At 12:04 PM 3/18/2008, Thor Legvold wrote: > >I've *never* tried shooting without a meter (maybe once or twice in >B&W years ago), and had no system to go by, and had slide film >(Provia 100) in the camera. So I wasn't expecting anything special at >all. Thor Now, I DO wish Bob Shell was still among our=20 number, as he and I used to argue over chromes=20 (slide film) which he insisted required an=20 exposure within 1/3 of a stop. In general terms,=20 with modern emulsions, you certainly can go three=20 or four stops up and two stops down with=20 black-and-white and at least two up and two down=20 with C-41 and still get a decent print, though=20 C-41 emulsions may show some color shift at two=20 stops off-base. The normal view, pace Bob, is=20 that chromes will accommodate one stop up and one=20 down and still produce a printable (Ilfochrome or=20 the like) if not a projectable image. Despite=20 this, Bob always swore by chromes and always=20 struggled to reach his 1/3 of a stop accuracy. I=20 said then that this was so much pomposity and I feel so today. There are several pointers to bear in mind. For daylight work, the "sunny 16" rule is worthy=20 of consideration, even with slide films: in=20 bright sun and open scenes (no shade on the=20 subject), set the camera at f/16 with the speed=20 at the reciprocal of the film speed. Thus, with=20 Provia, this would work out to f/16 at=20 1/125". Check it out with a meter. It=20 works. You reduce as the light declines, either=20 through overcast or through evening or morning=20 low-light conditions. Work with this and develop=20 some experience, as the good old Mark I eyeball=20 is misleading: we see the scene an hour after=20 sunrise as equally as bright as it will be at=20 noon, but, then, we also have an f/stop mechanism=20 in our eyes, so we really have to train ourselves. For daylight work, selenium meters more closely=20 match the response pattern of modern emulsions=20 than do other metering systems such as CdS or SPD=20 or Gallium Arsenide. For daylight work, use a=20 selenium meter and train yourself in the sunny 16=20 rule. The two deathlessly accurate meters in=20 modern cameras are those in the second version of=20 the Leica M6 and in the Rolleiflex 2.8GX or FX,=20 and these can also serve as worthy training aids,=20 though, for daylight uses, a Weston 715 will do you better. For indoor work, a CdS or later meter is mandated=20 as these are more sensitive. I regularly shoot chromes with my Contax II=20 without resort to a lightmeter and most shots=20 generally come out as capable of projection. Marc msmall@xxxxxxxxxxxx Cha robh b=E0s fir gun ghr=E0s fir! --- Rollei List - Post to rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - Subscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'subscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Unsubscribe at rollei_list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the subject field OR by logging into www.freelists.org - Online, searchable archives are available at //www.freelists.org/archives/rollei_list