Ensign all-distance pocket User manual

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          THE
 ALL.DISTANCE,
     POCKET
 ENSIGN
     CAME,RA
            PereNr No. 271i86
          Pnov.. PeroNr No. 2350011926
          TAKES
      ENSIGN SPEEDY
               F'ILM
        Size ZtB (No. E20)


" T he Essence     Simplicitt "                "f

INSTRUCTIONS.

     BEFORE LOADING.
  Read these brief directions carefull
the camera  in front of  ou so that
     ow to onerate  it without
actual use.
  With the side bearing the word " Ensign "
facing you, pull the nickel piece near the top,
releasing the catch, and lower the baseboard
(Fig. l) to its fullest extent, pressing it when
near the bottom, until a sharp click is heard
when it is securely held by the side struts.





                      Fig. r
  The nickel piece which lorms the catch also                                       l
acts as a foot if you wish to stand the camera
level, in either vertical or horizontal position.
  Inside the body you now see the " All-
distance " lens, mounted in the " Synchro "
shutter. Just below this is a knob on the





                                                                                                                                                              1

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travelling carriage which bears the shutter
and lens and to which the front of the bellows
is secured; pull out the carriage by this knob
(Fis. 2) until it clicks in the first notch on the
indicator plate at the right side of the base-





                                                                                                     \
                                                                                                                          I
                   Fis.2
board (as the camera faces you), against the
word " View." This is the position for taking
such subjects as landscapes, sea pictures,
churches, houses, or groups, not nearer than
about nine or ten feet away.



                                                                                                                                     Digitally signed by mike butkus

                                                                                                                         ou=29,                        mike butkus DN:o=orphancameras,email=mike@butkus.org,cn=mike butkus,                                                                                                                 c=US
                                                                                                                    Date: 2020.08.13 15:01:51 -04'00'





                   Fig.3
  Above the Indicator plate, by the side of the
shutter, is a lever of metal with the top end
cross-cut; (Fig. 3), press this inwards and you

will be able to move the carriage forward into
 the second notch on the Indicator plate, against
 the word " Portrait." This is the position for
taking any kind of portrait, oi anything
 nearer than about nine or ten feet, and    rruai
 as 3] feet from the camera.            ""
       THE SHUTTER
 (Fig. 4) bears on its front a small indicator
 disc with an arrow engraved upon it;   sur-
 rounding this are the letters T, B and I. When
 he disc is turned so that the arrow points to
 " T " a Time exposure will b.  girrett on
 pressing the exposing lever A (Fig. 4).


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    A.  ..........



                                                          i
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                              ;rclr                                                                                                      I                             aQ-a
                              u)-                                                                                                                           I
                           I:ix. I
  TIME.-This means that the shutter opens             t{
on the firstpressure  of the exposingleveiand
remains open until the lever is pressed a
second time, when it closes. (Do not move
the indicator dial while the shutter is open.)

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        BULB.-Now move the arrow to B and
         operate the lever and you will see that a time
         exposure of slightly different kind is the result  ;
          the shutter opens on the first pressure and will
         remain open only as long as you keep the lever
        down, but closes as soon as you allow the lever
           to rise. This is generally known as a " Bulb
          exposure.


        INSTANTANEOUS.-Now move the arrow
         to I and the exposure is the ordinary " snap-
          shot " or instantaneous one, opening and
         closing again with one pressure only. The
        speed is approximately l/30th second which
         is found to be the most generally useful
           for a wide variety of subjects.


           VIEW FINDER.
{        Above the shutter is the View Finder, in
        which a small lens reflects on a ground glass
  t      a reduced scale picture of the scene in front
     I
        of the camera.

        When the camera is used for upright pictures
         the amount of view included will be as shown
        by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 (A) ; when taking
          horizontal pictures the camera should be held

side-ways and the view finder swung round
its pivot, then the view included will be as
shown in Fig. 5 (B).





