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Re: [OM] wide lens

Subject: Re: [OM] wide lens
From: Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 30 Jan 2003 15:54:55 -0800

On Thursday, January 30, 2003, at 01:36  PM, Wayne Culberson wrote:

Conditions in the mountains there are very different from what I face here in eastern Canada. Here I live maybe about 100 to 200 feet above sea level, and the sun is seldom directly overhead, except maybe in the middle of the day in the summer. There it seems like the sun is always directly overhead. UV and flare have been a real problem for me in Bolivia in the past. The
worst part is, I didn't know what was causing the problem, and so was
blaming things like airport x-rays and the heat. But I think now one of the serious problems was UV, even though I have always used a UV or skylight
filter. The sun is very intense, I guess because it is so close to the
equator, and because we are often at altitudes of 9000 to 15,000 feet. If someone knows how to adequately handle the UV problem in those conditions,
I'd sure appreciate any advice.

Is there any slide film that gives an advantage in those conditions? I've always used Kodachrome 64 in the past, but am thinking of using something E6 this time, not sure what yet. Again I'm open to suggestions. I like the idea of slow film to minimize airport x-ray damage, but then there is the problem
of it being daylight only half of the 24 hrs., so something faster is
helpful for the many nighttime and indoor flash photos. Again, everything down there is in extremes. It is either daylight, or dark, with 2 minute
sunrises and sunsets (well, it seems that way compared to here).

Also in the past, I've never used a hood, and always used a zoom on the
OM's, which resulted in a lot of flare. Ignorance again. That is one reason
I want to take all primes this time.
Wayne


I have taken pictures at the altitudes you mention and the latitude you mention, but not both at the same time. I live in a place much more to the south and in a sunny clime. However, I imagine that your main problem is not using a hood. I doubt UV is a factor. You might even take a hat which is not a bad idea where you are going and hold it so that it shades the lens. Better than a built in sometimes. Putting a filter on the lens puts another two glass surfaces out there that may not be shaded very well by the hood.

UV is by definition beyond the visible spectrum and most films are not very sensitive to it. I would think the UV filter would take care of it. I am not sure what damage to your pictures the UV contributes. I would double check my meter against some standard to make sure you are not over exposing the film which can make things look bluish and washed out. You may want to try a film with a warmer balance and denser blacks like Velvia. Provia 400 is richly colors and amazingly fine grained for a faster film.

Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California, USA


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