Noob question: Understanding Exposure Meter in Canon F-1

Hello,

First time film user and have been googling and googling but thought maybe someone else can explain it in terms I would better understand.

So I have the canon f-1. The 1971 version. And I'm trying to understand how to expose so that not all of my first roll is too dark or too blurry from a slow shutter speed.

As I was testing it last night on 100 film speed in my bedroom, I had to be around 8 shutter speed for it to leave the under-exposed section on the meter. That doesn't seem very quick and seems like that will create blurry photos handheld won't it?

Is it just because I am on 100 iso basically I was having troubles leaving the under-exposed section of the meter?

I guess I also get confused as to why the aperture circle and the shutter needle need to line up. On digital you could have a faster shutter speed and then just go f 1.2 to compensate. What happens when they don't line up?

Like I said, I just got this kit (which has so much stuff in it. Whoever sold it was really into photography and I would love to post some pics of the gear and see what it does and have that explained. Because there really is a LOT of stuff!)

And I have been watching videos and reading articles, but being able to have a conversation and continue to ask questions is pretty helpful to me.

ISO100 in your bedroom isn't going to make it easy to get good exposures. Try the same on a DSLR if you have one.

Yes, for almost anyone, 1/8 second exposure is going to result in blurry prints. If you are playing with the camera at night, in your bedroom, try pointing it at the TV (filling the frame) or a lamp to get an idea of how the meter works.

The aperture circle is a mechanical link to the aperture ring on the lens. It's the needle that measures the light. When the needle reaches the circle, the shutter speed is at a value that will allow the film to be exposed sufficiently at the aperture that you have set. When the two are not lined up, you can move either the shutter speed dial OR the aperture ring until they are lined up. You have the option of putting faster film in the camera as well, but unlike the digital world, you don't want to do that from shot to shot.

I agree that 1/8s indoors at night with ISO 100 film is not totally unreasonable-even with an f/1.2 lens you'll struggle to get a hand-holdable shutter speed with the ISO set that low.

It's why back in the film days, we would do things like push Tri-X to EI 3200, or use the slightly less awful TMAX P3200/Ilford Delta 3200 for the same thing. With modern DSLRs, 3200 usually doesn't come with too much of a quality hit. If we had to have color, we'd use stuff like Fuji Superia Xtra 1600, but indoors you'd need a color correction filter that eats up light, or alternatively use flash for indoors provided that the conditions were such that it was possible and not a nuisance.

BTW, just remember that the darker rectangle in the center of the viewfinder is the metering area in your camera. This is what's known as a "partial" meter. It can be very useful, but has to be used with care and with some regard as to where you're pointing it.

Hello,

 

 

I guess I also get confused as to why the aperture circle and the shutter needle need to line up. On digital you could have a faster shutter speed and then just go f 1.2 to compensate. What happens when they don't line up?

You have to remember that an F1 (from 1971) is a manual camera. Unless you have the servo finder, the camera won't make any decisions for you. "On a digital camera . . . " Forget about how a digital works. With the F1, you do the focusing, you set the aperture, you set the shutter speed. If you don't already have one, go to: http://www.cameramanuals.org/canon_pdf/canon_f-1-original.pdf, andnread through it.

If I were going to check out the accuracy of the meter, my first check would be to point it out the window on a bright sunny day and see if with ASA 100 the exposure come out at something like 1/125th and f 11. Of course you can compare it to your digital, too.

Lining up the circle and the needle will tell you what the camera thinks as the proper exposure. Will it be? Most often yes, BUT, the art of photography is knowing when to think for yourself.

PS - if you look at my photo, those are 2 F1s hanging on my neck.

With variations in number of exposure sensors, and so on, most through the lens AE systems tend to work much the same. However, your comments suggest that you need to go back a step and get a firm practical and theoretical grasp on the concept of exposure as related to shutter speed and aperture.

One of the better general introductions to photography would be worth a look.

Here's one, but a trip to your public library will reveal many more:

Welcome to the forum. You have a fine camera, but you apparently need to do some self educating. First, if you don't have a user manual, get one here: Canon F-1 instruction manual, user manual, PDF manual, free manuals, instruction guide

Next - educate yourself on the issue of exposure...which includes the relationships among film ISO, aperture and shutter speeds...a great book on this topic is: Light, Science & Magic - readily available on Amazon or Ebay. If you digest these two resources you will be able to use your camera very effectively in almst any lighting situation and get good results. My question to you is are you planning to do your own developing and printing? If so, you have quite a bit more to learn. If not, you need to find a good place to send your film for processing. There are a number of posts on this subject. Good luck and enjoy your fine camera and the wide selection of fine Canon FD lenses as well as a wiide variety of aftermarket ones.

With variations in number of exposure sensors, and so on, most through the lens AE systems tend to work much the same. However, your comments suggest that you need to go back a step and get a firm practical and theoretical grasp on the concept of exposure as related to shutter speed and aperture.

 

One of the better general introductions to photography would be worth a look.

Here's one, but a trip to your public library will reveal many more:

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Great memories! I used mine in college classes, and I still have it. I still use it on occasion.

The original F-1 is my favorite 35mm camera. I have probably put thousands of rolls through the old F-1s I've owned over the years. I've always especially liked the way the camera meters a scene. Metering occurs only within that slightly darker central rectangle in the image area, which amounts to about 12% of the image. I found this to be a very handy metering method, especially when shooting slides, which are well known for having a rather narrow latitude range. I will maneuver the metering rectangle around a scene and watch how its position affects exposure, then I can often decide on a position to place the rectangle for metering that amounts to a good average for a scene that will result in a properly exposed slide. I'll set the exposure values based on this reading, then recompose the scene and shoot. These days I have much more modern cameras, both film and digital, but when it's available, I'll always select Partial as a metering method because it's what I know works and I can depend on it. Thanks to the original F-1.

Since you have a large F-1 outfit, I recommend you see if you can find one of the books Canon published on the F-1 during the 70s. I have two different ones. They are excellent resources for the entire F-1 system, complete with explanations on how each component works. I found one on eBay just now. Go there and do a search on "Canon F-1 book" (without the quotes) This book was published in 1973, which covers the version you own.

Hello,

 

First time film user and have been googling and googling but thought maybe someone else can explain it in terms I would better understand.

 

So I have the canon f-1. The 1971 version. And I'm trying to understand how to expose so that not all of my first roll is too dark or too blurry from a slow shutter speed.

 

As I was testing it last night on 100 film speed in my bedroom, I had to be around 8 shutter speed for it to leave the under-exposed section on the meter. That doesn't seem very quick and seems like that will create blurry photos handheld won't it?

 

Is it just because I am on 100 iso basically I was having troubles leaving the under-exposed section of the meter?

 

I guess I also get confused as to why the aperture circle and the shutter needle need to line up. On digital you could have a faster shutter speed and then just go f 1.2 to compensate. What happens when they don't line up?

 

Like I said, I just got this kit (which has so much stuff in it. Whoever sold it was really into photography and I would love to post some pics of the gear and see what it does and have that explained. Because there really is a LOT of stuff!)

 

And I have been watching videos and reading articles, but being able to have a conversation and continue to ask questions is pretty helpful to me.

If you have a digital camera try to take pictures in your bedroom with the ISO set fixed at 100 and see if you do any better. If you don't understand then you don't understand it's not because film is different from digital.