     A        Fie.5      BB   Ubvisht View           HH orizontalorizontal ViewView
  (Never close the camera with the view finder
turned on its side or it will foul the side of the
camera. A front wire finder for direct vision is
   O-                                                                                                                          1"k
       THD LENS.                                      I
 The lens is  of entirely new  optical
construction (Patent No. 271186) and the
diaphragms controlling its speed are actuated
by   pointer at the bottom of the shutter,          tIagainst"   the words, " Large," " Medium " and
" Small." The " Large " aperture should be
used for snap-shots when the lighting con-
ditions are fair or only moderately good; the
" Medium," when bright sunshine is on the
subject, also when the subject is of a very     J
" open " nature, such as sea-side pictures or                                                    II
mountain scenery (especially with snow), but
a very little experience will show which stop
is best to use. The " Small "  is  almost

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          exclusively used for Time or Bulb exposures,
         especially for interior subjects *h".,        seconds can be                                                          ";;;of                            -given, with the camera,  i       course, supported on a firm base.
     I     To close the Camera, first disengage the
        ft"ffiindicator              pt.tu Uv pressing
         the lever (Fis. 3) and push th" f-;i,i-.il il:  (      by means of theknob (Fig. 2).
       Do not push on the shutter itself

         . [hen the front is right home, press with
        both thumbs on the up"per            tfr" ,i+                                           "f                                   6) ."a-}it-"i          struts close to the h:a/ (Fis."agl"        the _baseboard until tie'";i"(  Jngages ;  if        the.leg has been used it         b."rJpI"""J         in line with the base.     "h;;id





   I
{



"l
                              Fie. a
       The action of the various parts being now
       understood we may.ro* p.o"u"Jto

LOAD THE CAMERA
   Slide the catch to the right and lift off the
 back (Fig. 7); at the winder end it is only
engaged by grooves which interlock .r"h
other and therefore it comes away freely.





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 'Two         film chamb"ri':;J revealed, the upper
chamber having two centre bearing studs                                  "p""which the film turns, mounted on hingeci
braclrets of novel design (Prov. Patent 23{N/
 1926) the lower chamber having only one stud,
the _opposite side being occupied by the
winder, the key of which enters the side of
the loose spool through the chamber but can be
withdrawn        by pulling the winding handle    {outwards.
  Each chamber is also provided with a guide
roller over which the film runs, and a tension
spring, whiie an empty spool bobbin should
be   in the                 or         lower,                 winding                          chamber.                                                            fl  TaLe          spool                       " Ensign      a                          Speedy "  film,              of
size 2lB, break the seal and remove all the
Iabel, rnsert the spool in the upper spool
chamber on the studs, with thee.rd ot the pip.t
leading towards the lower chamber. Keep

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\
         the spool-pin brackets pressed into the camera
      by grasping the body at that point, lead the
         free end of the paper across both guide rollers
  I     and thread it through the slot in the empty
        spool in the winder chamber (Fig. B). (This
    t

   It





                                    Frg.8
          slot is cut wider on one side than the other to
        take the paper; see that you start the paper
       in the wider side.)
      Now give the winder one or two turns to
      make sure that the paper is centred nicely
       between the flanges of the spool, and if it  is
       bearing hard against either side, press it
        gently sideways to correct.
 {       Replace the back, winder end first, then
         close the top end and slide the catch.
              It will be noticed that the back is designed
       to retain the spool brackets quite securely,
       but it is well to notice that they are correctly
         inserted and flush, before putting the back on. I
       The winding of the film may now be con-
         tinued, but it is better not to do this with the
         front of the camera closed, as the last folds of
         the bellows sometimes project a little and cause

faint scratches on the sensitive surface of the
film; after about l0 or 12 turns, observing the
moving band through the little red window,
a warning mark, sometimes a " hand " some-
times " ( ) " will appear, and if the camera
is not going to be used at once, this is a good
position in which to leave it, as the shutter
may be tried without fear of making 8n ex-
posure.

    If you propose to make an exposure at once,
continue to wind .qlgyk until the figure   I
appears in the red window, and the camera
is ready ;  after exposing on section l, wind
immediately to No. 2, and so oD, always
remembering to wind slowly, as if the number
ov€r-runs the window, it cannot be wound
back. It is best to make a practice of winding
on the new film immediately after an exposure,
as if forgotten, two exposures will be made
on one section, spoiling both.

  After completins No. 6, continue to wind until
the _end of the paper passes the window, when
the back may be removed. Lift the spool-pin
brackets away from the side of the- camera
sufficiently to disengage the spool from the
retaining studs; then remove the spool from
the camera, taking care not to allow it to
unroll or light will penerrate and spoil the
film- A gummed label will be found (usually
onthe now empty bobbin) which can be u"ed to
seal _the eyposed film. Transfer the empty
spool bobbin to the winder spool
(slotted end towards winder) andthe camera"h.-t.ris
ready for reloading.

