Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1996/09/17

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To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: R8
From: "Charles E. Love, Jr." <cel14@cornell.edu>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 10:31:32 -0400 (EDT)

At 12:14 AM 9/17/96 -0700, you wrote:

> Also auto bracketing if
>your film budget is long and your time is short. :-)

Having seen your previous posts, Eric, I doubt you fall into the group who
won't bracket to save a few bucks, but still:  If you have invested
thousands of dollars in camera equipment, and have yourself in position
(perhaps at a cost of more thousands of dollars) to create an outstanding
image, if you are using narrow-latitude film, and if in the situation you
have time, why not bracket?  I often hear opinions by people who imply
(after they have spent their thousands of dollars) that it's wasteful and
expensive to bracket!  (It might have cost them $20,000 to be at the Mayan
pyramid with their R8 and 4 lenses, but they won't spend an extra few
dollars to make certain of the best possible exposure?)

There is another strange view associated with this--if you know what you are
doing, you don't have to bracket.  Well, I assure you that the professional
landscape photographers who work in color do when they can!  One reason is
that  (following on my recent metering post): there is no such animal as an
objectively "correct" exposure.  It's an interpretive question (especially
with the subtle changes available with slide film and 1/3 or 1/2 stop
bracketing).  If you bracket, you'll get to make a choice when the film
comes back!
Charles E. Love, Jr.
517 Warren Place
Ithaca, New York
14850
607-272-7338
CEL14@CORNELL.EDU