Sunny 16 help

Dinis Figueira · Jul 14, 2016

Hi guys,

I have a bit of a dumb question.
I'm trying to understand this properly to write down on my notepad to carry around.

If my camera has only 1/500th max shutter speed and I'm using 200 iso film, at 1/500 and f11 I would be doing the same exposure like 1/250-f16 right?

So beyond that aperture, the image starts to get blurry behind, is that it?

I can't exactly follow the whole thing until somebody explains this to me like I am really dumb... (which I am being).

Thank you!

Terry Breedlove · Jul 14, 2016

Yes so set your aperture at f 16 and match as closely as you can your shutter speed to your film. For example iso is 100 then set f16 at 100 shutter speed. ISO 200 F16 at 250. As the light changes just keep in mind how much and try to match that as best as possible... it works really well. I think you have it perfectly just need to try it

Dinis Figueira · Jul 14, 2016

What about low aperture numbers (2.8f, etc). What is the trick to get the right exposure with the blurry background?

Hatchetman · Jul 14, 2016

read this: http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

heaven forbid that website ever disappears.

jimjm · Jul 14, 2016

To be able to shoot wide-open (@ 2.8, 1.8, etc.) for less depth-of-focus (and blurry backgrounds) and still obtain proper exposure, you'd need to do one of several things:
- Use a camera with faster speeds, like 1/2000 or 1/4000
- Use a neutral-density filter to reduce the amount of light entering the lens. An ND filter with a factor of 16 will let you shoot 4 stops wider for a given shutter speed. Say if you're shooting at 1/100 sec and f11, putting a 4-stop filter on will let you open up the lens to f2.8. They also come in handy if you want to use a slower shutter speed to get blurred motion effects.
- Use a slower film, like ISO 100 or 50. This will let you shoot 1 or 2 stops wider.
- Push your film, i.e., pretend your ISO 200 film is really ISO 50. When the film is developed (by you or the lab) development time is adjusted to compensate for the overexposure. However, this can result in lower image quality, depending on the film.
- If you're using a wide or normal lens, try a longer lens (85mm or longer for 35mm film).

rpavich · Jul 20, 2016

Dinis Figueira said:
Hi guys,

I have a bit of a dumb question.
I'm trying to understand this properly to write down on my notepad to carry around.

If my camera has only 1/500th max shutter speed and I'm using 200 iso film, at 1/500 and f11 I would be doing the same exposure like 1/250-f16 right?

So beyond that aperture, the image starts to get blurry behind, is that it?

I can't exactly follow the whole thing until somebody explains this to me like I am really dumb... (which I am being).

Thank you!

Sunny 16 is just a reference point. it's this:

f/16
ISO of film
ss = 1/ISO of film

So...in your case it would be

f/16
ISO 200
1/250 at f/16

Now, for every click you open up or close down the aperture you must compensate with a click of the ss in the opposite direction...think of a "balance" and that they must balance with the same number of clicks in the opposite direction.

If you open up ONE stop to f/11 you must close down 1 stop on the shutter speed to compensate

f/11
ISO 200
1/250

You can also overexpose a stop or two or three without heinous things happening to your negatives, they just get denser so I'd err on the side of a stop of overexposure if I were using the sunny 16 rule. So you COULD just open up two more stops and not worry about it.

That would mean:
f/5.6
ISO 200
1/500

Would work also but it would produce a really dense negative which wouldn't hurt a bit if you were scanning them.

Chan Tran · Jul 20, 2016

Dinis Figueira said:
What about low aperture numbers (2.8f, etc). What is the trick to get the right exposure with the blurry background?

If you get a camera with 1/8000 shutter speed you can shoot at f/2.8.

rpavich · Jul 20, 2016

Dinis Figueira said:
What about low aperture numbers (2.8f, etc). What is the trick to get the right exposure with the blurry background?

Recipe for background blurring: Wider apertures with the subject close to the camera and the background far away.

It's a combination of aperture and subject-to-camera vs background-to-camera distance.

