[rollei_list] Re: Meters and Film - determining exposure index - and more!
- From: John Wild <jwild@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:42:45 +0100
Hi Eric,
(Smiling) Agreed, but then there is always the opportunity to alter
development times with reference to the previous test to allow for better
highlight/shadow rendition in a particular instance. But.... with a roll of
film, all frames have to be shot under the same conditions, unless the
photographer can either accept that some frames will always not be as to
his/her wishes or alternatively be prepared to chop the film up into little
pieces and develop sections for different times. So, for best rendition the
options must still be: large format & individual sheets; MF and
interchangeable backs using a different back for each lighting situation,
then to develop the when roll is finished (a Rollei 2000/3000 offers this
for 35mm); expose somewhere in the 'middle'; leave it to the camera to sort
out or dare I say it; go digital and check the histogram after each
exposure, which, I believe is going back to a previous thread. ;-) Even
then, the sensor can't record it all so you'd have to make a number of
differing exposures and use some HDR software like 'Photomatix'......
........WTH, why don't we just give up photography and take up painting,
that way we can make sure the full tonal range is displayed with detail. We
can then criticise each others brush strokes instead. ;-)))
One of my nieces paints pet portraits. She takes a snap, goes home and
paints the subject without any background to interfere. Lovely paintings.
In the 'olden days' everyone trusted to luck and hoped they'd got it right.
I have lost many great (or at least I reckon I have) shots by trying to
adjust the camera or waiting for a 'better' scenario rather than just
pressing the shutter and hoping that the camera settings were OK.
Many great images are not perfectly exposed nor focused but they 'caught the
moment'
I've often wondered how some photographs must have been made: shutter speed
nearest to ASA, F11 for bright cloudy (or what ever), focus at hyperfocal
distance and 'quick on the draw'? Either that or it was a 'set-up'. Of
course, they were using B&W with greater latitude anyway.
Photography is a great medium; it can be simple or it can be as complex as
anyone wants to make it. At the end of the day, does the photograph 'work'
or not; are we pleased with our creation or not? It's so easy to to snap
away but it's difficult to come up with something original and good. But
when it's right........ :-)))
In fact all this brings to mind another gripe of mine with regard to
digital/digitised photos. More often than not the 'artist' has either used
HDR to such an extent that the print looks unreal, displaying detail at all
levels or that it has been so manipulated that it looks more like a painting
anyway.
Have a great weekend....
John
On 04/09/2009 15:30, "Eric Goldstein" <egoldste@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> On Sep 4, 2009, at 5:55 AM, John Wild wrote: (snipped)
>
>>> I have found that with that combination, an incident reading puts tones
>>> equally on the curve. However, really bright highlights and deep shadows
>>> will not register.
>
> Hi John -
>
> Thanks for passing the results of your tests along.
>
> Relative to distribution of tones and our previous discussion... an
> equal distribution will only occur if your scene happens to have an
> equal distribution of tones around middle gray. As the proponents of
> incident metering have been pointing out, this method of metering
> yields so-called "accurate" tonal rendering (a misnomer), meaning that
> a low-key scene will be rendered low key and a high key scene will be
> rendered high key.
>
> As you note, any reflectance in the scene which is beyond the contrast
> range of the film will not be placed in a usable/printable/viewable
> portion of the film using this type of metering. Typical reflectance
> metering (not spot metering) will place the contrast in a distribution
> around middle gray regardless of the lighting conditions. A low-key
> scene will be rendered middle gray, and a high key scene will be
> rendered middle gray.
>
>
> Eric Goldstein
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