[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Later, after trying several other films in myFM2 and F3, > I noticed that I was getting better results when I exposed Sensia and > Ektachrome at ISO 125 and Kodachrome at ISO 80.
When I used to shoot K64, I metered like it was EI 80. (EI = Exposure Index; you can't change the ISO of a film, it is assigned by the International Standards Organization = ISO). To me, K64 exposed at ISO 64 looks a little overexposed and washed out. Comparing the two side by side can fool you though, because usually, most people pick the 'brighter' one as the better one in that type of comparison (it's the bright and shiny thing principal). If you look at the color saturation, hue and tonal range of K64 shot at EI 80 though, you may also think it looks truer than at 64, just like I do. Also remember that this is only a third of a stop, so many times you get that anyway (with an in-camera reflected meter), and didn't even know it. I have also found Fuji 100 ISO films to expose fairly well at a quarter stop under their suggested ISO daylight ratings (EI 125), but I tend to stick closer the ISO 100 rating in full sun (full sun = 500th/f8). > Does anybody else out there have similar experiences or advice to share with > respect to light metering techniques? I'd sure like to hear about them. I meter everything I can with a Minolta Autometer IV (or a Minolta Flashmeter IV) for a very simple reason, it works the best for me. Once you get the hang of using an incident light meter outside, you can meter circles around any reflected camera meter in most circumstances. Metering the light falling onto the subject is much more accurate than metering the light reflecting off of it, as you discovered by metering KCS units with your cameras. The Nikon F5 is the best reflected in-camera reflected light meter available today, and it's very good, but it's still a computer, and it can't think like a human with a light meter (and that knows how to use it!). I use my in-camera meter readings for reference when I pay attention to them at all. When I do use them, I usually use the spot-meter setting (F4, F5; and a Nikon F3's 80/20 metering is nearly spot metering), and I meter off of various areas of different tones that I recognize, then I average them for my exposure, considering the lighting conditions and the effect that I want. Just like in the studio with a flashmeter. That is much more control that you will ever be able to get from any in-camera reflected meter, but it's more work. If you don't mind the extra thinking (which happens second-nature after a while), I find it's worth the effort when it comes down to what's on the film. To me, what's on the film is all that counts, not how I did it, but by having total control of your light metering techniques, you have much more of a say-so about what does end up on your film. Dave Cohen Photographer Action Photographic Webmaster [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/home/ -> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs -> Message © SPORRS® 1998 - All Rights Reserved
