Some photos coming out gray

[sidney_zohn]

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I can't figure this out --</p>

<p>I just got 7 rolls that I've been hoarding since last year developed, and noticed a few completely gray shots. The gray shots were all taken indoors, so I'm thinking it has something to do with the exposure time? However, other photos in the same roll that were taken in a similar setting/environment have come out just fine. I've posted some examples below. First photo was taken in a cafe in the morning when there was tons of natural light. I probably took this at f/4 or 5.6 and 1/125 on 400 color kodak gold film. The second photo was taken in a dim restaurant at night where there was hardly any light. Probably taken at f/2.8 and 1/15 or 30, also with 400 speed color kodak gold. I don't have the deepest knowledge in camera speeds, but I've used this camera (pentax spotmatic) for nearly 10 years and haven't really had this problem before, especially within the same roll as other shots that came out fine. I just got it CLA'd by Eric Hendrickson, so I don't think it's a camera issue (or I hope not!).</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/oisforsunshine/07790013.jpg" alt="" /></p>

<p><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v436/oisforsunshine/07790015.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="332" /></p>

[jamie_robertson2]

<p>If the camera body is in 100% working order then the only possible explanations for the underexposure are:</p>

 

<ul>

<li>user error (shooting in manual at the wrong exposure)</li>

<li>fooled light meter (a bright highlight in the frame may have tricked the camera into underexposing)</li>

<li>lens fault (aperture sticking)</li>

</ul>

[c_watson1]

<p>Indoor low-light shots with a few strong light sources can, as Jamie said, totally baffle a center-weighted meter. I still use the old trick of metering closely off the palm of my hand in more or less the same light as my subject and using that reading. With slow shutter speeds, any sort of support--back of a chair, a beer/wine bottle--really helps with sharpness in a cafe/bar/club setting.</p>

[Dustin McAmera]

<p>Are these your scans from the negatives, or scans or prints from a shop? If so, have you looked at the negatives to see if they are the same? Could just be a mistake in their scanning.<br>

The second picture I'd say just needs a better scan, to have a proper black. </p>

<p> </p>

[Karim Ghantous]

<p>I have a suspicion that James could be right. Check your lens aperture? I have one lens which is the opposite: it's sluggish to stop down. Another lens I have doesn't stop down at all.</p>

[mendel_leisk]

<p>Per Pete, have you looked at the negatives? Underexposure would typically result in a <em>black</em> print, not grey?</p>

[glen_h]

<p>I use exposure off my hand, plus one stop.<br>

I suppose it depends on your hand, but many are closer to 36% where you want 18%.<br>

Or you could carry around a small 18% gray card.</p>

[James G. Dainis]

I can see a few spots of yellow lights in the gray photograph. I would suspect the negative is almost clear except for base color and some darker spots where those lights can faintly be seen. Let us say 12 seconds is a normal printing time for a good print of a well exposed negative. If the printer analyzer sees a clear negative it will drop the printing time to maybe 6 seconds and you get a gray print. The same thing happened on the photo of the girl. The normal print time for a good negative was reduced so the blacks are more toward gray but the girl did not come out very, very dark orange which is what would have happened with a 12 second print expose.

 

The first photo was grossly underexposed; the second photo was badly underexposed.