Let's collect rules of thumb

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Woody Campbell

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So I started life photography-wise shooting tri-X on a double stroke M3 (this was a long time ago - reality TV hadn't been invented and there were no ipods). I spent money on lenses, so I couldn't afford a light meter. So I used the "sunny f16 rule" to estimate exposure. It's actually not a rule but a set of rules (you need to know what to do in non-sunny situations), but it served me surprisingly well. Here's a link to a summary: http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm, one of many on the web.

After years of Canon 1DsII and its ilk I find myself sitting here with a Bessa R2A and a bunch of newly-acquired Leica glass (this is my ramp up for the M8). I'm having a ball. I've run a dozen or so rolls of Delta 400 through this thing, exposure set on manual. Did I say that I'm having a ball?

Here's my questions: for us newby (actually born again) manual shooters, what other rules of thumb are there? Cities at night? Interiors? Sporting events? Stop action? Don't stop action? Bars? Clubs?

Your contributions (or interesting links) would be very welcome.

Thanks.
 
Night-time shots of a brightly-light big city skyline: f8 & 8 seconds on 100ASA film (E100VS, so film with different reciprocity failure characteristics may need an adjustment).
I did that many years ago while in Hong Kong skyline with an old Zeiss Ikon Contessamat, whose selenium meter wouldn't have worked in that kind of situation anyway. I bracketed a bit (4s., 16 s. and 32 s.), but the 8 seconds seemed to produce the most consistent results with E100VS. The f8 was "dictated" by the Tessar lens on it...
 
I used to do fashion using a 300mm f4, wide open in sun (against the light) at 1/1000 hand held using fuji 100 ISO transparency film. Always worked fine.

edit - I don't recommend using a 300mm on a rangefinder!
 
1/50 when shooting street with 50mm, if you want aesthetic motion blur on people walking across the frame.
 
I have noticed a few rules in my shooting over the years:

1. Any frame that is accidentally damaged on a roll of film will always contain the best photo of that roll.

2. Fleeting golden photo oppurtunities can be created by pressing the re-wind button and beginning to re-wind your exhausted roll of film.

3. The worst proof from a portrait session (and the one you would burn before showing to any one) will always be your biggest seller.

4. Unbelievably beautiful double rainbows appear in the sky on the day you have decided to carry only one camera, one lens and one b&w film.

5. Camera straps only break when you have your most expensive lens attached to the camera body.


I am sure there are others.

Wayne
 
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