Page 1 of 4 123 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 36

Thread: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

  1. #1
    Tin Can's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Posts
    22,319

    Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    I shot film without a meter from the 50's until I late 90's, slides, most still look fine on projector screen

    Then I took a college course and the instructor mandated I buy a 35 WITH meter

    He said my Pentax H1 was not good enough

    I bought F70, motor drive!. Meter! AF...

    Does anybody shoot ONLY with Sunny 16 any format

    Even with giant format I....

    make an educated calculation
    Tin Can

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Suwanee, GA
    Posts
    1,075

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    I would fail miserably. I am usually an early morning in the woods shooter with mixed light on waterfalls. I could be anywhere from 4-7 stops off of sunny 16 and then I tend to shoot at f32 or f45. f22 and 3seconds would be normal for me.

    As a coding exercise, I built a phone app that would help with an educated guess that even had sliders for reciprocity of my usual films, bellows factor, filter factor, and high/low Key adjustments. But Apple wanted too much to publish it and I needed to refine the inputs for more light conditions.

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Screen Shot 2020-07-13 at 7.37.21 PM.jpg 
Views:	19 
Size:	29.3 KB 
ID:	220654
    The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
    http://www.searing.photography

  3. #3
    multiplex
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    local
    Posts
    5,345

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Quote Originally Posted by Tin Can View Post
    I shot film without a meter from the 50's until I late 90's, slides, most still look fine on projector screen

    Then I took a college course and the instructor mandated I buy a 35 WITH meter

    He said my Pentax H1 was not good enough

    I bought F70, motor drive!. Meter! AF...

    Does anybody shoot ONLY with Sunny 16 any format

    Even with giant format I....

    make an educated calculation
    I haven't used a meter in a long time, that goes for slide film too...
    Fred Parker's website is pretty helpful for the uninitiated
    http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm
    John

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    2,673

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Quote Originally Posted by Tin Can View Post

    Then I took a college course and the instructor mandated I buy a 35 WITH meter

    He said my Pentax H1 was not good enough
    Most people who use dedicated video cameras (e.g. a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera) don't use a light meter, let alone Sunny 16. They not only don't own a light meter, in most cases they've never used one. While light meters have their defenders, many people see them as old school, obsolete technology.

    Instead:
    False Colour
    Zebra Lines
    Waveform Display

    I think that it's just a matter of time before the same happens with still cameras. Some hybrid cameras are already starting to incorporate these exposure tools.


    Matteo Bertoli, How I expose my BMPCC4K footage | False Colors Tutorial




    EDIT: Changed example video.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Dec 2014
    Location
    Suwanee, GA
    Posts
    1,075

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Quote Originally Posted by r.e. View Post
    I think that it's just a matter of time before the same happens with still cameras. Some hybrid cameras are already starting to incorporate these exposure tools
    I'm still looking for the histogram and white balance on my 4x5. Maybe I need to upgrade models.
    The magic you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.
    http://www.searing.photography

  6. #6

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    I shoot 35mm Eastman Cinema film XX 5222 and +X 5231 and only use Sunny 16, although it's tough to evaluate once cloud cover moves in. If it's a repeatable situation I will add a stop or two stops and give myself a choice of negs. Has always worked for me. Use your eyeballs, not a meter
    Flikr Photos Here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/

    “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
    ― Mark Twain

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    New York
    Posts
    2,673

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Quote Originally Posted by esearing View Post
    I'm still looking for the histogram and white balance on my 4x5. Maybe I need to upgrade models.
    Ha! At US$24 a sheet for 8x10 colour film, and for that matter $5.50 a sheet for 4x5 film, plus processing, not to mention my time, there are situations where I wouldn't think twice about bringing along my Blackmagic Pocket 4K (680g/1.5lb plus lens) so that I could use false colour as well as my Sekonic L758DR light meter. I take the Sekonic when I'm using the Blackmagic camera anyway, why not the other way around?

    The whole point of taking along a Polaroid Back and Polaroid sheets, despite light meters, was to get the exposure (sometimes also composition) right in camera and save money and time. There are new ways to help achieve the same thing, with about the same bulk and, if you have the right camera anyway, at no cost.

  8. #8
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Jan 2001
    Posts
    8,634

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Quote Originally Posted by Tin Can View Post
    Does anybody shoot ONLY with Sunny 16 any format

    Even with giant format I....

    make an educated calculation
    Yeah, when I go out with a meterless 35mm camera and B&W negative film I usually just wing it - can't be bothered to fuss with a separate meter when I'm shooting on the fly. Occasionally with LF too, but only when I'm working in bright sunlight.

  9. #9
    Vaughn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Humboldt County, CA
    Posts
    9,206

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    Once I get out from under the Redwoods I am always surprised how consistent light meter readings are. So for open landscapes, I could probably survive on Sunny 16 or Sunny 11, depending on how the negatives were developing.

    ...or just use a chart like the one on the back of my Rolleiflex...
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Rollei Guide.jpg  
    "Landscapes exist in the material world yet soar in the realms of the spirit..." Tsung Ping, 5th Century China

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    North of Chicago
    Posts
    1,756

    Re: Sunny !6 Users Unite!

    In the past when I was shooting with a Leica M2 (which is meterless) I estimated exposures and was sufficiently accurate. Here in the Chicago area it was sunny 11.
    ____________________________________________

    Richard Wasserman

    https://www.rwasserman.com/

Similar Threads

  1. Screen Cezanne Users Unite
    By jetcode in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 1061
    Last Post: 4-Mar-2024, 11:00
  2. Hello From Sunny Scottsdale AZ
    By duanefurlongstudios in forum Introductions
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 1-Feb-2019, 10:45
  3. Hi from sunny Scotland
    By DKirk in forum Introductions
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 6-Apr-2012, 18:51
  4. oklahoma city and surrounding areas unite
    By rhyno in forum Groups & Meetings
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 2-Dec-2009, 20:59
  5. Fuji Acros Users Unite!
    By Michael E. Gordon in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 26-Nov-2004, 20:41

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •