Stealth3kpl Posted April 20, 2012 Share #1 Posted April 20, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) Suppose I'm standing in Times square, NY at midnight with Portra 400 in the M2, what would be an appropriate exposure setting for the lights? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted April 20, 2012 Posted April 20, 2012 Hi Stealth3kpl, Take a look here Exposure Estimate. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
earleygallery Posted April 20, 2012 Share #2 Posted April 20, 2012 Depends. I'd try f5.6 and 1/4, 1/8, 1/15 & 1/30th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share #3 Posted April 20, 2012 Cheers. Fred Parker suggests Times Square at night is EV8 giving 1/30 at f5.6, but I'd be tempted to try 1/15. This agrees with your estimate. Thanks. Fingers crossed. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgcm Posted April 20, 2012 Share #4 Posted April 20, 2012 To buy a Gossen Digiflash or a Digisix? GOSSEN Digiflash Cheap, but very well made. Fgcm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgcm Posted April 20, 2012 Share #5 Posted April 20, 2012 Just checked some pictures from my M9 in time square last december: f 2,8 at 1/30 iso 400 If I were you I should buy a light meter. Just a few bugs for hudreds of perfect pictures. Fgcm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
M9reno Posted April 20, 2012 Share #6 Posted April 20, 2012 Fgcm: maybe there's no such thing as a perfect picture! Isn't it amazing how close the estimates above came to your M9 without their even being there? Personally, I'd love to go "commando" (i.e. light-meterless) with an M2 in Times Square any day (or night)! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgcm Posted April 20, 2012 Share #7 Posted April 20, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) You are right: to go commando is more fun In dailight i do not need The meter, but in low light...... Enjoy NY. I got some of my best pictures in NY. Fgcm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted April 20, 2012 Share #8 Posted April 20, 2012 For that kind of subject a light meter is not exactly useless but really you don't need it. Just bracket widely as I have suggested and you'll end up with one shot that you really like. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted April 20, 2012 Author Share #9 Posted April 20, 2012 Just checked some pictures from my M9 in time square last december: f 2,8 at 1/30 iso 400 If I were you I should buy a light meter. Just a few bugs for hudreds of perfect pictures. Fgcm I have a Seikonic 308 but I like to have an idea in mind of what exposure to expect. This situation isn't ideally suited to an incident lighting (I want the streets dark), and a reflective reading may be too easily fooled. It would be useful to hear of others experience here. Times Square is somewhere thousands of photographs have been taken. Perhaps someone has hit on their "perfect" exposure with Portra 400. Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted April 20, 2012 Share #10 Posted April 20, 2012 I've found F2 at 1/60 to provide a generous exposure at ISO 400 (M8 digital) in that part of town. This corresponds pretty closely to your 1/15 at F5.6 for a conservative exposure though I'd be tempted to err towards overexposure with colour neg. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted April 21, 2012 Share #11 Posted April 21, 2012 New Years Eve in Times Square will probably have a different optimal exposure from other nights. BTW , with an older M I'd definitely use the Fred Parker Ultimate Exposure Calculator, or bracket a few shots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted April 21, 2012 Share #12 Posted April 21, 2012 Hello Pete, 2 solutions: 1. Ask Stuart Nordheimer who works a few minutes walk from Times Square & has probably taken more pictures day, evening & nite in Manhattan than many other people here. 2. Using your 308: Meter what is important to see if everything you want to record falls within the latitude of the film you want to use. If it doesen't either use a different film or meter what falls within that latitude. Then: Find the range of Zones that you want to capture that fall within the latitude of the film you want to use. Meter anything within those Zones. Adjust your exposure to compensate: For example: If what is important is betweeen Zones III & VII, & what you are able to measure is a Zone VII, then: Meter the Zone VII subject & add 2 stops of exposure to what the meter says. A piece of cake. Best Regards, Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fgcm Posted April 21, 2012 Share #13 Posted April 21, 2012 2. Using your 308: Meter what is important to see if everything you want to record falls within the latitude of the film you want to use. If it doesen't either use a different film or meter what falls within that latitude. Then: Find the range of Zones that you want to capture that fall within the latitude of the film you want to use. Meter anything within those Zones. Adjust your exposure to compensate: For example: If what is important is betweeen Zones III & VII, & what you are able to measure is a Zone VII, then: Meter the Zone VII subject & add 2 stops of exposure to what the meter says. A piece of cake. Best Regards, Michael +1 This is The way to use a meter. Try! Fgcm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tobey bilek Posted April 22, 2012 Share #14 Posted April 22, 2012 A good spot meter or bracket on the first trip. Or use digital. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stealth3kpl Posted April 25, 2012 Author Share #15 Posted April 25, 2012 What do you think the exposure latitude of Fuji Superia 200 is? Pete Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Geschlecht Posted April 26, 2012 Share #16 Posted April 26, 2012 Hello Pete, You can hold your film cartridge w/ the little end that sticks out pointing down, as you would when you are putting it in the camera, & make note of the colors of the 6 little squares in 2 lines. Tell us what those readings are & I will tell you about the film. OR: You can you can read EKTAR 100 RATED AT 80 by ATOURNAS on 26 Sep 11 in the Film Forum which is an explanation of DX coding & what it means in terms of the film in the cartridge as well as why electronc shuttered cameras want to read it & what they do w/ it. OR: You can read MODERN PHOTOGRAPHY from June 1983 where DX coding is explained to a certain extent. This article also includes a chart so you can decipher the DX coding on any fim cartridge, etc. Best Regards, Michael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted April 26, 2012 Share #17 Posted April 26, 2012 I have a Seikonic 308 but I like to have an idea in mind of what exposure to expect. This situation isn't ideally suited to an incident lighting (I want the streets dark), and a reflective reading may be too easily fooled. It would be useful to hear of others experience here. Times Square is somewhere thousands of photographs have been taken. Perhaps someone has hit on their "perfect" exposure with Portra 400.Pete Do multiple readings on highlights and on lowlights and then expose somewhere in between. Where in between ultimately depends from your subject and what you care to emphasize. Cheers, Bruno Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblitz Posted April 26, 2012 Share #18 Posted April 26, 2012 all the above suggestions, there is one more thing. kodak used to include in the film some paper that had all sorts of technical info on it but also recommended exposures for different situations for those films -- and the situations were pretty broad (stage performances, sports, fireworks, etc). my guess is you can find it on the internet some place. they are pretty good settings and if you are going to scan the negatives anyway, they will certainly get you close enough to tweak on our computer. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
!Nomad64 Posted May 14, 2012 Share #19 Posted May 14, 2012 It's here: KODAK: Pictures by Existing Light: Tech Pub AC-61 and here's the .pdf. Grab it while you can... http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/ac61/ac61.pdf Hope this helps Bruno Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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