experimenting

[JessicaDittmer]

I have a couple smith victor tungsten lights with a scoop type top from b&h that are suppose to be soft continuous lights...I'm new to continuous lighting and I tried to meter as if I were metering natural light since it is continuous...( I tend to like to meter each side of the face, the one more in the light and the opposite and then do a setting in between). I like tri-x 400 b&w in my med. format camera. Well, I metered and got a setting of 1/250 and f4 for my shots...the boys sat for a while (my kids) and then when done goofing around I took a few with my digital cam (canon 5d) same settings...but oh my they were AWFUL looking! So...dark and yuck. Now I worry that perhaps I'll need to push the film on development or is there enough difference between digital and film that this is no biggie and that perhaps the film will come out fine even when the digital was crap
I shot one roll in my hassy500cm and the other in my rolleicord III type II.
Any thoughts, input, smacks upside the head to get me thru? :munch:

 

[JessicaDittmer]

another thought just hit me...I'm going to meter, change batteries in my meter and do it again...can't remember how old my batteries are in it! eeek!

 

[Rick A]

I always rate my film at half the rated speed for continuous light for starters, add bellows factor(LF) and reciprosity factor. I meter reflected mode for each light and average the readings, add in my factors and come close to decent exposure. You will have to experiment with your own set-up to find the ev for yours.

 

[jeffreyg]

I'm not familiar with the Canon 5D but she may have had some exposure compensation set and forgot or that the ISO was set different from the film. I would meter off a gray card under for the highlights and shadows with both the camera's meter and her hand-held ? meter and see if they are close. With young kids goofing around its easy to miss something.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

 

[brucemuir]

Some digital cameras will underexpose a bit to preserve highlights so it's hard to say.
I'd trust my handheld meter way before I'd trust the digital results as far as comparisons go.

The Canon 20D I had OVERexpsed 1/3-2/3 stop when set according to my seconic L=358 so it's best to see what's going on before relying on a digi sensor for exposure.

 

[JessicaDittmer]

thanks! I was just doing a hand-held incident meter for my film with the continuous light. I don't recall having set my digital cam for an exposure compensation at any time but I can check. It was just a fluke thing to take a few funny last shots so the kids could see them. I will trust my meter for sure over the digi, was just surprised by such a difference. I'll be sure to post when my film is processed so I can share what happened on the film end then. thanks!

 

[JessicaDittmer]

edited to add a link to the light I was using in case anyone is curious, I have two of these but was using one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/48951-REG/Smith_Victor_401172_Soft_Light_600.html