Editing Robot (camera) (section)

== Sequence photography ==
{{Unreferenced section|date=August 2022}}
While the Robots were capable of sequence photography, the shutter that made this possible placed some constraints upon taking lenses and shutter speeds. To reach speeds as high as 1/500 second the inertia of the thin vulcanite shutter disc had to be kept at a minimum, requiring a small-diameter disc with a minimal sector opening.  The screw in lens mount was 26&nbsp;mm in diameter. The clear lens opening was only 20&nbsp;mm. In contrast, [[Leica Camera|Leica]]'s mount was almost twice as large at 39&nbsp;mm. Further, to permit lens interchangeability, the shutter was mounted behind the lens so the disc interrupted the expanding light cone. This placed some limits on lens design.  While the 75mm&nbsp;Sonnar could be used with the aperture set to ''f/''22, the Tele-Xenar suffered from some shutter disc vignetting unless opened more.

The maximum focal length lens for general photographic use that could be fitted with acceptable vignetting was 75&nbsp;mm, although telephotos up to 600&nbsp;mm were offered. A 150&nbsp;mm Tele-Xenar was available for long-distance action photography, but it produced a [[Vignetting|vignetted]] circular image on the 24 × 24&nbsp;mm frame. The lack of a rangefinder on the Robot and Robot Star required zone focusing of these long lenses: every shot had to be estimated or pre-measured. All of the mechanical movement made for a noisy camera, although not as noisy as some modern motor drives. For an extra fee, Robot-Berning supplied silenced versions with nylon gears.

Within their limits the Robots did an excellent job of sequence photography. The standard 38&nbsp;mm ''f/''2.8 Xenar lenses were extremely sharp, even by today's standards, and zone focusing worked well on rapid action with short focal length lenses. The reliable motor drive was as fast, if not faster, than later electrical drives, and there were no batteries to run down. Flash could be used at any speed. The square frame was big enough, with modern films, for A4 (210 x 297 mm, or 8.25"× 11.75") or greater enlargements, and 50 pictures could be taken on a standard 36-exposure roll. The cameras, especially the later ones built to industrial standards, will take much abuse and still keep functioning.