exposure calculator

[TXForester]

If you don't have a meter in your camera, you have several option. Handheld meters are good. The sunny 16 rule is good if you can remember how many stops difference between bright sun and overcast or open shade. 😕 A chart based on sunny 160 (some have been posted here) is good if it is pocket-able and you can still read the print. You can even download a calculator for your pda or smart phone (I'm a Luddite; my phone makes phone calls).

Here is a little calculator you can download and print and it fits in a pocket. Works like a slide rule (you youngsters may need to google that 😀 ). http://expomat.tripod.com/

 

[Tom hicks]

they also have free apps for your phone I use androids photometric

 

[wakarimasen]

From a box of Kodak Ultramax (ASA 400)...

 

[Moriturii]

The best thing you can do is that if you have a hand held meter with you or use your in-camera meter then be very very mindful and notice the exposure for each shot (well, for each different lighting situation/condition. Eventually you can eyeball the exposure pretty accurately after you've done this for a few years because you go "Oh damn, no need to look I remember this damn exposure because I've noticed and done this 1000 times before, it's sunny, no clouds so it's f16 1/125 in direct sunlight" etc 🙂

 

[Leigh Youdale]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned this one - it's a very comprehensive guide and calculator. Might be too big for other than a coat pocket but fits any decent sized camera bag.
<http://www.blackcatphotoproducts.com/guide.html>

 

[Chris101]

... (I'm a Luddite; my phone makes phone calls).
...

Hey, I'm ludditer than you cause my phone has a wire that goes into the wall, and I leave it at home when I go out. 😉 Kids don't even know what I'm talking about.

I also still have the Kodak Pocket Photoguide (Kodak publication no. AR-21) that has four or five colorful calculator wheels to help you set your camera. It stays in my camera bag for the most part. It's mostly a novelty these days.

 

[reagan]

I read an article online a few nites ago about the Hasselblads that went to the moon ... and thought about this thread. (can't remember where the article was now) But the section that stuck with me said:

"Due to the bulkiness of the camera and large gloves the crew wore meant that the camera designers had to make overly-large buttons and the trigger was located under the camera for easy use. The guidelines were printed on the top of the Hasselblad film magazines. The shutter speed was 1/250, and the f-stop recommendations were ƒ/5.6 for objects in shadow and ƒ/11 for objects in the sun. For focusing the camera, they used distance to calculate where to focus and the camera had three simple settings to judge the distance: near, medium and far. While not as good as common auto-focus cameras of today, it seemed to suit the needs of the astronauts well."

Can it be that easy?

 

[FrankS]

I read an article online a few nites ago about the Hasselblads that went to the moon ... and thought about this thread. (can't remember where the article was now) But the section that stuck with me said:

Can it be that easy?

It's a little easier on the moon because there is never any cloud cover.😛

 

[rbsinto]

If you don't have a meter in your camera, you have several option. Handheld meters are good. The sunny 16 rule is good if you can remember how many stops difference between bright sun and overcast or open shade. 😕 A chart based on sunny 160 (some have been posted here) is good if it is pocket-able and you can still read the print. You can even download a calculator for your pda or smart phone (I'm a Luddite; my phone makes phone calls).

Here is a little calculator you can download and print and it fits in a pocket. Works like a slide rule (you youngsters may need to google that 😀 ). http://expomat.tripod.com/

Seeing this little table reminded me that back in the late 1970's or early 1980's, I purchased a plasticized chart with a built in calculator wheel called a Harris Memory Meter. It was essentially an extension of the f16 Rule Exposure table that included generalized exposure values for nighttime and indoor venues. It was surprisingly accurate and very handy. I got it through an ad in Petersen's Photographic Magazine for $6.00 US.
I've still got mine, but I don't believe it is still available for sale anywhere, although a Google Search did turn up an article on the Harris Memory Meter that can be purchased, and perhaps its fundamentals are included in the article.

 

[KenR]

I've never understood the -1 stop for sand or snow photos. Doesn't that make the shadows even harsher? Don't you really want to decrease the development to keep the shadows but not blow out the highlights? (zone system adherents please comment).

 

[reagan]

It's a little easier on the moon because there is never any cloud cover.😛

ehhh, you were just there on a clear day. 😛

But it challenged me to experiment with hyper-simplifying my own exposure chart, along the lines of wakarimasen's UltraMax box. One speed / three f-stops. I'll get back later with my results.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I've never understood the -1 stop for sand or snow photos. Doesn't that make the shadows even harsher? Don't you really want to decrease the development to keep the shadows but not blow out the highlights? (zone system adherents please comment).

Those "tables" or general guides don't consider different development times depending on scene's contrast... They just think of the "amount" of light reaching film... When they talk about bright sun on snow or sand, they mean bright sun on scenes where white/very reflective surfaces can make the film receive even more light than on a more normal bright sun scene just because of added reflected/bounced light... They don't worry about how clean or not your shadows will be after you develop: they just try to help you not blow your highlights, especially if instead of small highlights here and there, huge parts of your images are enormous white/clear shining surfaces...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Roger Hicks]

I've always found that if I can remember to carry an exposure calculator, I can remember to carry an exposure meter...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Bob Michaels]

When did Kodak STOP printing the exposure chart on the inside of film boxes? It was not that long ago that I realized they were missing now.

 

[Richard G]

I have one last Kodacolor film box end in my bathroom cupboard. It's certainly not ten years old. I should photograph it and put the image in my photography tools section of my iPhone. Then if I do forget my light meter......

 

[reagan]

"Aperture is only for depth of field, not light control."
- Peter Karbe, September 2010 (on how to use the 50mm Noctilux-M ASPH f/0.95 lens)

Whew! Thank God. One less thing to fret & putz with.