medium format first timer

[jonsparkes]

Loaded my first ever roll film today, in my recently purchased Bronica ETRS.
I love it.

 

[asp.artist]

Congratulations!

 

[Ektagraphic]

Congrats! Welcome to MF!

 

[Jeff Kubach]

Congratulations and I hope you load many more rolls!

Jeff

 

[markbarendt]

You'll be teaching photography soon. Everybody thinks your smart when you can do something they can't.

 

[Matus Kalisky]

Everybody thinks your smart when you can do something they can't.

Lot of truth in those words. But it allows many of us to be considered smart

 

[jonsparkes]

I came back to 35mm after 5 years or so shooting digital and I am very happy with my Nikon F90X, really is a great camera, but for years i've wanted to try medium format.
So, I grabbed what I think was a super bargain, the Bronica ETRS with 75mm, WLF and speed grip all in superb conidition for £175.
From the excitement of loading the film for the first time to the truly awesome view through the WLF (even with the left/right being the wrong way round),, and mastering a little twist of the wrist to correct the horizon I just knew it worth worth the years of waiting.
I made the right decision in buying medium format, it just feels so right.
I'll have to buy a light meter though, today i used the f16 rule (and my nikon for reference)
Oh, thankyou to APUG, without which i would struggle to share my experience of film in a world dominated by digital.

 

[markbarendt]

Jon,

This is the meter I've been using lately. The price is right too. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

 

[jonsparkes]

Jon,

This is the meter I've been using lately. The price is right too. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Thanks for that, an interesting read.

 

[Q.G.]

Don't waste your time on these guesstimate methods or consipracy theories. Get a real meter.
There's nothing mysterious about these thingies. It's dead easy to get perfect results using one.

 

[photoncatcher]

Yes, welcome to the world of MF. As much fun as shooting your first roll was, wait until you either get the film back from the lab, or better yet, when you enlarge your first negative to 8x10, or larger, and still can't see any appreciable grain. I love u trusty old RB, and I'm quite smitten with my Koni-Omega rapid.

 

[LaGrassa]

I had a Mamiya 645 1000s about 8 years ago, but later sold it. I did enjoy MF, and got interested again when I was looking at the negatives and the prints of what I shot. I never completely abandoned film, but got caught up in the convenience of digital. Now that my interest in MF is peaked again, I am getting a Mamiya 645 AFD with 80mm and 150mm lenses to start. Looking forward to great resolution again. So much of digital "photography" is wrapped up in computer post-processing, which I don't want to spend hours of time doing. I'd rather carefully consider each shot and do the best I can initially and not shoot hundreds of digital images and invest the time afterwards to sort them out and work on them. To me, sitting at a computer is not photography.

 

[jonsparkes]

I'm already looking into setting up a darkroom to process my own medium format work. Many years ago I did my own 35mm but never dreamed i'd be working with medium format,, happy days

 

[Stephen Prunier]

I hope to be moving up to MF in the near future. Looking at the prices for MF compared to 35mm, MF is more affordable now. For the price of a 24-70 f2.8 for my Nikon F100 I could go over board with a MF outfit or even have a sweet LF outfit.

I'm jealous

 

[markbarendt]

Don't waste your time on these guesstimate methods or consipracy theories. Get a real meter. There's nothing mysterious about these thingies. It's dead easy to get perfect results using one.

I've actually been checking the Ultimate Exposure computer against my hand held and in camera meters for nearly a year in real world shooting. It's darn accurate and actually helps me see the light better.

The only real reasons I've used an electronic meter lately is for flash or to make sure I was thinking correctly.

Sure there are good reasons to use a meter, like shooting slides or zoning, studio setups, and maybe slot canyons but for me I'd say 70% of the time the Ultimate Exposure computer is just as accurate as my meters, I'd bet that 25% of the time it's actually better. It doesn't get fooled easily.

 

[viridari]

Loaded my first ever roll film today, in my recently purchased Bronica ETRS.
I love it.

Congratulations and welcome to medium format!

 

[benjiboy]

I agree with QG, the human eyes are very poor instruments for estimating light intensity because they react too quickly, IMHO not using an exposure meter is not a sign of wisdom, but foolishness.

 

[markbarendt]

I agree with QG, the human eyes are very poor instruments for estimating light intensity because they react too quickly, IMHO not using an exposure meter is not a sign of wisdom, but foolishness.

benjiboy (and QG),

I do agree that our eyes have real failings but the Ultimate Exposure computer doesn't base it's "settings" off of using our eyes to make judgments about brightness, it just defines typical situations; what type of lighting is there? where you are at? what time of day it is?

Example -

Night, away from city lights, subject under full moon. = EV -3

That EV is then translated via a chart that factors in the EI you chose when you loaded the camera.

So with an EV of -3 and an EI of 800 the chart tells me 2 minutes at F11 will work, and it will.

My Nikons and Sekonic L358 have normally given up when it gets below EV +1.

Another example, is something I gleaned from wedding shooters like Jonathan Canlas and Jose Villa. For each situation they normally shoot they have normal settings that rarely, if ever, change. If the shot is backlit by late afternoon sun it's xyz period, open shade it's abc, blah, blah, blah...

Sure, these guys carry meters but for 90+% of what they do they don't need it.

 

[Q.G.]

Mark,

No matter how well considered such tables are, there is nothing like a meter (i was glad to read that you too checked the guesstimate thingy against your meter ).
Knowing how to use a meter, and when to overrule what it says is dead easy. Easier than working with such tables. And not only is it easier, but more accurate and faster too.

So there is only one possible reason why you shoudn't use a meter. And that's when you are too cheap to buy one.


But i do give you your point about low light levels. When light is too low to meter, it's obvious that a meter will be no good.
You should get better meters though. Mine go below EV 0 at ISO 100. Guess why Gossen called a line of their meters Lunasix.

 

[dwdmguy]

I like the way you think!!
To me, today so many are spray shooting and then slapping on a Action and/or plug-in. I call them graphic artists not photographers. Now, I don't see anything wrong with being a graphic so I'm not degrading anyone, but they are not, in my playbook, a photographer. Two different beasts.

MF is really, really cool. I have a 6x9 on the way (Mamiya Press 23) and should have it tomorrow. I do all my own C-41, E-6 and B/W processing in home. I wish I could afford to send it to Richards Photo lab or A&I and have them Dev and scan but I shoot too much.

Your going to really, really dig that 150mm on it's way to you. Sharp as a tack. She's brand new and I just tried it on the AFD one time before I sold the system.

 

[dwdmguy]

benjiboy (and QG),



Another example, is something I gleaned from wedding shooters like Jonathan Canlas and Jose Villa. For each situation they normally shoot they have normal settings that rarely, if ever, change. If the shot is backlit by late afternoon sun it's xyz period, open shade it's abc, blah, blah, blah...

Sure, these guys carry meters but for 90+% of what they do they don't need it.

Mark, Jonathan and Jose are two of the photographers that I follow, along with Riccis, a member here.
I've been actually studying Jonathan's look as I like it quite a bit for my "type" of shooting. Fuji 400H and 800Z, over exp by a stop or more. JC uses the SP-2500 scanner (frontier) which I'm trying to locate but I think I have the look tweaked with my Epson V500.
Tom