PHOTOGRAPHIC METHOD AND APPARATUS EMPLOYING AUTOMATIC CAMERA

A photographic method and apparatus in which a camera (10) adapted to receive a film container (14) with at least one light-sensitive film unit and a dark slide (34) protecting the film unit from light prior to insertion of the container into the camera, wherein the dark slide and/or film unit carry machine-readable information corresponding to the value of at least one film variable applicable to the film unit. The camera is equipped with reading means (66) by which the indicia is read while the slide and/or film unit is stationary or during discharge from the camera to provide appropriate camera adjustment under control of signals developed by the reading step. The indicia may be in the form of a magnetic recording medium, in which case, the reading means carried by the camera is a magnetic read head (66) or, alternatively, the indicia may be optically readable by optical scanning means carried by the camera. The indicia may contain both exposure and post-exposure information, and where the reading of the indicia occurs during slide or film advancement, the exposure information is applied to camera operation for the next film unit.