 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
| PhotoKB HomeDiscussion Groups Digital Photography Digital PhotoDSLR CamerasZLR CamerasPoint & Shoot CamerasFilm Photography 35 mmLarge FormatMedium formatDarkroomFilm and LabsOther EquipmentPhoto Technique Nature PhotographyPeople PhotographyTechnique GeneralGeneral Photo Topics General TopicsAustralian PhotographyUK PhotographyDirectoryPhoto Clubs |
Photo Forum / Digital Photography / DSLR Cameras / January 2005Metering and exposure
Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know nothing about the zone system. Would you say, I can achieve the same results by bracketing? Take five instead of one shot with one at the camera recommended exposure, 2 at plus the recommended at 1/3rd EV stops and 2 at minus the recommended at 1/3rd EV stops. Or, can the difference between the correct exposure and camera recommended exposure swing more than that? Thanks, Siddhartha >Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or >spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Or, can the difference between the correct exposure and camera >recommended exposure swing more than that? bracketing, also known as "the shotgun method", will work in many cases as long as you are not shooting in extreme light or extreme dark situations. You will use alot of film with that method. You are probably best off getting yourself a decent light meter such as the Sekonic L-508 and learning to use it. I also suggest a book by Jim Zuckerman entitled Perfect Exposure. Good luck, Joe >>Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or >>spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > cases as long as you are not shooting in extreme light or extreme dark > situations. You will use alot of film with that method. Use a lot of *film*? I think you're in the wrong newsgroup. > You are probably best off getting yourself a decent light meter such > as the Sekonic L-508 and learning to use it. I also suggest a book by > Jim Zuckerman entitled Perfect Exposure. And why not. Won't save on film though ;-)  SignatureJohn Bean A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin (H. L. Mencken) My bad! :-) old habits die hard. Regards, Joe >>>Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or >>>spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > >And why not. Won't save on film though ;-) > bracketing, also known as "the shotgun method", will work in many > cases as long as you are not shooting in extreme light or extreme dark > situations. There is no need to bracket in most situations, but rather understand where the metered part of the scene sits in the film latitude. Bracketing is more legitimate in unusual lighting such as strong back light with poorly lit subjects. > You will use alot of film with that method. OTOH, with a digital camera (group topic), one can find the range of acceptable exposures quite quickly. Cheers, Alan. Signature-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm -- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm -- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin -- e-meil: there's no such thing as a FreeLunch. >Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or >spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Or, can the difference between the correct exposure and camera >recommended exposure swing more than that? I usually try to find the mid-tone area in the shot and use a zoom lense, if necessary, to get an exposure reading and use that reading for the entire shot. Hope that helps a bit. Joe http://mikmaq.cjb.net >Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or >spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] >Or, can the difference between the correct exposure and camera >recommended exposure swing more than that? Yes - easily. +/- 2/3 EV is a fairly small range. It's possible for the meter on the camera to read as much as two stops away from ideal. But with most DSLRs you have a far better evaluative tool available; the histogram display (plus, on many models, highlighting of burned out or grossly underexposed areas) Take the shot, look at the histogram, and decide what adjustment to make. Lather, rinse, repeat. Alternatively, if you think you've got the exposure right to within half a stop or so (i.e. within the rage that bracketing would cover) just use RAW image capture mode, if available. It will use up less storage than five high-quality JPEGs, and in most of the DSLRs that I have used you get maybe as much as 1.5 stops of extra latitude. > Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or > spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > > Siddhartha Read this book: Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera (Updated Edition) by Bryan Peterson You will find that bracketing is unnecessary for most situations once you understand some metering concepts. It would not hurt to understand your metering modes and metering in general (eg how to meter green etc). The problem with AEB is that you dont know how the camera is adjusting A/T since for example depth of field may be more important that capturing a moving object with a fast shutter. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2009 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.