Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
Dear Greg!
The shutter is quite new and really accurate. I have shot some other pictures with it Saturday (similar f-stops and speeds) and they where as they should be. I do not believe in overnight failors. Yes, sometimes I forget to close the lens before pulling the darkslide but not today evening, I mostly check twice. At home again I checked the meter with an other one immediately, but the meters gave identical values from the greycard.
If you would have been with me out there I think you would be puzzeled too, as I am now. I was a really nice scenery with mild yellow-ish light, the white clouds appeared yellow-ish and the sky was really blue. There was some haze, but not to much. I do not bother with the blue-ish cast of the picture (it should be a bit pink or lilac) but with the overexposure. I can not understand this.
I should go to the West - Monument Valley or so. No haze, warm colours, no problems.
George
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
By the way, don't get too depressed about this. If you plan to show narrow latitude film, you should calibrate your entire system anyway. Being even 1/2 stop off can ruin your shot. Go out tomorrow and burn several sheets of film. Meter the scene, and shoot it based on the meter reading. Then shoot a few more sheets at increasingly underexposed settings (no need to test with overexposing based on your example here). Assuming your system is consistently exposing incorrectly, this will tell you how much you need to alter the meter reading to get it right on film. Then you will be on your way. Although with narrow latitude film it may pay to bracket with 2 or more sheets.
.
When I was shooting Velvia, I would shoot 3 frames: 1 at what I thought was correct, another 1/3 under, and another 1/3 over. With experience I found I never overexposed - so from then on I would only expose 2 sheets (one at my "correct" expose, plus another 1/3 underexposed).
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
Polaroid was so useful to LF photographers back in the day not just to get clents to buy off on the shot before committing to transparency but also to flag equipment or lighting problems.
My first guess is the shutter is running slow. Some will run slow but consistently slow. Get it timed with a CLA or do it yourself by building a sound-card tester for next to nothing.
Second guess is that someone may have thrown your lens cells in another shutter, one with the wrong aperture scale.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
There is no reason to be puzzled. Your original post does not clearly rank the range of values from your light meter readings. So rephrasing what you stated:
EV 11 = f16, 1/30 sec opposite shore with trees
EV 12 = f22, 1/30 sec your exposure
EV 15 = f64, 1/30 sec the white clouds
For limited range color film, I expose white subjects 1-2 stops over. Thus your 3 stops overexposure is too much. And the opposite shore and trees is underexposed only one stop. I expose trees 2-3 stops less than the light meter reads. Thus the opposite shore needs 1-2 stops less exposure.
My calculation is that your exposure was 2 stops overexposed. Being that the sky is more prominent than the thin strip of opposite shoreline, overexpose the clouds one stop and underexpose the opposite shore 3 stops. So try an exposure based on EV 14 = f45, 1/30 sec.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
I'm not sure I agree with underexposing the distant shore up to three stops. I think exposure would depend partly on the amount of haze. Underexposing that much could render the near waters very dark.
BTW, I posted earlier that my first step would be to buy a Hoya UV filter... and I would... but the near waters are overexposed too. My guess is a mistrake somewhere in the shooting process.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
O-N-F, I thought about the water going too dark. But the haze will mush together the clouds and blue sky with even slight overexposure. Alternatively the exposure could be EV 13.5. Better yet, a yellow filter would cut the haze and better separate the clouds and blue sky, and allow ample exposure of the water.
edit - Oops, we're talking about color film. A yellow filter is not an option, but a strong UV filter would certainly help.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
IMHO the best filter for the haze is a polarizer. It will eliminate some of the scattered light that is present. But no filter will come close to making this look like a non-hazy day.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
Please!
If you do not know the answer there is NO SUCH THING as a dumb question.
You are out there trying and seeking help from the correct place.
I dont know the answer but I am sure somebody does.
Remember. Ask and keep shooting.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
Quote:
Originally Posted by
megapickle1
Thank you for answering at all.
Well, regarding filters, specially split grade ones, it will be a little bit difficult to get one - filter thread 95mm at my Nikkor 300 W.
95mm filters are readily available, although they are quite pricey. You invested in the lens, and now it is time to invest in filters. You cannot get good results without them.
Re: Dumb questions of an idiot - landscape trial
The whole scene looks overexposed to me. Is your lens shutter accurate?