kshapero
South Florida Man

Taken at night with my Leica M3 and Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.4 lens. I used no meter, either internal or external. as the M3 is a meterless camera so I am pretty pleased with my exposure "guess".
rogerzilla
Well-known
For one horrible moment I thought this was going to be one of those "reflectoporn" classified ads!
kshapero
South Florida Man
I give up, what is that?For one horrible moment I thought this was going to be one of those "reflectoporn" classified ads!
Chris101
summicronia
How did you guess Akiva? Based on previous experience, or a table or ... ? I can guess pretty well outdoors, but inside, the actual brightness of artificial light confuses me, as I tend to make it all the same. ISO 1600, 1/60 @ f/2.8 is my usual indoor guess, and it only works about 1/4 to 1/3 of the time.
kshapero
South Florida Man
I went with f2 at 1/15 sec shot with 800 ISO film pulled to 400 ISO. Guessed from experience and the hope that C41 film would give me a little leeway. BTW it was an engagement party. Pretty happy girl, eh?
rbiemer
Unabashed Amateur
I give up, what is that?
There have been ebay ads with, for example, some one selling a nice shiny toaster and they are seen--in the reflection--to be wearing only a camera.
There was (maybe still is?) a web site dedicated to collecting those ebay photos and sharing them with the world.
I like the photo. And how the blonde woman on the left is almost wearing a hat.
Rob
raytoei@gmail.com
Veteran
batterytypehah!
Lord of the Dings
I need to work on this. My usual MO is 1/15 (1/10 when I'm feeling really steady), wide open, and hope for the best...
dave lackey
Veteran
See? I told you so.... cool ain't it?


back alley
IMAGES
not really naked...more like commando!
kshapero
South Florida Man
Ha, I did not notice that. And I will watch out for those toasters.There have been ebay ads with, for example, some one selling a nice shiny toaster and they are seen--in the reflection--to be wearing only a camera.
There was (maybe still is?) a web site dedicated to collecting those ebay photos and sharing them with the world.
I like the photo. And how the blonde woman on the left is almost wearing a hat.
Rob
kshapero
South Florida Man
Dave, it is a feeling like no other I have had in all my years. Nailing it based on feel, just awesome!! Thanks for the encouragement.See? I told you so.... cool ain't it?![]()
kshapero
South Florida Man
LOL, love the new avatar Joe.not really naked...more like commando!
back alley
IMAGES
it's my grandfather...
NLewis
Established
1/15 at f/2 and ISO400 is LV4. That's exactly what I would have guessed based on the lighting I see in that room.
It's not that difficult.
Basically, for indoors with no window light, it's:
LV5: bright interior. Well lit, but not floodlit like an indoor soccer game.
LV4: interior with dim corners. Typical nighttime living room.
LV3: Getting hard to read.
LV2: Downright dim.
Actually, to some degree we expect dim light to look dim (i.e. Zone 4 or Zone 3) when shot on film, so even if you are at LV2 you can shoot around LV4. Then it will look dim but the highlights (people's faces hopefully) would be around Zone 5.
In some ways it is actually easier to guess nighttime interior light because our eyes don't adjust that much. Dark looks dark. When outside, bright sun overcast light looks about the same because our pupils contract.
It's not that difficult.
Basically, for indoors with no window light, it's:
LV5: bright interior. Well lit, but not floodlit like an indoor soccer game.
LV4: interior with dim corners. Typical nighttime living room.
LV3: Getting hard to read.
LV2: Downright dim.
Actually, to some degree we expect dim light to look dim (i.e. Zone 4 or Zone 3) when shot on film, so even if you are at LV2 you can shoot around LV4. Then it will look dim but the highlights (people's faces hopefully) would be around Zone 5.
In some ways it is actually easier to guess nighttime interior light because our eyes don't adjust that much. Dark looks dark. When outside, bright sun overcast light looks about the same because our pupils contract.
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Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
More like 'unplugged ... the acoustic version!' 
kshapero
South Florida Man
Nice add Nlewis. BTW this also confirms using a 35mm lens with the M3 as this is an uncropped shot.
cnphoto
Well-known
i do this when shooting bands all of the time. eye-ball the light intensity, use a fast enoug shutter speed to mostly stop movement and then extend my developing time in a low dilutions with minimal agitation so I don't add any unneccesary contrast and lift the lower mids and shadows a touch - works like a charm 
it's a good feeling to see those negatives as they come off of the spool and know the photographs (at least exposure wise) are good.
it's a good feeling to see those negatives as they come off of the spool and know the photographs (at least exposure wise) are good.
paulfish4570
Veteran
way to go Akiva. i'm shooting my r2m nekkid of meter batteries. it is good to learn the light ... 
FrankS
Registered User
It's like the desperate Hail-Mary pass in football. Open up as far as the lens goes and use as slow a speed as you think you can hold steady and just go for it!
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