Where to find Sekonic 758 film profiles

[ignacj]

I don't have a very good idea of what EV1 through EV4 would look like. Would indirect window light during daytime ever get down into that territory?

Nope. EV1 is f2.8 at 4 secs, f4 at 8 secs etc. EV4 is 3-stop faster.

 

[Chan Tran]

I have problem reading under illumination of EV1.

 

[ignacj]

I have problem reading under illumination of EV1.

Bad for your eyes. A fine light-meter such as 758 might warn you not to!

 

[benjiboy]

358 with 1-degree attachment is less sensitive (EV1-24.4 for 758 vs EV5-24.4 for 358 w/ attachment), and my understanding is that attachment does not have internal readout. Yes, you can argue these are non essential and save yourself $80. If you use Pocket Wizard to trigger your strobes, that is another $50 upgrade for 358.
Whatever works for you

I won't loose any sleep over not having the ability to take spot readings at EV1-24.4 since I so rarely photograph black cats in coal cellars the facility would be about as useful as an ashtray on a motor bike to me personally, but as you say "whatever works for you"

 

[ignacj]

I won't loose any sleep over not having the ability to take spot readings at EV1-24.4 since I so rarely photograph black cats in coal cellars the facility would be about as useful as an ashtray on a motor bike to me personally, but as you say "whatever works for you"

Hey, if a slightly inferior model meets all your needs, more power to you brother.

 

[benjiboy]

In answer to your original question you need to buy one of these http://www.fotosense.co.uk/sekonic-exposure-profile-target-ii-for-l758-l758d-lightmeter.html to calibrate the any particular film or digital sensor in addition to downloading the software from the Sekonic website to the L-758 meter. There is a video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SZ58CugpY

 

[ignacj]

Ben,

The video explains only digital camera calibration which I'm not really interested in. I'm looking for a film characteristic curve - say TMAX100 developed at 70F in Xtol 1:1 for 8 1/2 minutes. I guess I could scan my negatives and proceed with calibration as with a digital camera, but that would introduce scanner as an extra variable. I was hoping somebody already created film curves in more controlled lab environment that I could then use to program 758 directly. At very least I'd like to know dynamic range of any given film.

Thanks for the links anyway.

ig

 

[Anon Ymous]

ig, you don't have to depend on someone else to get an idea of how film X behaves in developer Y etc... Get a grey card and load your camera with the film you want to test. Place the card in a place where it's evenly lit, preferably by daylight. Get a reading with the meter and focus your lens at infinity. Now make a series of exposures from 5 stops underxposed to 5 stops overexposed. There should only be the grey card in the frame(s). If you wish to have additional precision (thirds of a stop), by all means do it, but that makes sense for the extremes of the of the exposure range, for instance between 5 and 4 stops underexposure. Process the film, let it dry and then:

1) If you have a diffusion enlarger make a contact print of these strips, with the exposure needed for minimum time for maximum black though film base and a #2 filter.
2) If you have a condenser enlarger you'd better make enlargements of these frames, again for the minimum for maximum black through film base, with a #2 filter. Making a contact print with a #3 filter will probably get you close, but enlargements will give more precision. After all, that's why you bought that meter for, didn't you?

Now you can make an assessment and see what kind of results your equipment and technique will give, as long as you follow what you did in the test. If the results aren't what you'd have wished, you can repeat the test with different development for instance. In any case, everything is fine and dandy with development times etc proposed by manufacturers and anyone else out there, but it's your results that matter.

PS Keep in mind that you have quite a bit of overexposure latitude with negative films. Just because you see a totally white frame at the contact sheet, it doesn't mean that there's no information there at all, unless you've grossly overdeveloped.

 

[KC2PED]

Has there been any change in the availability of downloadable film characteristic curves over the past 4 years. I have just spent next month's food money on an L-758 and am going to have to wait a few months (more if I buy film) before I can afford a target to start profiling so would be interested in a downloadable film profile to use as a starting point in the meantime.

 

[Bill Burk]

Hi KC2PED,

No there isn't anything new on this frontier. I took a very simple shortcut which has made me happy because it's so plainly obvious.

I decided to use the Zone System, and I just set the clipping points on Zones.

 

[Bill Burk]

KC2PED,

If you'll explain which film you shoot and what developer... There's a chance that someone has done sensitometric testing on that combination and can translate the curves into settings for the meter.

It's important to know if you are shooting black and white negative (for which my strategy is good) or color slide (where a tighter set of clipping points is needed).