Metering....Over or Under?

[benjiboy]

Then I am surprised by this quote, since you own one and have a long history using and selling meters in general.



At 1/3 setting you have the most aperture and shutter speed settings. At 1/2 it missed some of the speeds on my cameras. My N90s for example has shutter speeds in 1/3 stop settings. Plus I have some odd cameras that have non-standard apertures that only show when the meter is in 1/3.

My OP, was not about getting a specific aperture, it was more about if I should over or under expose certain types of film.

I just looked at the spec. for the Nikon N90 and see what you are driving at, the shutter can be set in 1/3 stop increments. which is quite unusual. If you are shooting print film I would tend to overexpose and slides are better if sleightly underexposed, because the worst sin with slides is blowing the highlights.

 

[jp80874]

a 35mm P&S.......Lord knows he can't afford one when bracketing all that surface area

Jo

Jo,

PM sent with shipping address. Leica makes a nice P & S. I think it is called an M7. An assortment of f2 lenses will also be appreciated. Wouldn't want to stretch the budget with the high price series.

John

 

[RalphLambrecht]

I only shoot B&W negative film so my suggestion only fits that. When in doubt bracket. If you believe that you can make a very good print either on the correct exposure or one stop off, and you bracket by two stops, you have a six stop range of making a good print. Before you say, oh that is too expensive or a waste of film, know that I only shoot 8x10 and 7x17.

John Powers

I don't bracket, well I do, but it can't really be called 'bracketing', because I (usually) don't do 'over' AND 'under' exposures. I follow the rule:

When in doubt, overexpose and underdevelop.

 

[John Koehrer]

Then I am surprised by this quote, since you own one and have a long history using and selling meters in general.



At 1/3 setting you have the most aperture and shutter speed settings. At 1/2 it missed some of the speeds on my cameras. My N90s for example has shutter speeds in 1/3 stop settings. Plus I have some odd cameras that have non-standard apertures that only show when the meter is in 1/3.

ISO is also changes in 1/3 stop increments. 400-320-260-200-160-125-100

 

[jp80874]

I don't bracket, well I do, but it can't really be called 'bracketing', because I (usually) don't do 'over' AND 'under' exposures. I follow the rule:

When in doubt, overexpose and underdevelop.

Precisely.

I shoot where the meter says I am supposed to and the another two stops over. Then I look at the detail in the shadows and see which one makes the best print. It also covers me in most cases if I have made some other mistake although the really stupid ones can’t be covered.

Such as:
Oh, you focused at wide open and forgot to close down to f45.6?
Oh, you didn’t see the rainbow on the screen when you shot too close to the sun?

John

 

[RalphLambrecht]

...I shoot where the meter says I am supposed to and the another two stops over. Then I look at the detail in the shadows and see which one makes the best print...

How often do you choose the least exposed?

 

[eddym]

My OP, was not about getting a specific aperture, it was more about if I should over or under expose certain types of film.

Then I am confused. Your original post said:

"When metering, is it best to overexpose or under to get closest to what the camera can be set at? With Slide, color negs, B&W negs?"

If you can set your camera to 1/3 stops, and your meter reads to 1/3 stops, they can't disagree with each other by more than 1/6 stop. How much closer than that do you want to be?

 

[Q.G.]

If you can set your camera to 1/3 stops, and your meter reads to 1/3 stops, they can't disagree with each other by more than 1/6 stop. How much closer than that do you want to be?

Methinks that in that case you never need to be even 1/6th off.

Now if the meter reads in 1/3rd stops, the lens' diaphragm only has 1/2nd stop increments, then you need not accept more than 1/6th stop difference.

 

[eddym]

Methinks that in that case you never need to be even 1/6th off.

Now if the meter reads in 1/3rd stops, the lens' diaphragm only has 1/2nd stop increments, then you need not accept more than 1/6th stop difference.

Precisely my point. Can anyone really see a 1/6 stop difference, even in a transparency?
If so, then one should bracket 2 stops above and below the indicated reading, in 1/3 stop increments. Let's keep the film makers in business!!

 

[jp80874]

How often do you choose the least exposed?

Ralph,

At first only rarely.

My instructor said that was her experience with 4x5 and she stopped bracketing. She only used the longer exposure. I am a belt and suspenders type of person though my friends didn't believe it when I was out on Lake Erie in 30 knot winds and 8 foot waves in a 24 foot sail boat.

I felt this was useful so I increased the first exposure and then bracketed by two stops. Now I print the first exposure 30-35% of the time. Rarely I print both and compare. Usually I can tell from the negative. I meter 400 HP5 at 200 and then add bellows factor and add two stops.

When I got into 7x17, Dick Phillips, maker of both my 8x10 and 7x17, said you have to give these cameras lots of exposure. A bellow that big eats up a lot of light. Dick has never steered me wrong.

John

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Ralph,

At first only rarely.

My instructor said that was her experience with 4x5 and she stopped bracketing. She only used the longer exposure. I am a belt and suspenders type of person though my friends didn't believe it when I was out on Lake Erie in 30 knot winds and 8 foot waves in a 24 foot sail boat.

I felt this was useful so I increased the first exposure and then bracketed by two stops. Now I print the first exposure 30-35% of the time. Rarely I print both and compare. Usually I can tell from the negative. I meter 400 HP5 at 200 and then add bellows factor and add two stops.

When I got into 7x17, Dick Phillips, maker of both my 8x10 and 7x17, said you have to give these cameras lots of exposure. A bellow that big eats up a lot of light. Dick has never steered me wrong.

John

That's why I gave up bracketing too. When in doubt, I just overexpose and leave it at that.