                             r0

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       NOTE.-Do not load or unload in full
          rniligtrt iFv""-""" i-@
      fpgg"d in l/l000th         -h.r"f"* Jet                            """"nd, .l       i"lffi*rll y""
    t       MAKING AN EXPOSURE
         With No. I Film in position and the Camera
 cl     opened, the choice of " View "or " Portrait "
        position on the Indicator plate should not be
         difficult to decide. If your subject'"   is not        further away than l0 feet use   Portrait "
        position:  if it is further away, use " View."
         See your picture in the view finder, remember
       whether you are using the camera upright or
         horizontal (Fig. 5) and as soon as you have the
       scene or portrait nicely framed in the limits
         of the finder, hold the camera perfectly steady
       and press the release lcver down until you hear
       the click. Do not jerk it or the picture will
        certainly be blurred.
       Remember that Time or Bulb exposures
       cannot be made while the camera is held in
       the hand: it must be supported, either on a
        tripod or other firm support ; outdoors, a wall,
+      fence,cameragateagainst;or treeindoors,may bea table,used towindow-sillhold the
    I      or chairback will serve if a tripod is not avail-
         able.
       Avoid taking pictures " against the light "f,     which means with the sunlight or all the light
        available falling on the camera instead of
      on the subject. Such pictures if taken under
       circumstances which are unavoidable, are
        usually " flat " and lacking in relief.
                                        tl

The choice of background is worth a little
study, in the case of portraits especially ; a
brick wall is about the worst, one covered with
ivy or creeper very little better, because of
the tendency of certain leaves to reflect the
light and become white patches in the print.
                                                              I
  Pictorial composition is too large a subject       Ito enter into here, but the essential facts to
bear in mind are fairly simple and will enable
anyone to take pleasing pictures with the
" All-Dista.rce " Pocket Ensign in half-an-hour.

  (l) The light should fall on the subject and
     away from the camera, preferably from
      one side to get the most pleasing lighting
     and enable the shadows to give relief.
      This applies more particularly to build-
       irrgs and only slightly to landscapes.

  (2) View the subject in the view finder both
     ways before taking it-upright or hori-
      zontal-of course, this would not apply
       to a group of six or eight people, you
     would naturally tatrre them better with                               I
   .   the horizontal view.
  (3) 3+ feet from the camera will give you a      I
       nice, large head and shoulders portrait,
     but if you come nearer, the detail will
      not be so good.

                               t2

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       USEFUL HINT.S ON PICTURE IIAKING.

        STREb,T PHOTOGRAPHY.
                     It is essential that the camera should always
                                 upward, buildingst        be held level. If it is tilted
           will appear to be leaning backward and
         inward.  lf it is tilted downward, the buildingsI              will appear to be leaning forward and outward.

       CHILD PICTURES.
         When taking pictures of children, always
           follow their movements. Be careful, however,
          in your e{forts to obtain good pictures, that
         you hold the camera steadily, as this is most
             essential.

        LANDSCAPE PICTURES.
            Be very careful to select the right stand-point.
       and endeavour to find the most artistic
           composition.

       SEA AND BEACH SCENES.I
         Be careful to use the correct stop, and to
          have the sun either to the right, or to the left.I               If you have it in front, you will get a silhouette
             effect, if you have it behind, the result will
          appear flat and uninteresting.
                        '13

COMPOSING TI.IE  PICTURE,.
               .,.2.    \       ut,l'/',!
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              .r'//'/   lt'    'z;,             1r,  t'


                                   , :.G-  -t0--^s- ^ Y*                     -   ':-*    _JY-

 A NYBODY with ordinary common sense
A  can take a photograph, but it is not'   -everyone who without a thought can
" make a picture." 'We have only to look at
pictures produced by serious workers to know
that photography as a means of producing
pictures is anything but automatic and
mechanical. We often hear our friends, the
budding qnd would-be artists, denouncing
with all the vigour of their ignorance the

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                       lacL of real art
                         in  photography,
                       and that a camera
                                  is a thing without
                     a soul. So is the
                              palette and brush
                       before the soul
                             gets behind it.  It
                             is the same with
                       a camera ;  it gets
                               its soul from the
                         photographer. As
               we  see  the
                          painter's master-
piece and the wooden, stiff photograph, so
also do we see the beautiful photograph and
the wooden soulless painting. In other words.
the brush or the camera is only the outlet for
the artist's inspiration, b. he painter or
humble photographer. The composition of
a picture requires more care than anything
else. The photograph is either made or
marred by composition, and a little extra
patience and thought beforehand will often
turn a dull subject into a pictorial success.

