User manual BELL & HOWELL 2144 XL

[. . . ] Run button Battery compartment cover Trigger (two operating positionsl Cable release socket Lens hood Lens cap Lock: film compartment door Manual exposure control Tripod socket How to shoot introduction Bell & Howell designed your new camera to be easy to use and, with its "existing light" XL lens, to give an excellent performance in and out of doors. But it is an advanced camera with certain refinements which may not be familiar even to the experienced movie maker. So we recommend that you spend a few minutes reading this instruction manual before you load and shoot your first film. That way you will get full benefit, right from the start, from your Bell & Howell 2144 XL. [. . . ] It will be the correct exposure if you have first used the automatic control to measure it, with the lens at telephoto so that the system "sees" only the subject and is not confused by the background. The perfectionist will delight in another refinement on this camera the rotary control (operated with a thin coin) with the symbols" + ", "0" and" -". The camera is designed to give the exposure which produces the most generally acceptable picture under normal viewing conditions - a projector with average light output and a screen of average size. Your own viewing conditions, or your own preferences, may not be average. If you find that the projected picture is consistently paler than you would wish, turn the control towards the" . If you are using a separate exposure meter, regard the shutter speed as 1/30 second. It is, however, often preferable to use the camera itself as an exposure meter. With the AUTO/MAN ring at AUTO and the zoom lens at its extreme telephoto setting, aim the camera at that detail in the scene for which exposure is especially critical. partially depress the trigger and note the lens aperture which appears in the viewfinder. Now, after any necessary adjustment of the zoom lens to compose the scene, move the AUTO/MAN ring downwards until (again with the trigger partially depressed) the same lens aperture reappears. One typical application of the manual exposure control would be a continuous shot of a subject who, in light which remains constant, walks in front of a background which is first normal, then dark, then bright. Automatic exposure control would cause the subject to be differently exposed in the three parts of this shot when in fact, If you would like it a little brighter, increase the exposure by turning the control towards" + ", Trying various positions on the same scene will help you to decide which is best for you. Once you have found a satisfactory position, the setting need not be changed - at least until you start using a different projector or screen, or using film with different characteristics. The density control does not operate when you are setting the exposure manually. As soon as you have become familiar with the normal operation of 26 Your camera, add a professional touch to some of your shots by using the FADE button. With this useful control you can begin a scene with a smooth "fade in" to full exposure and end a scene with an equally smooth "fade out". For those uncertain about when fades should be used there can be no better advice than to watch movies in the cinema or on TV to see what the professionals do. Perhaps the most useful application of all is to end a scene with a fade-out and begin the next scene with a fade-in in order to suggest to your audience that there has been a lapse of time or a change of location or mood between the two consecutive scenes. A fade-outl fade-in can be regarded as the visual equivalent of a new paragraph, whereas a direct change from scene to scene has more the effect of a full stop. Fades are possible only when the camera is working under automatic exposure control, with the AUTO/MAN control at the AUTO (upper) position. Press the FADE button until the aperture scale in the viewfinder has run just beyond f I 45 to the red over-exposure warning. Keeping the trigger partially depressed, release the button and [hen, when the aperture scale starts to move, pull the trigger fully in. [. . . ] 35 At the start of each day's filming, and whenever you insert a new film cartridge, slide the main switch forward to the TEST position and look through the viewfinder. If the red signal below the viewfinder frame does not glow, fresh batteries are needed. 36 Before inserting a cartridge, use a soft brush To remove dust and fluff from the film compartment, paying special attention to the polished film runners a and the aperture b. Make sure that loose hairs from the brush are not left in the Any deposit of emulsion on the runners can be removed with a piece of sharpened wood. [. . . ]