Help choosing between strobe VS continuous lighting with RB67 (film-strobe fears)

[OzJohn]

Digital doesn't work the same way - most if not all digital cameras can't be set slower than ISO 100. Period.

The "natural speed" of most digitals is 200 ISO and there is no gain in image quality at 100 as opposed to 200 as there is with film - the opposite, if anything, is true. Granted there are times when it is necessary to drop below 200 for exposure reasons and the situation being debated here is one of them. My point is that there is no good reason to operate any digital below 200 ISO as a matter of course, particularly with modern studio stobes that can mostly be throttled back to at least 1/32nd power.

I agree with others who maintain that the image on the back of a digi is more useful, much cheaper and certainly quicker than Polaroids when setting up a shot for a film camera.

Having said that, it might be a good idea to start a thread on DPUG if anyone wants to continue the discussion about the exposure nuances of digital cameras lest we all get kicked off here before Christmas! OzJohn

 

[tomalophicon]

The "natural speed" of most digitals is 200 ISO and there is no gain in image quality at 100 as opposed to 200 as there is with film - the opposite, if anything, is true. Granted there are times when it is necessary to drop below 200 for exposure reasons and the situation being debated here is one of them. My point is that there is no good reason to operate any digital below 200 ISO as a matter of course, particularly with modern studio stobes that can mostly be throttled back to at least 1/32nd power.

I agree with others who maintain that the image on the back of a digi is more useful, much cheaper and certainly quicker than Polaroids when setting up a shot for a film camera.

Having said that, it might be a good idea to start a thread on DPUG if anyone wants to continue the discussion about the exposure nuances of digital cameras lest we all get kicked off here before Christmas! OzJohn

Hear Hear!

I might suggest using polaroids. You'll have a record of the exposure, plus you can draw a map or write some details on the back of the print and store it away for another time as a reference.

 

[SafetyBob]

Little late to this discussion, but I just spent a couple of hours "playing" around with my used White Lightenings infront of the Christmas tree a few days ago. My X1600s were about 5 to 6 feet away (with PLMs) from my victims and I had them dialed way down for f8. My sekonic L-358 (used too) was right on everytime. I used digital to start, everything on manual, and fired one stobe with a Catus V4 transmitter to one strobe that fired the other optically. Waiting on the film to come back to see how the film camera did.

Pictures on digital came out well and were very good practice before the film camera came out. I know you have said you were going for stobes. I highly recommend something from Buff new or used. Also, some sort of radio trigger will make your life that much more enjoyable using them...and you can find those used too. I am not a pro, and don't leave the house (yet), so cheap Cactus and used Buff equipment has transformed my "Christmas pictures in front of the tree experience".

Both here and at Buff's site there is some really good reading, research, and website leads for increasing your knowledge and confidence in using your stobes. Now I don't look at a still photo the same......I analyize the lightening before even hardly looking at the subject of the photo......

Bob E.

 

[John Koehrer]

With regard to HP5,
It's ISO is 400 and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
Through testing you may find that it's EI is 320 for you but it's ISO is always 400.

picky, picky picky!