# Exposure cheat sheet needed.



## domromer (Feb 8, 2008)

I'm taking my unmetered rolleicord out for the first time tomorrow and need a exposure cheat sheet. 

I've borrowed an incident meter and have been comparing the exposure against my D80's meter and I keep getting wildly different results. So I thought a backup might be a good idea.

Anyone know where I could find a cheat sheet online to print out? I googled it but didn't find much.


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## adolan20 (Feb 8, 2008)

http://www.woodshirecreations.com/Download/EV Exposure Cheatsheet.pdf

What about that one? It isn't the simplest and most thorough but it may help you out.


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## domromer (Feb 8, 2008)

Wow that is complicated. I have no idea what most of that means!


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## adolan20 (Feb 8, 2008)

Haha I found a couple online but they are all rather elaborate and complicated, if you'd like I can post them.


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## chris (Feb 9, 2008)

There should be a basic exposure guide on the film packet.


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## Helen B (Feb 9, 2008)

Which incident meter did you borrow? Could you give us an example of how it is differing from your D80.

Here's a link to the Expo-Mat. It's marked incorrectly in EV, but if you disregard that it is OK.

Best,
Helen


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## ann (Feb 9, 2008)

google sunny 16 rule, it is very simple and works.


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## leila (Feb 9, 2008)

ann said:


> google sunny 16 rule, it is very simple and works.




*Sunny 16 rule*

*From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia*

                                                  Jump to: navigation, search
                          For the EP by Ben Folds, see Sunny 16 (EP)
  In photography, the *sunny 16 rule* (or, less often, the "*sunny [FONT=Georgia,serif]f/[/FONT]16 rule*") is a method to estimate correct daylight exposures without using a light meter.
 The basic sunny 16 rule, applicable on a sunny day, is this:
Set aperture to [FONT=Georgia,serif]_f/_[/FONT]16 and shutter speed (reciprocal seconds) to ISO film speed.
For example, for ISO 100 film, choose shutter speed of 1/100 second (or 1/125 second)
 The elaborated form of the sunny 16 rule for more general situations is:
Set the shutter speed to the setting nearest to the ISO film speed
Set the f-number according to the table below:
Aperture Lighting Conditions Shadow Detail   [FONT=Georgia,serif]_
f/_[/FONT]16 Sunny Distinct   [FONT=Georgia,serif]_
f/_[/FONT]11 Slight Overcast Soft around edges   [FONT=Georgia,serif]_
f/_[/FONT]8 Overcast Barely visible   [FONT=Georgia,serif]_
f/_[/FONT]5.6 Heavy Overcast No shadows   
[FONT=Georgia,serif]_f/_[/FONT]4 Sunset   

[1]  For example, to shoot ISO 100 film in sunny conditions, set the shutter speed to 1/100 or 1/125 and the f-stop to [FONT=Georgia,serif]_f/_[/FONT]16. With ISO 200 film, set the speed to 1/200 or 1/250. For ISO 400 film, 1/400 or 1/500. As with other light readings, the shutter speed can be changed, as long as the f-number is compensated. For example, 1/250th of a second at [FONT=Georgia,serif]_f/_[/FONT]11 would be equivalent to 1/125th at [FONT=Georgia,serif]_f/_[/FONT]16.


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## leila (Feb 9, 2008)

ann said:


> google sunny 16 rule, it is very simple and works.




found this:








http://www.photokaboom.com/photography/learn/tips/054a_exposure_sunny_16.htm


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## domromer (Feb 9, 2008)

Hey thanks for all the replies. Last night I found what I needed. What do you know it was in my class notes!! Maybe I should read my own stuff sometimes. 

I kept finding sunny f16, but what I really needed was soggy oregon winter day!

Which my notes list as 3 stops under. 

I'll scan the print out and post it here later.


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## domromer (Feb 9, 2008)

leila said:


> found this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



This is just what I needed thank you!


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## domromer (Feb 9, 2008)

Helen B said:


> Which incident meter did you borrow? Could you give us an example of how it is differing from your D80.
> 
> Here's a link to the Expo-Mat. It's marked incorrectly in EV, but if you disregard that it is OK.
> 
> ...



After reading the manual it seems the mistake was that I was pointing the dome more at the sky and not at my subject or back towards lens. Will see if it works better today.

I read the zuckerman book on exposure so I think I'll do better today.

I hope so, I'm shooting chromes in a 58 year old camera!


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## RacePhoto (Feb 9, 2008)

domromer said:


> Wow that is complicated. I have no idea what most of that means!



Sure it looks that way, but once you understand what each section means and does, it's really very nice and simple. (he said simple?)

It really takes into account, multiple lighting factors, which is correct, but for someone just starting, the basics come first. Print the page, and follow along.

Read and then ignore: Shutter Speeds and Clear Photos - which explains the slowest you can shoot, hand held. Table 1, adjustments for color temperature K. Exposure compensation meter, which just warns you that these subjects are not "normal" contrast and lighting.

Now you have just three boxes to deal with. See the instructions in the center?

1) Determine the light level, using the table in the lower left hand corner. For my example, I picked an easy one. *13* - Typical Daylight open shadows.

