European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Beano Grundberg new York times photographers who like to try naw films the Way some people like la try on no clothes have been Busy  lha last 12 months the Parade o Chic and stylish emulsions has gone on practically nonstop joined by such Model revamping As the relabelling of Kodak s or a color print films As Koda color Gold. Two of the latest new films irom the Eastman Kodak co. Are est Chrome 100 he and Kodachrome 200. Both Are general purpose Amalu versions o emulsions Lisl introduced in so called professional form. This is the trickle Down theory of film marketing Kodachrome �00 professional heralded Plain old Kodachrome 200, and although Kodak does t say it the improvements found in est Chroma 100 plus professional Are carried Over in Ekl Chrome 100 he. I be had a Chance to use both of these slide films this summer and lha results pretty much confirmed what i expected these Are Good looking Well saturated emulsions that by and Large Mirror the characteristics of their pro counterparts. In absolute terms Kodachrome 200 in t a wildly fast film but within the Kodachrome family it s the tops. Ii has a full three Stop advantage on venerable Kodachrome 25, and a one and two thirds Stop log up on Kodachrome 64, which used to be the fastest Kodachrome available. There Are the inevitable Trade offs of course. Grain is much More apparent than it is in the slower emulsions. The color saturation while nothing to sneeze at seems not quite up to the vaunted Levels of its family partners. What s it Good for i would keep a Lew Rolls of Kodachrome 200 on hand or shooting moving subjects on mildly overcast Days when the Kodachrome 641 was using As my Standard film did t give me a High enough shutter Speed. By keeping wll Hin the Kodachrome family rather than switching to an e-6 Type film like est Chrome or fun Chrome i could keep my entire take consistent Overall Kodachrome 200 resembles the other two Kodachrome More than anything else. I expected est Chrome 100 he to be a High contrast film but it turns out the initials he must stand for High  my Shols of Rainy Day landscapes in the elevated Colorado Rockies Aren t any More contrasty than those i took Wil Kodachrome 200, but they Are nearly As Rich and saturated and they re admirably Neutral in terms of Hue since i be warmed to est Chrome 100 plus professional for just these characteristics i suspect the two films Are basically the same. 3 Basic types of Auto focusing Brand Grundberg new York times automatic focusing hns become so much a part of the photography scene thai it s easy to take for granted. Certainty no self respecting camera Bulf would admit to ignorance of the subject. But Tor Many people lacing the Prospect o buying a modern camera Lor the first time the entire notion remains mysterious. How Many camera shoppers understand thai there Are not one but three Basic types of Auto lock song and that they Are associated with three very different kinds of cameras Polaroid s sonar system uses sound Waves to measure a subject s distance. Most Point and shoot cameras Send out infrared Light rays to accomplish the same task. And most single Lens reflex cameras locus automatically by electronically computing when the image on the focusing screen is most crop. This is a Broad summary of what admittedly is a Complex subject especially now when manufacturers Are scrambling Over each other to perfect new and presumably better Auto focusing systems. But let s try to concentrate on How they work and the advantages and disadvantages of each Type. You May not want to decide which camera to buy based solely on us Auto focusing system but knowing its foibles might save you the disappointment of out of focus pictures. Lei s Start with the Active systems those that Send out blasts of invisible Light or inaudible sound. The sound Waves emitted by Polaroid s instant picture sirs work just like navigational sonar the Waves go out hit something and Bounce Back. A built in computer meanwhile measures the time in takes for the Waves to make their round trip and figures the focusing distance based on that. The infrared systems now universally employed on 35-millimeter poll and shoot cameras work somewhat the same Way but instead of measuring elapsed time log he being Aster than sound they work like rangefinders judging the Angle of the Light s return. That s Why cameras with infrared systems sport two translucent windows in front or a single Long panel that covers both the emitter and receptor. Like rangefinders. Infrared systems can be made More accurate by increasing the distance Between the iwo windows. Most camera designers have chosen to simplify by limiting their systems to a Lew focusing  the pro Eta Chrome is delivered at its Peak Wilh precise Speed and lil Lvalion adjustments noted on the instruction Sheet. The Amateur version is designed to Roach its color maturity on the dealer s Shell. Ekl Chrome 100 he lakes Over the throne As Kodak s medium Speed All purpose slide film in the e-6 Arena. It s important to remember that it is not Mono Fuji s Fine Fuji Chrome 100 has a foot on that base Loo. Part of the reason Kodak has been showering the photography world with new films is that Fuji has made a Dent in its american Market. Fuji s film sales Are Only a fraction of Kodak a but the japanese company s piece of the pie is enough to make the Home team worry. Competition in the film marketplace is going to get stiffer Loo. Polaroid has announced thai it will Market its own line of conventional 35-mm color films. Those who follow the business news know thai soon after this announcement a Battle started for control of the company. There have been rumours published suggesting that Fuji is at least a potential suitor. With sales of instant picture film and cameras flattened by the Rise in popularity of 35mm Point and shop cameras Polaroid has had to look in some new directions. It already is Selling a non instant color film a 4-by-5 Inch professional Sheet film packaged Lor use in Ita film holders Lor View cameras. The film is made by Fuji. Since accurate focus sign l always necessary Al Small apertures and mid to far distances they use the Ludge actor of depth of Field to insure pictures thai Are adequately Sharp to the eyes of the average Tea shooter. As Point and Strots have become More sophisticated however the number of focusing zones has been increasing irom three or Lour on Early models to 15 or More. The More zones the More accurate the focus especially with close ups Macro Mode and wide aperture lenses. The Type of Auto focusing Lound in Sefl cameras has no zones because it is capable of moving the Lens through an infinite series of adjustments. In theory then it is More precise. Its phase contrast sensor knows when the image in the Linder is in locus by judging the optical separation of adjacent lines either horizontal or vertical depending on the system. Notice though hat i said horizontal or vertical lines Pont Modem  White Wall and it Wil Crank its Lens Back and Forth in a it bul stale of ended Stoa Here the theoretically More primitive infrared systems have no  same goes Lor pictures in the dark if the sir sensors can t see detail they can t focus. Infrared systems work Fine even to Coal chutes. Page 16 the stars and stripes Friday september 30,1988