Diana - need advice from other users

[Mark Wangerin]

Actually,
I do have another question for those of you using meters in conjunction with the Diana and Holga.
If the average working ISO is 400 and the average shutter speed is 1/100 what are you looking for on the meter in the way of an f-stop - and in conjunction with which setting on the "weather" dial ? Was it f11 for "partly cloudy"?

 

[Dorothy Blum Cooper]

Mark...just go out and shoot the darn thing!! Seriously, that's one of the great things about these cameras. Just load it and you get the most unusual, unexpected images. Our daughter has fallen in love with the our plastic toy camera (a Holga) that we had as it's allowed her to have a 'break' from the technical side of photography. Consider shooting with the Diana another aspect of your art...just without all the technical BS. ENJOY IT! You may surprise yourself.

 

[Mark Wangerin]

I second the dev times adjustment. I will meter a scene and push/pull accordingly as needed. I personally feel that the holga/diana provide enough quirks without adding exposure errors.

I, too have had my share of search and destroy clam bake shooting, so maybe I need to restate the question for the member who says she meters. It's not a life or death question, but I am interested in it since I will use this in the studio and can adjust my lighting to fit some reasonable exposure profile. Just a starting point since there is a member here who does meter.

Donna,
Not to put you on the spot (or to easily let you off ).
When you meter then push/pull your dev, what have you been getting when you are relatively happy with the results. I see you posted a pic. Was that metered?

 

[Leon]

Mark...just go out and shoot the darn thing!! Seriously, that's one of the great things about these cameras.

here, here Dorothy - too right - exactly what I have been saying all along!

 

[donna-marie]

Donna,
Not to put you on the spot (or to easily let you off ).
When you meter then push/pull your dev, what have you been getting when you are relatively happy with the results. I see you posted a pic. Was that metered?

mark, not sure exactly what you are asking . . . I accept my shutter as 1/180, I accept my aperture as f8 or f11 (holga). I meter and push/pull accordingly. I often have more than one scene on a roll, so in that case I will use an average iso to use as my dev time. example I ahev scenes I meterd for iso 400/ and iso 200/ and iso 800 on the same roll. I will dev for iso 400. Sometimes I have scenes with iso 400 and iso 3200. I will decide which pics I prefer and dev accordingly. Some get sacrificed.

For all the no-meter crowd . . . let it be known that I do this all in my head, no notes etc. I find it hilarious that I am too organized, lol. I am a slob with no methods of record keeping, just a good memory.

 

[donna-marie]

and yes, that one was metered for 320, and dev for 400. HP5+. I meant to attach the following, which was metered for 1600 (delta 3200) and dev for 2000.

 

[Mark Wangerin]

Donna,
yes... thank you. You answered my question.
Mark