SLR camera

[Jed]

Originally posted by Shadus
Hi Jed
You do have the most detailed explanation for anything photography. Admiration is all mine

Can write more articles? I find yours particularly useful. And care to share with me your sites and galleries?

Oi, don't make me pai-seh leh?

I've only been learning 4 years... so it isn't that difficult to learn... I have some articles already, and I'm hoping to write more, but it's all a question of time. I'm also trying to get my website redesigned at the moment, so I'm waiting for that to be completed before I add any new stuff.

 

[erwinx]

Hi Jed,

Given your examples, I would agree that a camera without a spot meter can achieve the results of a spot meter. Anywa, here are 2 further points for your response:

colour issues can be simplified because most of the time, you can find something approaching 18% grey to meter off

An expert can probably call out that this object is 1 or 2 stops off grey, but I can't (at most I can guess the direction but not the exact amount). If this is a case, then the solution seems to be to spot meter off something approaching grey in the scene. A large dark cliff - find a tree growing on it to spot off. A black lighthouse (just an example ) - hopefully the lighthouse keepers house next to it is grey.

Having said that, I concede that there is a quick and dirty way - if the scene is predominantly light or dark, just shift 0.5 stop in the correct direction and bracket both ways 1 stop. That should give you the correct exposure. (if I ever get a digital camera and stop paying for film I might just do by doing super 6 frame bracketing 1/2 stop each). I think Shadus has grasped that So spotmetering is not essential.

(Of course best is in birding where a light coloured bird and dark coloured water usually cancel each other out)


spotmetering can tell you that contrast is too high and maybe you should recompose to include less of the offending element / use a ND grad if possible / etc

I think this still holds. You have usefully provided a technique of using an average/matrix meter to figure this out by, eg: pointing the camera at the sky, which presumably can be applied to other elements of a scene as well (provided they are large enough). But the point is, you working around a lack of a spotmeter. In effect, you are increasing the size of the 'spot' (a spot being an area of equal illumination) to fit the size of the sensor.

Anyway, your mention of the zone system was useful, it made me think whether I'm advocating spotmetering or a stripped down less-cheem version of a zone system (which does not necessarily require a spotmeter, though there seems to be an intuitive fit between the 2). Maybe you can share your thoughts on this - metering for landscapes

 

[ninelives]

OT : erwinx, I can't PM you. Did you turn it on?

 

[Jed]

Hi Erwin,

Briefly:

Originally posted by erwinx
colour issues can be simplified because most of the time, you can find something approaching 18% grey to meter off

That's the whole point. That however wasn't what you did with your lighthouse? The clouds were not 18% grey, and the lighthouse was probably off white.

spotmetering can tell you that contrast is too high and maybe you should recompose to include less of the offending element / use a ND grad if possible / etc

Modern film is very good indeed, and it should be painfully obvious the stuff that is going to exceed a film's dynamic range.

The fact is, when I do use a spot meter, it's usually because of even lighting, (uniform sunshine or overcast for example), but because of a predominant colour that might mess up the scene. Then I find an 18% grey and nail that. I never use spot metering for a scene like you have described with the lighthouse because it involves spotting the lighthouse, taking a reading, estimating how much off 18% that is, and repeating the process with the sky. Two points of estimation of and two chances of estimating wrong. On rare occurrences I will spot off the main subject and estimate once how far off 18% grey it is (since it rarely is) and then place that in whichever zone I'm aiming for.

Anyway, your mention of the zone system was useful, it made me think whether I'm advocating spotmetering or a stripped down less-cheem version of a zone system (which does not necessarily require a spotmeter, though there seems to be an intuitive fit between the 2). Maybe you can share your thoughts on this - metering for landscapes

Yes there is an intuitive fit between spot meters and the zone system. But as mention, unless you use sheet film, it is difficult to utilise.

 

[mervlam]

What is a "correct exposure"? My answer is there is technically no "correct exposure".

Say for a scene. One guy meter the scene at EV x. Then he brackets the scene at say x-1, x and x+1.

He shows the photos to two friends.

Friend one says, "I prefer the one at EV x-1."
Friend two says, "I prefer the one at EV x+1."
But this guy disagreed and said,"I like the scene at EV x."

It all boils down to personal preference.

For the matter of exposure at 18% grey, how beginners know that if they shoot at a prefectly white wall with the meter reading off the camera without any exposure compensation, they will get a wall which on photo will be 18% grey??

Knowing how the metering works on the camera and how to capture a properly exposed photo is important to get that excellent photo is important................

Sheesh i'm mumbling already............

 

[Larry]

Originally posted by KoolBlue
Let's say between the Nikons, the F60, F65 and F80. Which is recommended? (Bearing in mind that I will be using it for the next 3-4 yrs at least.)

definitely the F80 if you're gonna use it for the next coupla years and seriously considering taking up SLR photography. it might cost a few hundred more but i think in the long run it might be better to save up a bit more and get the F80. the F55 is not bad but i think you'll be wanting something with a bit more "weight" and features after a while...

i went down the same route some years ago... got a F50, used it for a while, got bored with the camera, saved up a bit and traded it in for a F90X with the battery pack. best decision of my photog experience i think :rbounce: