wikiHow on film exposure

[jaffa_777]

Hey check this out,

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Good-Exposure

I certainly agree for most parts on the print and slide film instructions, but it's the B&W instructions that have got me bewidered. I am still learning film but is this for real?

Quote

If you are using black and white film, things get a bit tricky. Firstly, do not expose it as you would print film. You will get a very contrasty, hard to print negative. So, set your exposure compensation to underexpose the film by two stops. Again, you could also change the ISO setting, in this case you would multiply the suggested ISO by four, so if you have 400 speed film you would set the ISO to 1600. Next, meter for the darkest portion of your image and follow that reading. A center-weighted meter tends to work best for this.

Would this work?

 

[Finder]

Hey check this out,

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Good-Exposure

I certainly agree for most parts on the print and slide film instructions, but it's the B&W instructions that have got me bewidered. I am still learning film but is this for real?

Quote

If you are using black and white film, things get a bit tricky. Firstly, do not expose it as you would print film. You will get a very contrasty, hard to print negative. So, set your exposure compensation to underexpose the film by two stops. Again, you could also change the ISO setting, in this case you would multiply the suggested ISO by four, so if you have 400 speed film you would set the ISO to 1600. Next, meter for the darkest portion of your image and follow that reading. A center-weighted meter tends to work best for this.

Would this work?

NO!!!

It is a bunch of balony - so is the advice for color print film. All exposures are in reference to film speed. Unless your developer or camera system requires compensation, expose at the rated speed.

 

[markinlondon]

It's a half-bottomed attempt at Zone System shadow metering. I'd hate to see the results.

 

[titrisol]

DDDUUUDDEEE!!!
underexpose by 2 stops!!
is this guy nuts?

One of the first thing I learned was "do not underexpose, do not overdelop"
While I have broken this "rule" many times by choice, it usually renders negatives that are easy to print

 

[MartinP]

It looks as though someone clueless has written a first-draft article, which will then be corrected and expanded by those who are marginally less clueless and/or considerably more opinionated. The classic Wiki development cycle unfortunately.

 

[EmilGil]

DDDUUUDDEEE!!!
underexpose by 2 stops!!
is this guy nuts?

One of the first thing I learned was "do not underexpose, do not overdelop"
While I have broken this "rule" many times by choice, it usually renders negatives that are easy to print

It's correct, if the metering is done correctly (but I wouldn't use centre-weighted metering as suggested by the author).

It's common advice to spot meter the darkest part of the image where you want to retain detail and expose two stops less. (Zonies refer to this as placing the shadows in Zone III.) By calculating the contrast of the scene, a correct development can be deduced. Normal development with a five stops brightness range; more dev with less BR, less dev with more BR.

His B/W development advice is completely off the charts though, as is his slide exposure advice. His slides will be very, very grey...