SECRETARY' S NOTES

 For a long time the Central Committee has felt that there is a need for a pack of information that new members could be given in order to launch them into the world of the Colour Reversal Club. With this issue of the Newsletter the pack has arrived. It is not intended as a catalogue, but rather as a source of information on where to obtain what is needed to process your slides successfully. Prices of materials are not included as these change rather often. They can easily be obtained by purchasing a current copy of Amateur Photographer or camera Weekly.

There will be supplements from time to time to add to the basic information on the first batch of sheets. We thought that you might like to cut the sheets in the centre and insert them in a loose leaf binder. In that way all the essential information you require will be to hand without having to sort all your old Newsletters to find it.

Perhaps some one would like to write up a section on processing C41 type negatives and prints. I know that some of you dabble in this art in the North. It would need a reliable formula and tips to ensure success.

To filter or not to filter that is the question? For more years than I care to think about I have always taken the advice of various sages who write books and had a Sla or Slb filter fitted to all my lenses. All the advice said it would protect the lens and add warmth to my slides. So for years they did just that, I suppose.

Sometime last year one of the photographic magazines threw doubt on the subject! What was the filter protecting the lens from? If you used a lens cap surely that did a better job of protection. The there was the lens makers angle. They spend thousands grinding rare glass into lens elements and designing lenses with computers to get the best from them. The lenses are then multi-coated to prevent flare. Then we in our ignorance go and screw a piece of inferior glass on the front of their masterpiece. !!!

What really convinced me to take mine off was reading a superb book called "The Nature Photographers Complete Guide to Professional Field Techniques" by John Shaw. The only time he uses a filter is to warm up a cold scene or a Polariser to darken the sky. So off mine came and the colour balance seems to be just as good, and the slides might be a bit crisper!

The Didcot meeting is fast approaching and I hope that everyone who can will come. It is well worth while.

 Ron.