inexpensive camera. Minolta lists the
depth-of-field at this f-stop as 7 feet to infinity. Results comparable
to the 16 II with the infinity lens.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 QT at f 5.6 and 1/250. No filters.
Focus was set at infinity. Results slightly sharper than the 16II with
infinity lens or the P. But this makes sense since the image size is
much bigger.
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 MGS at f 8 and 1/125. No filters.
Very sharp. Minolta lists the depth-of-field at this f-stop as 6 feet
to 125 feet. Results almost as sharp as the QT and slightly sharper
than the 16II with infinity lens or the P
This is a shot with a Minolta 16 MGS at f 11 and 1/60 No filters. Even
sharper. Results as sharp as the QT. Minolta lists the depth-of-field
at this f-stop as 5 feet to infinity.
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COPYRIGHT @ 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 by Joe McGloin. All Rights Reserved.