2) What is your film speed? 100, no adjustment, but since that would be too easy and not explain anything, lets use 400 film. You look in the EV to LV adjustment box, center left. 400 is *+2* over the base number of 100 film. Typical Daylight = *15* for this film

3) Look at the box on the top. Find the diagonal that reads 15, 15, 15, 15... Pick any Aperture and Shutter speed, that intersects at #15 and you have your exposure.

But maybe you don't want to do that, because you want to have a deep depth of field. So you pick f/16 on the left side, move your finger across the row until you find #15. Look up on top, it says 1/125th. There you are.

Maybe you are shooting something that moves, so that would be too slow. You pick 1/500th up on the top, move your finger down the column until you find 15. Look on the Left, it says f/8. There you are.

That's it. 1-2-3

Find the Lighting LV
Adjust for the film speed EV
Select your settings to match the type of shot.

Shoot!


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## domromer (Feb 9, 2008)

RacePhoto said:


> Sure it looks that way, but once you understand what each section means and does, it's really very nice and simple. (he said simple?)
> 
> It really takes into account, multiple lighting factors, which is correct, but for someone just starting, the basics come first. Print the page, and follow along.
> 
> ...




Hey thanks for the breakdown. When I get back home I'll dive in and figure it all out.


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## domromer (Feb 10, 2008)

domromer said:


> Hey thanks for the breakdown. When I get back home I'll dive in and figure it all out.



So today I figured it all out. It's actually  a cool system. I need to calibrate myself as to what is heavy overcast and what is light overcast. I kept guessing darker than it actually is. I tested it on my digital and took some shots with it on my rolleicord. We'll see tomorrow if I'm right. I think I'm going to laminate it.


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## thepaulreid (Nov 18, 2011)

RacePhoto said:


> domromer said:
> 
> 
> > Wow that is complicated. I have no idea what most of that means!
> ...



Thanks for taking the time to explain this. I WILL USE IT! and will be proud to be my own light meter! Then I guess it is a case of making adjustments based on my camera...I assume all cameras expose differently at a given aperture and shutter speed. Thanks.


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## clanthar (Nov 18, 2011)

This one's off the back of a vintage Rolleiflex --  go authentic. The pictures on top are "scene modes" and the two rows on the bottom are your exposure comp.

Joe


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## ann (Nov 19, 2011)

the sunny 16 "rule" does not mean, just bright days, one can just adjust the settings for other lighting conditions.

At one time, Kodak, placed that information on the inside of the film box. I.e. overcast days would be f4, open shade 5.6, etc.


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## KmH (Nov 19, 2011)

Thanks for digging up the 3.5 year old thread.


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## thepaulreid (Nov 19, 2011)

clanthar said:


> This one's off the back of a vintage Rolleiflex --  go authentic. The pictures on top are "scene modes" and the two rows on the bottom are your exposure comp.
> 
> Joe



Thanks Joe. This is on the back of my Rolleicord, but with the case I cannot see it!  I am a little unsure about how this works with the Rolleicord camera -my wife has wrapped it for christmas so I cannot play with it. For example, say I am shooting a snow scene (top left pic on the chart) I have ISO200 film, so I set the EV dial to 17, then I assume that as the speed and aperture are 'cross-linked', the right-hand dials will give me fixed combinations of aperture and shutter speed -all of which will result in the same -correct- exposure?? OR, do I have a range of all shutter speeds and apertures regardless of EV chosen?

Can you explain how it works??? Thanks!  Paul


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## clanthar (Nov 19, 2011)

Elsewhere in this thread folks mentioned the sunny 16 rule. A scene lit by direct sunlight is properly exposed at f/16 and 1/ISO sec. For an ISO 400 speed film that would be EV 17.

On the chart on the camera back the second vertical column of pictures is full sun; follow that column down to the ISO (ASA) 400 row and you'll see 17. That's EV 17. Adjust your camera to any shutter speed + f/stop combination that is EV 17 and you've got correct exposure for that sunny condition. The EV 17 combinations are:

f/32 and 1/125
f/22 and 1/250
f/16 and 1/500
f/11 and 1/1000
f/8  and 1/2000
etc.

Given your specific camera, an EV 17 exposure would limit you to only two possible combinations.

Back to the chart: 4th column from the left the pictures are open shade. The EV for the ISO (ASA) 400 row is 15. The EV 15 combinations are:

f/32 and 1/30
f/22 and 1/60
f/16 and 1/125
f/11 and 1/250
f/8  and 1/500
f/5.6 and 1/1000
etc.

I like to shoot with my pocket Retina IIC from the same era which likewise has no meter and does have a locking EV scale. I've learned to think about the changes in outdoor light as -x from full sun. I know the full sun EV for the film I'm using and then I just subtract as needed for the light condition. With practice you can get pretty good.

Joe


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## thepaulreid (Nov 19, 2011)

Hi Joe, Thanks for the explanation. I 100% get it now   I can't wait to get shooting after xmas. I am thinking about going with black and white first....!? Or maybe colour...who knows!  Do you know what the difference is between Colour film and colour slide film?  I want to self develop my film and then scan the negatives.

Cheers

Paul


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## GooniesNeverSayDie11 (Nov 21, 2011)

read this page and it may be of use to you...... Sunny 16: An Old Rule for a New Age « Seeing The Light


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## thepaulreid (Nov 21, 2011)

Will give it a look -thnks!


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