ASTM E312-96

Designation: E 312 – 96 An American National Standard
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS
100 Barr Harbor Dr., West Conshohocken, PA 19428
Reprinted from the Annual Book of ASTM Standards. Copyright ASTM
Standard Practice for
Description and Selection of Conditions for Photographing
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Specimens
This standard is issued under the fixed designation E 312; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
Photographs are often used to convey information about the appearance of objects, materials, or
phenomena involved in testing. The appearance of a photograph of an object depends not only on the
appearance of the object, but on the conditions of formation of the optical image, the conditions of
formation of the photographic record, and the conditions of viewing the photograph. If the
photographic method of recording appearance is to be reproducible from one laboratory to another and
if photographs of various specimens or one specimen at various times are to be used for valid
comparisons, there must be an established method of describing pertinent conditions, so they may be
recorded, communicated, and standardized. The purpose of this practice is to provide such a method
of description.
1. Scope Pertaining to Photographic Lenses, Methods of Designat-
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ing and Measuring
1.1 This practice defines terms and symbols and provides a
PH3.48-1972(R1978), Shutter Tests for Still-Picture Cam-
systematic method of describing the arrangement of lights,
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eras
camera, and subject, the characteristics of the illumination, the
PH2.2-1984(R1989), Black-and-White Continuous Tone
nature of the photographic process, and the viewing system.
Papers—Determination of ISO Speed and Range for
Conditions for photographing certain common forms of speci-
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Printing
mens are recommended. Although this practice is applicable to
PH2.5-1979(R1986), Speed of Photographic Negative Ma-
photographic documentation in general, it is intended for use in
terials (Monochrome, Continuous-Tone), Method for De-
describing the photography of specimens involved in testing
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termining
and in standardizing such procedures for particular kinds of
PH1.48-1982(R1987), Storage of Black-and-White Photo-
specimens. This practice is applicable to macrophotography
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graphic Paper Prints, Practice for
but photomicrography is excluded from the scope of this
PH2.30-1989, Viewing Conditions—Photographic Prints,
practice.
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Transparencies, and Photomechanical Reproduction
1.2 This standard does not purport to address all of the
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
3. Terminology
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
3.1 Definitions—Appearance terms used in this practice
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
conform to definitions in Terminology E 284. Terms related to
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
photography conform to the cited standards of the American
2. Referenced Documents National Standards Institute.
2.1 ASTM Standards:
4. Significance and Use
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E 284 Terminology of Appearance
4.1 This practice provides a basis for choosing, specifying,
2.2 ANSI Standards:
recording, communicating, and standardizing the conditions
PH3.29-1979(R1989), Apertures and Related Quantities
and processes that determine the nature of a photographic
image of a specimen. Its provisions are particularly useful
when the photographic image is used to preserve or commu-
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This practice is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E-12 on Appear- nicate the appearance of a specimen involved in an aging or
ance and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee E12.03 on Geometry.
stressing test that affects its appearance. It is often useful to
Current edition approved Feb. 10, 1996. Published April 1996. Originally
published as E 312 – 66. Last previous edition E 312 – 91.
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Annual Book of ASTM Standards, Vol 06.01.
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Available from American National Standards Institute, 13th Floor, 11 W. 42nd
St., New York, NY 10036.
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E 312
compare photographs made under identical conditions before 5. Descriptors for Conditions
and after a test to illustrate a change in appearance.
5.1 Primary Points:
4.2 This practice deals with specific details of camera
5.1.1 Central Image Point, I—The geometrical center of the
technique and the photographic process, so it will probably be
picture area on the film or plate, designated by the symbol I
best understood and implemented by a technical photographer
(see Fig. 1).
or someone trained in photographic science. The person
5.1.2 Nodal Points, H, H8—The two points H and H8 in the
requiring the photograph must clearly indicate to the photog-
lens system, located on
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