As the other poster said; buy an NDI filter that blocks 6 stops of light and you will be able to shoot at f/2.8 on a sunny day.

canvassy · Jul 20, 2016

jimjm said:
- Push your film, i.e., pretend your ISO 200 film is really ISO 50. When the film is developed (by you or the lab) development time is adjusted to compensate for the overexposure. However, this can result in lower image quality, depending on the film.

This is actually pulling, pushing is the opposite (pretending your ISO 200 film is ISO 800)

gone · Jul 20, 2016

I have an easier mantra for you: "For $15 I can buy a Sekonic L188 and always get well exposed shots". Chant this over and over, then go to eBay, purchase, and become exposure enlightened and let go of poorly exposed photo suffering .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sekonic-L-1...D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

rpavich · Jul 21, 2016

momus said:
I have an easier mantra for you: "For $15 I can buy a Sekonic L188 and always get well exposed shots". Chant this over and over, then go to eBay, purchase, and become exposure enlightened and let go of poorly exposed photo suffering .

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sekonic-L-188-Light-Meter-Auto-Leader-Photography-Camera-Pictures-Photos-/122034125334?hash=item1c69ccfa16:g:mhwAAOSwEjFXeEMp&nma=true&si=oRk%2FOPrwMLFaydJS0csBbfSg9kE%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

I can't argue with that!

Dinis Figueira · Jul 21, 2016

That would be nice... if the shipping costs weren't higher than the item price and still had to pay taxes (sometimes the double price of the item)

pdeeh · Jul 21, 2016

some people would do well to recognise that what is true in the US is not globally applicable.

rpavich · Jul 21, 2016

pdeeh said:
some people would do well to recognise that what is true in the US is not globally applicable.

I guess we just did

Dinis Figueira · Jul 21, 2016

Accurate meters on my country are expensive as hell - specially older ones, since the word "vintage" here works incorr€ctly.
And I thought on buying one but coupling the astonishing price I have to pay to have one with buying film for my cameras (Instant film and 35mm), It gets really expensive, even thought I'm already saving up for a new lens little by little, but then again, I think the sunny 16 would help me understand many things way better.

By the way, thank you all for your help.

rpavich · Jul 21, 2016

Dinis Figueira said:
Accurate meters on my country are expensive as hell - specially older ones, since the word "vintage" here works incorr€ctly.
And I thought on buying one but coupling the astonishing price I have to pay to have one with buying film for my cameras (Instant film and 35mm), It gets really expensive, even thought I'm already saving up for a new lens little by little, but then again, I think the sunny 16 would help me understand many things way better.

By the way, thank you all for your help.

Understood, sorry to not think about that.

The answer to your original question is yes.
And also "when in doubt, overexpose"
Lots of films can stand insane amounts of overexposure.

If you've never seen this, it will blow your mind (these are results using a hybrid workflow of scanning negs)

http://petapixel.com/2015/08/10/how-much-can-you-overexpose-negative-film-have-a-look/

RalphLambrecht · Jul 21, 2016

Eric Rose · Jul 21, 2016

Up here in Canuckistan it's more like sunny f11 and in the winter even less. It's the old saying, do some testing to see what works for you. After awhile you won't need a meter as you will learn what exposure to use in varying light conditions.

Dinis Figueira · Jul 21, 2016

Eric Rose said:
Up here in Canuckistan it's more like sunny f11 and in the winter even less. It's the old saying, do some testing to see what works for you. After awhile you won't need a meter as you will learn what exposure to use in varying light conditions.

I'm just trying to minimise the cost since the cheapest film (2,50€) here can go up to 10€ because of it's shipping costs.
But here on Portugal is either rainy af, lots of clouds or sunny like hell (literally) so I have some kinda of big advantage.
The only hard this I have to study quite a bit is when photographing on streets since we have a lot of streets that block the sun out.

pdeeh · Jul 21, 2016

Dinis - You might try sending a message to forum member hjesus ((there was a url link here which no longer exists)) who is also in Portugal and uses a LOT of film - he may be able to help you find either a less expensive lightmeter or less expensive film (or both).

Sunny 16 help

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