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Thread: New to LF

  1. #1

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    New to LF

    Hello everyone, I am new to LF photography but not to process camera. (I was in the pre-press business for a long time but unaware of LF photography.) Im happy to know by chance through this forum about LF.
    One question I have is, using my old EOS 5 camera as my meter, (I dont have a meter yet) should I just simply follow the readings and shoot? My lens is Shneider Symmar 180mm. Im excited to try my 5x7 camera. I need your precious input badly. Thank you!

  2. #2

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    Oct 2006
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    Re: New to LF

    Welcome Jess,

    I supose you could use the old camera as a meter before you have one, but as you know you have to compensate for various readings depending on the area you read at.

    Anyway, welcome and I know that you will find lots of nice guys in this forum that can answere any question you have.

    / Marcus

  3. #3

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    Re: New to LF

    Thank you Marcus for the welcome.

    JessJ

  4. #4

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    Germany, Aalen
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    Re: New to LF

    Hello Jess,

    wellcome here. I am in LF only one year and still use my Minolta DSLR as a lightmeter. Has advantages and disadvantage, but it is precise. I am now seriously thinking of getting a Pentax Digital Spotmeter. It will be nice to have it - but not essential for the beginning.

    5x7 is a nice format (I find my4x5 contact prints a bit too small) but if you want to shoot color check first wheter you can find a lab to have it developed and wheter you can buy color 5x7 film easilly. I do not know the conditions in Sweeden.

    This forum is THE place to find the information and advices you need.

    good luck
    Matus

  5. #5

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    Re: New to LF

    Hi Matus,
    I am curious to know how exactly you do with the compensation with your DSLR.

    Before choosing 5x7 as my format, I check around all camera store here in Tokyo and they do have 5x7 film but not as many as 4x5 stock. Local developing stores accepts 4x5 to 8x10 developing services.

    Thanks for the welcome.

    JessJ

  6. #6

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    Re: New to LF

    It is rather easy. I actually statrted with DSLR before I got into film stuff.

    Before I started to use my Minotla as a lightmeter I compared it to my girlfriends film SLR (also Minolta) and found out that readings at given ISO are the same - so I concluded it MIGHT be OK. Then I used it to with my LF to measure the exposeure for a couple of higher contrast positive films as they are more sensitive to under/over exposure than negative films. I used Kodak E100VS. The slides came out properly exposed and from this time on I trusted the DSLR.

    Now the procedure itself (if not clear already) is that I set the camera to the same ISO as the film I am going to use. Then I set the camera to spot metering and measure the contrast of the scene. I will decide on the exposere and simply make a digital picture to verify it. Then I just scale the exposure and f-stop to the one I want to use - and take the exposure. If the amount of light is low I make the digital test exposere with higher ISO.

    Of course if I use a film with ISO I can not set on the camera, I will simply add exposure compensation AFTER I calculated the exposure with my DSLR.

    One shold be carefull not to forget the filter factors (if you use any), bellows factors (if applicable) or reciprocity compensation with long exposures.

    Of course - one may encounter problems on the way as there are more factors in the game. E.g. if the shutter of your LF camera does not work properly you may get over/under exposed photos.

    As a bottom line - I used my DSLR to measure for films from 50 - 1600 ISO and exposure times from 1/250s to 15 minutes and it all worked OK. The advantage of a DSLR it its linear response to light (well, as is the response of any properly working light meter).

    A little help could be gained from some small exposure calculator that allows you to relate different fstops and shutter speeds. I have never used one though.

    The disadvantage of "DSLR lightmeter" is that you have 1kg (1.2 in my case) camera hanging around your neck as in many cases you do not want to let it lay around when you are under the darkcloth. It also takes a lot of space in the backapck that is usually already quite full and heavy as you will find out

    BTW, if you get a 5x7 camera and will find out that you can not have 5x7 color (I assune you will develope BW your self soon) film developed than you can still get a 4x5 reducing back.

    I hope I have helped
    Matus

  7. #7

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    Re: New to LF

    Thank you so much Matus. It was what I'm looking for to start off. All I need to do now is to try it myself with my camera. It was a great help.

    JessJ

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2004
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    122

    Re: New to LF

    Dear JessJ,

    The biggest departure from your DSLR readings will occur when photographing close subjects. Check out http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ws-factor.html.

    Neal Wydra

  9. #9

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    Re: New to LF

    Quote Originally Posted by Neal Wydra View Post
    Dear JessJ,

    The biggest departure from your DSLR readings will occur when photographing close subjects. Check out http://www.largeformatphotography.in...ws-factor.html.

    Neal Wydra
    But a separate spot meter will also not take bellows factor into account. I have a Sekonic meter now, but use to use a film SLR as a meter with no problem.

  10. #10

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    Re: New to LF

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Schmidt View Post
    But a separate spot meter will also not take bellows factor into account.
    Hi Dan, I think I need your elaboration more. Thanks.

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