brennanphotoguy
Well-known
I shoot with an M3 and rarely use a meter. When I'm inside I go 4-5 stops down from my outside numbers as a rough guess with decent window or ambient light. It could go up and down based on how bright the room is. Walled off room with overhead lights I'd probably go f/2 @ 1/30th or 1/15th.
radi(c)al_cam
Well-known
Well, many US Americans, even wealthy ones, live in dwellings built from cardboard, erm, I mean gypsum plasterboard, don't they?
I once was in such a house, and I had to sneeze — I don't lie, I raised the roof!
If I would face that «meterless indoor» problem, somewhere in the USA, in such a dwelling, well, I would just sneeze a couple of times, and then we're outdoors — sunny 16 — problem solved
I once was in such a house, and I had to sneeze — I don't lie, I raised the roof!
If I would face that «meterless indoor» problem, somewhere in the USA, in such a dwelling, well, I would just sneeze a couple of times, and then we're outdoors — sunny 16 — problem solved
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
I'm having fun with J-3 on M3 for couple of weeks. Cable tie as focus tab makes huge difference to me. Two weeks ago after long working day, evening I went to kids hospital at night to meet one of our daughters and my wife and get home at 2AM. I used 400 @400 and f1.5 for night streets, Go station, train, parking lot and roads. To my surprise it came out normally exposed.
But I haven't checked yet how much of it is in focus.
narsuitus
Well-known
This recommendation is very close to what I use.
I go down ...
7-stops for bright office
8-stops for average office
9-stops for bright home interior
10-stops for average home interior.
I am not sure exactly where a "nicely lit indoor scene" would fit but I would bracket my exposures to make sure I had something useable.
bayernfan
Well-known
if it's even and typical indoor lighting, 8 stops down from sunny 16 is a good starting point. if it's spotty and uneven, take a few handheld meter readings and memorize them.
sara
Well-known
I've always done:
ISO400, shutter speed 30, f2.8 or lower.
Has worked for me.
ISO400, shutter speed 30, f2.8 or lower.
Has worked for me.
FrankS
Registered User
Agree. Do what works for you. No need to make things any more complicated than that.
gb hill
Veteran
I'm having fun with J-3 on M3 for couple of weeks. Cable tie as focus tab makes huge difference to me. Two weeks ago after long working day, evening I went to kids hospital at night to meet one of our daughters and my wife and get home at 2AM. I used 400 @400 and f1.5 for night streets, Go station, train, parking lot and roads. To my surprise it came out normally exposed.
But I haven't checked yet how much of it is in focus.
I think I will try out the J8 for some night shots. All the Christmas lights uptown are up now & people will be out & about.
I'd love to see some of those shots. Hope the focusing was good for you. If not perhaps artistic focusing.
gb hill
Veteran
I agree with Frank. I need to practice holding a steady hand at those slower speeds. Never been much count under 30th of a second.
sara
Well-known
My photo tutor has always said, 1/30 is the lowest you'd go for handheld wherever, and I've never forgotten this ever
mgilbuena
San Francisco Bay Area
If you'd like to have a light meter always on the ready, and you've got a smart phone, you may consider checking out a lightmeter app. I use Pocket Light Meter on the iPhone. It's handy for tricky indoor lighting situations like you've described.
hendriphile
Well-known
+1
For several years I photographed interiors in a typical university library, and f2.8 at 1/30 with ISO 400 worked consistently. Sometimes the meter indicated 1/60 depending on the proximity of the overhead fluorescent lighting, but 1 stop over never hurt Tri-X.
dmr
Registered Abuser
My photo tutor has always said, 1/30 is the lowest you'd go for handheld wherever, and I've never forgotten this ever
With the RF I can confidently handhold 1/60 (almost) all the time, 1/30 most of the time, 1/15 some of the time, and 1/8 well, uh ...
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I used to be able to always handhold 1/15 of a second with a 35mm camera. After my stroke, I can't do it anymore. For handheld work, I now use a Canon 5DmkII with image stabilized lenses. With that, I can get sharp 1/15 shots if I am careful. Without IS, I sometimes blur shots done at 1/125!