A puzzle

[biglouis]

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Something is puzzling me and I cannot work it out.

 

Last week I went out with my M6 and a roll of Fujicolour Superia 100 print film.

 

After the first half-dozen or so frames I had a Doh! moment when I realised I had not reset the film speed dial on the back of the M6. It was still at iso400. I adjusted the speed dial to 100 and just assumed I would lose those images as being too underexposed.

 

When I got back the film I could see no evidence of underexposure. Firstly, the pictures on the photo CD were all consistently well exposed. I can accept that in the scanning process there is probably an automated levels setting to achieve this.

 

But what I can't understand is that the actual film itself seems to be correctly exposed, according to the scans I have taken.

 

So, how is this possible? Are development labs (this was a high street one) able to dial in or adjust film development in some way? I think I did mention that the first half-dozen frames were at the wrong speed but I didn't tell the operator what that speed was. Or is it just that the exposure latitude of film stock is not as extreme as I thought?

 

LouisB

[ejd]

It sounds like the well-known latitude of negative film at work. With two stops of underexposure you still have enough detail in the negatives to get good prints and scans. The film was surely developed in the usual way - they had no reason to do anything else. The scanner - at the lab and yours - will I guess automatically adjust the exposure it gives each negative to produce a good scan. It happens to me from time to time, that I forget to set the correct film speed or something like that, and I'm generally pleasantly surprised that the pictrues come out OK!

[luigi bertolotti]

I've almost forgot film, with M8 ... but I remember well that, when used my M4, Superia was a film of EXCELLENT latitude... significant better than Kodak Gold 100... do not remember the neg looking when theorically underexposed, but I think the combination of Fuij latitude and scanning can well give the result you enjoy.