Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/11/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]My first camera was an Instamatic 44, which took barely acceptable pictures. I remember that the flash cubes often wouldn't work, because I'd either forgotten to insert batteries, or because the batteries I'd inserted months before had turned to mush. My first real camera was my dad's old Rolleiflex Automat (1950), with a huge bayonet-mount flashbulb attachment. I remember learning about guide numbers and blue #25 bulbs. I first used the flash during a trip to the Central Park Zoo. After calculating the distance from the elephant cage to the elephant, I set the lens, focused, and snapped the picture. The blue blub exploded triumphantly. However, the poor elephant reared on its hind legs, and sneezed all over me. Ever since, I've been a devotee of available light shooting. Jim Shulman Wynnewood, PA