LIQ U I D GU I DE

One of the most creative features of your new HydroChrome Sutton’s Panoramic Belair Camera is surely the
Sutton Liquid Lens. With this extraordinar y invention, you can go loopy with liquids, wild for the wetlook and
crazy with colors! Of course, as ever, we strongly encourage all sorts of outlandish experimentation but it’s
important to understand how dif ferent liquids might af fect the focal length of your lens and the resulting levels
of blur in your final photos. We have therefore prepared this handy Liquid Guide to help you set sail into an
ocean of color without a hitch!

JUST ADD WATER

Start simple and just add water. With the easy addition of wonder ful clear water, you can achieve special
ef fects awash with vintage aesthetics and washed-out looks. Watch as the colors fade and your shots take on
an antique charm with orbs of light and beautiful blurr y bits too.

ADD A SPLASH OF COLOR

Once you’ve got the hang of the mechanism, you can confidently move on to color concoctions. We recommend
using water-soluble substances that are free from particles - tr y using watercolor paint, diluted poster paint or
food coloring.

Be careful though, the concentration of the color will strongly af fect the look of your shots. Take note of these
step-by-step instructions on how to test the concentration of your mixtures so you can ensure more creative
control over the final aesthetic of your photographs:

F i l l a tr a nspa r e nt cont ainer with about

1 5 m m of your col or e d sol ution.

2 M a ke a bl a ck ma r k on a pi ec e of white paper and

pl a c e the cont a i ne r on top of it .

3 O bs e r ve the cont a i ne r f r om above.

5 mm
M a ke sur e you ca n se e the mar k thr ough your
4 c o l o r ed sol uti on.
 So l uti o n B :
Solu t i o n A: We a ke r so l ut ion
Str on g so l u t i o n whe r e bla ck mar k
wher e b l ack m a r k i s c l e a r l y vis ib le
is s li g h t l y vi s i b l e . but the c o lor is
s ti l l r i ch.
SO LU T I O N A

SO LU T I O N B

SHOOTING TIP: Use a larger aperture or longer exposure time when you are using strong solutions (like
Sample A above) to avoid underexposing your photos.

BRILLIANT BREWS WITH VARYING VISCOSITY

Dif ferent liquids have dif ferent refractive indexes depending on their viscosity, which will af fect the focal
length of your lens. If your creative, color ful concoction is thicker or thinner than water, it will most likely have
a dif ferent refractive index. This level of refraction will have a direct impact on the level of beautiful blur in
your photos!

You can follow the same steps as you would for colored water to test and predict what results you might
achieve with other liquid solutions you dream up. Sure, the more crazy, curious, kooky concoctions might
be unpredictable, but what’s life without a little risk? Be frivolous and devote a couple of frames to more
experimental liquids, just make sure you avoid substances that might damage the lens mechanism like the
ones listed below:
 ☺ R E COMMENDED LIQ UIDS ☹ LIQ UID S TO AVOID

WAT E R A LCO H O L
( If l e f t i n the l e n s fo r a l o n g pe r i o d, a l co ho l ove r 20% will
r e a ct a n d da m a ge the l e n s) .
TEA
G LU E
COFFEE ( Al l t ype s o f gl u e so l u t i o n s w i l l l e ave a r e si du e w hich will
be ha r d to cl e a n a n d r e m ove ) .
WATERCO LO R PAI NT DI LUT ED I N WATE R
AC RY ILIC PA IN T
( Al tho u g h wa te r- ba se d, a cr y l i c pa i n t dr i e s l i ke pl as t ic and
PO STER PAI NT D I LUT ED I N WAT ER w i l l the r e fo r e be ha r d to cl e a n a n d r e m ove ).

FO O D CO LOR I NG D I LUT ED I N WAT ER O IL A N D O IL PA IN T

( Al l t ype s o f o i l y so l u t i o n s a n d o i l pa i n t w i l l l e ave a
r e sidu e w hi ch w i l l be ha r d to cl e a n a n d r e m ove).

CO R RO S IV E S U B STA N C E S
( L i qu i ds w i th a hi g h a ci di c o r a l ka l i n e co n ce n t r a t i on such
a s ho u se ho l d bl e a ch w i l l da m a ge yo u r l e n s).
DILUTE D
C OFFE E
SOY MILK
DILUTED

OIL
A LC O H O L G E L
GREEN TEA
D I LU T E D

B ERRY JAM
SALTED
WATER

D ETERGEN T
DILUTED
SYRUP
DETERGENT
DILUTED

SY RUP
HALF WATER
HALF OIL/
SOY MILK
DILUTED