Sunny 16 and what else?

I got this Olympus RC and I'm really tempted to use it without
bothering with the battery replacement and as thus it'll be a fully
manual camera. The film I'll be using is a fuji superia xtra either
400 or 100.

How reliable is the sunny 16 rule? What about taking photographs
indoors in available light without flash, are there any thumb rules
that could be of help?

What should i look up? i don't really want to use any lightmeters as
they're big and/or expensive.

OK... i found this...

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epa...n/AF3-009E.pdf

Has anyone found this reliable to use without a lightmeter? I understand this
is only an approximation, but how well does it work?

How reliable is the sunny 16 rule? What about taking photographs
indoors in available light without flash, are there any thumb rules
that could be of help? BRBR


The sunny 16 rule is generally good. But remember, it is best with films of
high latitude like black and white and color negative. I wouldn't suggest it
for color transparencies. Remember that it is for really sunny conditions.
Some say that sunny-11 is better.

Indoors in quite another story. Lighting indoors can vary so much that it is
impossible to define a standard rule that will work effectively. One minor
rule that I use as a departure point I learned many years ago and it seems to
hold true to this day,--in a classroom lighting situation (i.e., fluorescently
lighted, and quite well) the settings for Tri-X (400 ISO) should be f/5.6 and
1/60 sec. Obviously, if your lighting appears less than a classroom or
brighter (that's doubtful) you must tailor your exposure accordingly.

Good luck!

Dan Lindsay
Santa Barbara

(Sabineellen) wrote:


OK... i found this...

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epa...n/AF3-009E.pdf

Has anyone found this reliable to use without a lightmeter? I understand this
is only an approximation, but how well does it work?



Why are you replying to your own posts, Mike?

or is it "Sabineellen" this time?

"Sabineellen" wrote in message
...

OK... i found this...

http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epa...n/AF3-009E.pdf

Has anyone found this reliable to use without a lightmeter? I understand
this
is only an approximation, but how well does it work?


It works better if you bracket your shots.

Patrick

"Mike Henley" wrote in message
om...
I got this Olympus RC and I'm really tempted to use it without
bothering with the battery replacement and as thus it'll be a fully
manual camera. The film I'll be using is a fuji superia xtra either
400 or 100.

How reliable is the sunny 16 rule? What about taking photographs
indoors in available light without flash, are there any thumb rules
that could be of help?

Rule # 1: Stick to the same film, Rule # 2: With CN film expose for the
shadows. CN film can be wildly over exposed and still printable, and the
darker it gets the more room for error. I go to a colonial restoration
frequently and 5.6 @ 1/15 pretty much does everything indoors with Tri-X or
HP-5, but it's a pretty gloomy place and I still use a meter. Most of these
are from there over the years. www.Pbase.com/bobhickey/galleries

"Mike Henley" wrote:

I got this Olympus RC and I'm really tempted to use it without
bothering with the battery replacement and as thus it'll be a fully
manual camera. The film I'll be using is a fuji superia xtra either
400 or 100.

How reliable is the sunny 16 rule? What about taking photographs
indoors in available light without flash, are there any thumb rules
that could be of help?

What should i look up? i don't really want to use any lightmeters as
they're big and/or expensive.

You'll save money on film in the long run (and get better images) by buying
a cheap meter (e.g. Sekonic twinmate L-208, which is neither big nor
expensive) and learning how to use it.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

Mike Henley wrote:
I got this Olympus RC and I'm really tempted to use it without
bothering with the battery replacement and as thus it'll be a fully
manual camera. The film I'll be using is a fuji superia xtra either
400 or 100.

How reliable is the sunny 16 rule?

The sunny f/16 rule is very reliable for conditions where it
applies: at least two hours after sunrise or before sunset,
and under bright sky conditions. It is pretty much useless
in early morning, late evening or under grey skies.

What about taking photographs
indoors in available light without flash, are there any thumb rules
that could be of help?

For Tri-X or HP-5, average fluorescent lighting is 1/30 at f/4.
Bright incandescent lighting is around 1/30 at f/2, average
incandescent lighting is a stop or two worse.

It is much better to have a meter. One of the best techniques
when doing candids by available light is to meter the room
before you start shooting.

What should i look up? i don't really want to use any lightmeters as
they're big and/or expensive.

David's suggestion of the Sekonic L-208 twinmate is good. I have
that meter and I like it a lot. The price has come down since I got
mine. I also like my Sverdlovsk-2, which is a little bulkier and
doesn't do incident measurements, but it was cheap and it agrees
almost perfectly with the Sekonic.

Peter.
--

Peter Irwin wrote:

The sunny f/16 rule is very reliable for conditions where it
applies: at least two hours after sunrise or before sunset,
and under bright sky conditions. It is pretty much useless
in early morning, late evening or under grey skies.


As you are making definitive statements about this "rule", and you
seem to think you know how it operates, perhaps you can tell me why it
doesn't work in the UK, where "sunny f/11" is a better approximation?

TP said...


As you are making definitive statements about this "rule", and you
seem to think you know how it operates,

TP... I find you rude and obnoxious... I hereby formally declare you a persona
non grata to my posts