  The particular points to be studied in land-
scapes are :-1.  Foreground.
           2. Background.
           3. Lighting.
           4. Position of objects.
           5. Position of photographe:.
                                 l5

The general fault
 with No. I is that
 too much iore.
 ground is given,
 making objects
 unnecessarily flat
 a n d   indistinct.
 In No. 2 the back-
ground  and
 distance can very
 often be improv-
ed by a slight
 alteration    in
the position of
the camera. As regards lighting ef{ect, thie
ie most important and has a great effect
on the photograph. Heavy shadows should
be avoided as far as possible.

   Portraits and Groups.-A8 everyone knows
anapshot portraits are nearly always more
pleasing and truer to life than the studio
type, and much can be done by  the
enterprising amateur in obtaining striking
likenesses. A.ry attempt at posing is to be
avoided; a little patience, discrimination as
regards the best moment, and study of the
lighting conditions prevailing, will generally
repay the photographer with the admiration
the reeulting portrait receives.

                               r6

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  DEVELOPING AND PRINTING.
  By far the most fascinating part of the hobby
of photography is to be found in the actual
production o{ the picture, after expoeure has
been made. The little time and trouble
required ie amply repaid by the pleasure and
amusement to be had.
    It should not be rhought that the developing
of one's own films, and the subsequent printing
of the negatives, necessitates a Iarge and com-
prehensive installation-nothing could be
further from the truth.

  Developing and printing is reduced nowa-
           daye to an almost automatic
              proceos, unless it ie deliberately
             deeired to go further into the
            chemical and scientific eide of
              the hobby. You do not require
           a apecially {itted up dark room,
             nor is it even necessary to take a
            room and make it dark, by hang-
              ing up temporary curtaine, etc.,
                            or deveroping
          *I"::;i:J::-
                AII you require is a suitable
            tank, such as the " E.rsign
              Carbine," procurable from any

                             t7

photographic deaier'e nhop, and a  tew
packets ol already made up chemicals, which
only require to be dissolved in a given
quantity of water. Any bath-room, therefore,
is an admirable place in which to carry out
the process.
  DEVELOPING, FIXING AND
    WASHING THE FILM.
Materials Required.
   l.  "Ensign Carbine" Tank,the rightaize for
     your spools.
  2. Developing Powdera.
  3. Fixing Salt.
  4. A srnall thermometer  is useful for gaugrng
     the temperature.
  5. Such other acceseories a8 t'ou may thinL
      desirable, euch as dishes, etc., though
     these are not essential.
  Assuming that you have procured the
necessary materials, ail you have to do ie to
dissolve the powder in the required amount
of water, as indicated on the packet, and pour
it into the tank.

  You then take your exposed spool, and load
 it into the tank, in very much the same way as
you put it into the camera, that is, you do the
wholo thing in complete dayliqht (exact in-
                              l8

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          atructions as to how to put the film in are iasued
         with the " Ensign Carbine " tank).

  I
C       The process of developing occupies about
    I        twenty minutes. When this is completed the
        developing solution is poured out of the tank;

   I        through a special tap, and what is known as
I)         fixing solution is poured in-this consists of
        Fixing Salt (cbtained in convenient packets
        from any photographic deaier), dissolved in a
         certain quantity of water.

           Fixing will occupy about ten minutes, after
       which the tank can be opened, the film ev-
         tracted, and washed in any basin, dish, or
         other convenient receptacle. The film should
       be washed in running water for about half an
         hour.

         Be careful to see that the temperature of the


    i          rolutions does not rise too much.
I       The tank is then thoroughly washed. If
       two or three films have to be developed at the
   I       same time, the developing and fixing solutions
       can be kept and used again, but the tank

     I
        should be thoroughly washed between each
           film.

           After washing the film should be pinned up
         to dry, in eome euitable place. prelerably in a

draught but away from duet or where it might
get damaged.
   It will be seen that the whole process is
simplicity itself. You do not even require to
be present while the film is developing, but
can leave it during the twenty minutes, and
proceed to do anything else you like in the
meantime.
   PRIN'I'ING THE  NL,GATIVE.
Materials Required.
   l.  Pnnting Frame of suitable size.
  2. Packet of Gaslight Paper.





  3. Bottle of suitable Developer (obtainable
     from any photographic dealer).
  4. Some Fixing Salt as used for the film.
  5. You will also require one or two dishes.
     Those prepared specially for the purpose
      of porcelain, or xylonite are undoubtedly
      to be recommended