snow scene exposure/N80

[marc_marin]

Still experimenting w/exp. control on the N80. Using print film, yeah

I know, I should be using slides, should exposure to the + or - side

be used to lighten the scene since meter will try and expose at 18%

gray? My thinking now is that meter will meter for 18% therefore

result in gray snow so it's up to me to decrease exposure time by

using "negative" compensation as to reduce brightness therefore

providing more of a midtone. Prior to this writing, + compensation

was used and I got back dark prints from mini-lab. MM.

[NullMcNullkins]

If you get dark prints back from the mini-lab, it may not be your fault. The machines they use also try to average out the scene, so often times that averaging by the printer will cause grey snow.

 

You could try bracketing and writing down your exposure, that way you would find out what works best for the subject you're shooting.

[ellis_vener_photography]

Use plus (+) compensation: you want to tell the meter to over expose the film.<P>And yes: your lab is at fault forthe dark prints. <P>What level compensation should you set? Consder the lighting situation: a bright sunny day will require a higher level of + compensation that a gray cloudy day. Also keep in mind the time of the day and the angle of the light.

[angel_o.]

Marc, <br>

my experience with snow, print film and labs is that you should not bother to compensate for anything since the lab is going to screw the photo's exposure anyway. <br> With slide film it depends on how much snow is fooling the matrix-meter - a compensation between +0.5 and +2 might be adequate. Just make some experiments using the bracketing function of the F80 (e.g.: +2F 1.0) to see what you like most.<br><br>

BTW, you should definitely switch to slides - it's cheaper, no one fools around with the colors and most important: you learn how your camera behaves.

[david_walker1]

Just to reinforce a previous answer, when metering a scene brighter that 18% (zone V) you want to INCREASE exposure. An easy way to determine how much, is in the same light, frame a scene that has a reflectance of about 18% and read the meter. Then go back to your original scene, read the meter and the difference will be your compensation. A couple of rules of thumb are that clear north sky is about zone V, the palm of a caucasion hand is about zone VI. For detail on snow you'll want to place it at about zone VII, so open up 2 stops from north sky or 1 stop from your palm. Of cours you can carry around a grey card or a spot meter, but that's another post.

[david_walker1]

Arg, engage brain before typing. For metering north sky, use that exporsure. For metering a palm (zone VI) open up one stop to go from VI to V. If you meter the snow and place it on zone VII, open up two stops. Sorry for the confusion.

[gib]

Lots of good advice presented here. Another way to go for what might be a simpler reasonable adjustment is simply +1 - check my folder WINTER the last loaded shot was bright sunlight lots of snow and sky, +1 compensation, lab processed, when I scanned it myself I had it set to darken a bit. The other factor to consider is how much of your total image scene is snow. If it is a path with lots of trees or cedars with a little snow, then you may want to go a little less than +1.

 

As for labs, we are all at their mercy, when you find a good one stick with them. If you want them to redo their mistakes, my experience is that they will when asked.

 

Hope this helps.

[christophe_casse1]

Hello,

I have no experience with F80 but I think that the matrix mode shouldn't be too different from the F100 that I know.

I have trusted the matrix mode to shoot snow landscape where snow was the dominant element, landscape where there was a mix of wood and snow and blue sky, and the matrix always gave me a really good exposure with no correction !

I was using slide film (Kodak elite 100).

So if the result is good for slide, it should be good for negative.

To be sure : make a test with slide.

 

My experience : I trust the matrix mode almost everytime except for backlit scenes where I bracket +1/+2 and for sunset where I bracket -1/-2...

 

It works for me, but you have to test for your own camera.

 

I hope that helps

 

CC