Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/11/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Gabe Sachs wrote: > > Hello there. Everyone has been so helpful here, so now help me solve > something. I love my M6 and I love my IIIF. Does anyone have a > shortcut or a simple formula to calculate exposure without depending on > a meter. I want to just take my IIIF and shoot without a meter. Are > there any home made guidelines that anyone out there uses or should I > just get out there and shoot a bunch of rolls and guesstimate all the > way. > > Any help would be appreciated. > Thanks > Gabe Look inside a box of film. They used to have exposure recommendations for most lighting situations. The easiest to remember is the "Sunny 16" rule: You take the reciprocal of the film speed (ISO 100 would be 1/100 or approx. 1/125 sec.) at f 16 in sunny lighting. ISO 64 would yield 1/60 sec. and so on. From there you go to f 11 for diffused sunlight. Open the lens even more for cloudy, etc. You can also practice looking at scenes and guessing their exposure and then checking it with a meter to help train your eye and mind. I had heard or read that Henri Cartier-Bresson calculated all his exposures in his head. Good luck. Carl S.