Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/07/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Dan Post wrote, >AS a photofinisher, in a one hour lab, I have to sqeak up, at this point. The problem with balancing color negative film to tungsten, without filters, is that the blue sensitive layer is usually so underexposed as to have very little information on it.... Dan, You have a good point here and your experience at the lab end is most valuable. These days I rarely print my own colour negatives but do scan them quite a lot where of course the same principles apply and can be seen very clearly on the levels graph in Photoshop. I should have added that extra exposure is required - but I just do it instinctively with neg films in such light. For 320T I find an extra 1/3 stop or 1/2 is needed: perhaps the problem you comment on is compounded by the fact that exposure meters are not quite as accurate in tungsten light as daylight and tend to underexpose? I can get as decent prints and scans from most negative films with or without colour correction filters but with or without these filters I overexpose relative to the camera meters by 1/2 to one stop. I have had pretty similar results both ways and my lab has no problem getting a good balance (on well exposed negs). With Fuji 800 I normally overexpose by 1/3 even outdoors or the shadows go murky: good all around film though for photojournalism and can even make nice black and white prints if needed. The other thing many people overlook when photographing in tungsten light is that the light tends to be overhead and creates deep shadows on faces &c and this needs at least more exposure and often a different angle of shooting to accommodate. Alternatively there is fill flash - which would need to be either colour corrected with an appropriate gel or else the yellow/orange background be the desired effect since any correction at the printing stage would make the flash illuminated part go too blue. Anyhow if anything mystifies in photography shoot a lot, bracket a lot and learn a lot when you look at the results so you know how to handle these situations when you need predictable results: that is my advice! Film is cheaper than most anything Leica makes so spend and use and enjoy... Bests Adrian Adrian Bradshaw Editorial and Corporate Photography Shanghai, China