At 17:00 1/12/02, Winsor Crosby wrote:
As I remember it the Greeks and Romans had a proportion called the golden
mean which they thought was most beautiful. It is very close to the
proportions of a 35mm frame.
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
Yes, the Greeks used it extensively in their architecture. The golden mean
is used to create the "golden rectangle." If a square formed by the
shorter side is removed, the remaining rectangle also has the aspect ratio
of the "golden mean." The exact aspect ratio is an irrational number,
approximately 1.618 : 1, and in a cropped 35mm frame (cropped) it would be
approximately 22.25mm x 36mm. A 4x6 print would have to be roughly 4x6.5
inches, or 3.7 x 6 inches.
The equation for it:
If "x" is the short side, and "y" is the long side:
y = [0.5 + (1.25)^0.5] * x
x = y / [0.5 + (1.25)^0.5]
IIRC, the roots of the 8x10 are in early glass plate view cameras because
it was a common window pane size. The most common source for reasonably
flat glass was using window panes procured at the local "dry goods" store.
-- John
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