Reverse Engineering a 1979 Camera's Spec

9 hours ago

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The author purchased a 1979 Chinon CM-4 film camera in Tijuana and decided to thoroughly understand its specifications before using it.
The camera is a 35mm SLR with an LED light meter, featuring a quick return, shockless mirror system and a Seiko MFC metal focal plane shutter.
Key specifications include shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/1000 second, a fixed eye-level pentaprism viewfinder with 92% visibility, and a TTL center-weighted exposure meter.
The camera uses a Chinon Universal Bayonet Mount, compatible with various lenses, and supports film speeds from ISO 25 to 1600.
The author's lens is an Auto Chinon 50mm f/1.9, which provides a standard field of view and includes features like a depth of field scale.
The article explains technical aspects such as exposure value (EV), aperture, shutter speed, and the history of 35mm film standardization.
Despite initial excitement, the author's first film roll was incorrectly loaded, resulting in no usable photos.
The exploration of the camera's specs provided deep insights into the engineering and chemistry behind film photography.
The author concludes that while technical knowledge is valuable, creativity remains the primary challenge in photography.

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