Indoor Photography Advice? (Electro 35)

[Nick]

Hi all. I purchased my Electro 35 several months ago, and to my shame it's been sitting in a closet all this time.

It's now summer in Australia, and there's going to be lots of parties and so forth in the lead up to christmas, not to mention a longer day (more daylight for outdoor shooting).

Anyway, I'm going to be taking my camera to a Design exhibition/opening this evening and wanted some advice on indoor photography. I'm guessing that the location will be lit with overhead fluorescents, and I won't be using a flash.

The two types of photos I will be taking will be of Exhibits and People.

So I'm looking for any recommendations on:
- Film ISO Speed (200 or 400?)
- Camera Settings (good general purpose f-stop?)

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers.

 

[CleverName]

I'd go with 400 iso and see what the meter tells you for the aperture.
If you end up with a wide range of equivelent exposures, (meaning you can move the aperture ring quite a bit before you get an over or under warning.), just pick the one you want based on Depth of Field.
Depending on what kind of exhibits there are DOF might not be much of an issue. But with people you can use it to highlight a person or small group in a crowd with a wide aperture, or get it all in focus with a smaller one.

 

[Frank Granovski]

For indoor lower light colour shooting I like Konica VX400 and for B&W I like Ilford HP5+ (400 asa). The VX has good latitude and works well with mixed lighting. Don't use a filter but use a hood.

 

[DougK]

I think I'd go with black-and-white 400 speed, but that's more a reflection of my current tastes and having grabbed the wrong color film or been filterless one too many times.

 

[Nick]

Thanks guys, I've picked up two B&W rolls, one Ilford XP2 400 and Kodak BW400CN.

Sidenote: If I don't end up using my entire roll this evening, would you recommend :
a) Waiting for another situation that falls into ISO 400 category (low-light) or
b) Finish off the roll in less-than-optimal conditions for the film type (ie, Sunny, outdoors).

 

[Frank Granovski]

Either A or B. Just don't take a bunch of crappy pictures in order to finish up the roll. 😉

 

[Frank Granovski]

Oh, and don't forget to use a yellow filter when shooting outdoors. You will have to adjust your film speed dial to compensate.

 

[Pherdinand]

Shooting one full roll at an event like this should present no problems at all.
But oyu can keep the film for a week or two without problems, Kodak even writes on the box, that it is not necessary to keep the film refrigerated.

I would have suggested that you get a roll of neopan1600 too, and set the ISO dial to 1000, but:
-i'm not sure if you have the original Electro35 or the GSN; the original might not go up to iso1000;
-i'm too late.

 

[kludge]

Don't worry about shooting 400 speed with your Electro 35 in bright light like outdoors... the shutter is good for at least 1/500, so by sunny f/16 rule, you can shoot 400 speed in direct sunlight. This has certainly been my experience - I usually keep HP5 at 400 in mine, and have shot in everything from direct sunlight to after dusk. The meter is accurate for the entire practical range of the camera, too - I even use mine on a tripod for night photography for multi-second exposures. Oh, and don't worry about opening the aperture up - it looks great even at f/1.7.

Seriously, use that camera! You'll be SHOCKED at how stupid good that lens is! And it's fast and quiet with no flash in all sorts of awful lighting conditions, and its color rendition and bokeh are just gorgeous.

 

[RichardS]

Thanks guys, I've picked up two B&W rolls, one Ilford XP2 400 and Kodak BW400CN.

Sidenote: If I don't end up using my entire roll this evening, would you recommend :
a) Waiting for another situation that falls into ISO 400 category (low-light) or
b) Finish off the roll in less-than-optimal conditions for the film type (ie, Sunny, outdoors).

Ilford XP2 is designed to be printed on regular black and white paper, so, unless you are doing your own printing, make certain black and white paper is used. Color paper will give the prints a tint.

Dick