Re: [Leica] Guestimating exposure?

["Jerry S. Justianto" <jsjm6@cbn.net.id>]

I memorize some of the guide that were printed in the box of 35mm film.

JSJ
- ----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Durling <durling@widomaker.com>
To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Thursday, December 09, 1999 11:40 AM
Subject: Re: [Leica] Guestimating exposure?


> Hans-Peter:
>
> I always find that the more I shoot the less I need to meter.  The "sunny
> 16" rule is a good starting point.  Open up 3 stops for overcast or in the
> shadow.  Using a hand-held meter a lot helps but practice guessing is most
> important.  Leave your meter home and bracket your exposures and look to
see
> which works best.  Getting used to thinking about the light is what it is
> all about.
>
> A long time ago I shot news film for a TV station, before they all went to
> portable videotape cameras.  I used a Sekonic studio deluxe incident meter
> (which I still have, on its third movement!)  If I forgot and left it home
> it didn't matter.  I usually encountered the same lighting conditions day
> after day, and I shot every day.  I got to know how it looked in the
reflex
> viewfinder as you stopped down.  Once a cameraman who used an auto
exposure
> camera to shoot news film asked how I would measure exposure with the
> incident meter when the light was on the camera.  I told him, "well, you
> have f2.8 and 4".  Beyond a certain distance the light fell off too much
for
> the maximum aperture of that zoom lens.  It wasn't hard to tell which
> aperture to use.
>
> Mike D
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Hans-Peter.Lammerich <Hans-Peter.Lammerich@t-online.de>
> To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
> Date: Wednesday, December 08, 1999 3:03 PM
> Subject: [Leica] Guestimating exposure?
>
>
> Hello,
>
> I always admired those guys who are confident in reliably estimating
> exposure
> without using a meter, at least with negative film. Moreover, I consider
> this
> ability as a precondition to actually enjoy using a M2, M3 or M4. Of
course
> I
> looked at the little tables that come with most films or that are shown in
> older
> books on photography, but looking up tables is more annoying than using a
> handheld meter. Also, a have my fair share of experience in using the M6's
> coupled meter. As a result I am now quite confident in guestimating
exposure
> indoor under artificial light and under the open sky.
>
> Apparently the architects of public buildings, department stores, offices,
> underground stations etc. follow certain engineering standards in lighting
> which
> usually result to something like a 1/60, f=1/2 with 400 ASA. Smaller
offices
> with lower ceiling and bright lights. are rather in the 1/60, F=1/4 range.
A
> living room or a pub may go down to 1/30 or 1/15 with f=1/1,4.
>
> Under open sky conditions I apply the "sunny 16" rule (1/500" with f=1/11,
> ASA
> 400). Depending on the clouds I may open the aperture by up to 4 stops. 1
or
> 2
> hours after sunrise or until sunset, an additional correction by minus 1
or
> 2
> stops seems to be necessary.
>
> But I have problems to estimate exposure in narrow, shady streets and for
> shadows in general. For a time I thought that a correction by minus 2
stops,
> in
> addition to the above, of course, would be the right approach, but to
often
> this
> resulted in underexposure. Apparently, the indirect light depends to much
on
> facade colour, height of buildings.
>
> I would therefore appreciate if I could share the experience of other
> LUGgers,
> particularly if there is someone who has a more systematic approach.
>
> Hans-Peter
>
>
>
>
>