RZ67 Polaroid advice ?

[macvisual]

I've a Polaroid back loaded with Fuji FP100C which is 100asa film speed. If I load up the Mamiya RZ67 with say 400asa film speed (HP5 or Portra 400), does the FP100C Polaroid 100asa film just give you a rough idea of exposure at it's film 100asa film speed ?


Regards;
Peter

 

[vdonovan]

There's a two stop difference between FP-100C and HP5, and the two films have totally different latitude, so if you shoot them at the same exposure it won't tell you anything useful.

If I'm shooting a portrait on ISO 400 film in my Bronica and I want to check the lighting, i put in the Polaroid back with FP-100c and close down the aperture by two stops. I feel like this gives me a rough idea of the light ratios and overall exposure, but I don't think it's a very accurate way to gauge exposure. p.s. Don't forget to open the aperture up again when you take off the Polaroid back!

 

[macvisual]

So Donovan;

if your shooting 400asa film and you wish to check the light, do you attach Polaroid back and set it to 400asa, or; set the Polaroid back to 50asa instead?

thanks;
pete

 

[vdonovan]

I understand your question better now. I forgot that the back itself has an ISO setting! My camera (a Bronica SQ, similar to the older RB67) does not have a light meter, so the ISO setting on the back doesn't do anything. I've always ignored it. I read the light with a hand-held meter (on which I've set the correct ISO for the film I'm using, Polaroid or whatever), and then set aperture and shutter speed on the camera accordingly. These days I often use the Light Meter app on my iPhone.

It sounds like the RZ reads the ISO on your film back and uses that to set the camera's exposure. I don't have experience with the RZ, but it sounds like you might need to do some gyrations to get what you want. Something like:
a) set Polaroid back to ISO 50
b) read the exposure information from the RZ's meter
c) put RZ in manual mode and close down 1 stop from what you read on the meter (e.g. if it reads f/8, expose at f/16).
d. shoot your polaroid and examine the result.
e) then attach your HP5 back (with ISO set to 400), and meter and shoot with that.

The Polaroid in this scenario may give you a fair idea of your lighting setup, but the two materials are very different, so it won't be exact. This scenario may or may not be useful, but it will be fun to try and see if you can get it right. Good luck!

 

[macvisual]

Thanks for that info, appreciated.

Yes the dedicated Mamiya Polaroid back on the RZ67 has asa settings which connects/reads to the RZ body etc... Although presently I don't own a hand-held meter (which might you suggest meter wise....? (I used to own a Minolta Autometer 4F yonks ago).

I've a Mamiya prism finder which you can set to average or spot metering, handy ok. The Mamiya prism finder has a very handy +2 or -2 exposure adjustments if required, neat eh.....!

thanks;
pete

 

[ParkerSmithPhoto]

Yes the dedicated Mamiya Polaroid back on the RZ67 has asa settings which connects/reads to the RZ body etc... Although presently I don't own a hand-held meter (which might you suggest meter wise....? .

The Sekonic FlashMate is about the size of a deck of cards and handles all of the basic modes you need to read light. It's terrific.

 

[macvisual]

The Sekonic FlashMate is about the size of a deck of cards and handles all of the basic modes you need to read light. It's terrific.

Is this the Sekonic model you mention 'ParkerSmithPhoto' ? Is it the L-308S model?

http://www.sekonic.com/products/l-308s/overview.aspx


Thanks;
Peter

 

[LMNOP]

The Sekonic FlashMate is about the size of a deck of cards and handles all of the basic modes you need to read light. It's terrific.

I am on the verge of purchasing this model, today, actually. I don't dare admit this normally, but I use my iPhone for metering, there is a great app for it, and I have compared to hand held meters and my 645AF built in meter, its pretty accurate if you understand how to work with it. That said, I realize a real meter would be more effect, and this model seems to have what I need.

On the polaroid note, I have noticed these exposures are very easily ruined if not exposed correctly, or peeled apart too soon. Secondly, the focus is never quite as sharp as the negative. I always wonder why that is.

 

[M Carter]

I've used the little flashmate for something like 15 years - great little meter. Not a lot of bells & whistles but gets the job done and works with strobes or constant light. Good resale value if you find it doesn't work for you.

As for polaroid - it may be easier to just shoot manually for polaroid tests. Also, you need to shoot some 'roids, save them, process your film and compare. Back in the days of all-sorts-of-pro-Polaroid, it was pretty common to find that EPP needed about a half stop more than the polaroid showed. You'll likely find differences to keep in mind down the road.

For black and white, you can use the Fuji 3000p - discontinued but there's still plenty out there to stock up on. Just adjust your exposure or meter for 3000 for the Polaroid exposure. I find it doesn't hold shadow detail like a final print, but it can show you a decent idea of exposure balance - and there's really something to be said for looking at a print and not through the viewfinder for complex lighting setups or composition. Stand back, walk away, peel a print, rub your chin & think it over... a DSLR is also handy for proofing your setup before committing to film, though for B&W you usually have to convert the image in the camera. With a fairly advanced DSLR, you can create JPEG settings that mimic your film a little more closely.

Either way, it can be very handy to show you little things you didn't catch through the viewfinder... stray reflections, hair out of place, etc.

 

[jimmyklane]

I am on the verge of purchasing this model, today, actually. I don't dare admit this normally, but I use my iPhone for metering, there is a great app for it, and I have compared to hand held meters and my 645AF built in meter, its pretty accurate if you understand how to work with it. That said, I realize a real meter would be more effect, and this model seems to have what I need.

On the polaroid note, I have noticed these exposures are very easily ruined if not exposed correctly, or peeled apart too soon. Secondly, the focus is never quite as sharp as the negative. I always wonder why that is.

I do exactly the same thing with my RZ67 and two iPhone light meter apps: "myLightMeter" and "Light Meter" both of which are fantastic and match both my Sekonic and Minolta meters closely. Even better is that any error tends to be biased towards overexposure, which I'm not worried about.....OK....Back On-Topic:

I disagree with the earlier posts stating that the Fuji FP100c in the RZ Polaroid back isn't (or at least can't be) a decent indicator of exposure. I actually use this exact same combination of films: Fuji FP100c along with HP5+. Shadows that will have detail with the HP5+ will seem blocked up on the Polaroid, but to my eyes the highlights and midtones along with the lighting ratio(s) will be a solid indicator of what you'll get with normal exposure and development.

Personally, I solved this issue by burning one pack of Fuji and one roll of HP5+ with 1/2-Stop brackets on a still life scene I set up at home. Once I could control the light levels completely, and had a good sense of what my exposure SHOULD be, I simply used the first frame to shoot an X-Rite Color Checker (for a separate experiment) and shot -2/+2 stops in half stop steps for the other 9 frames. I developed the HP5+ right away, as well as bleached the instant negatives (another fascinating experiment!) and compared the 9 frames to get a sense of what I could expect from the Fuji FP100c film as it pertained to "previewing" HP5+ exposures. I feel like I have a good handle on what I'm going to get when I use the instant film as a light-check....but for the most part nowadays I use instant film for it's own merits!

Hope this helps a little bit.