RaymondC

<p>I have a FM2n and when it is dark althou you can see the +/- LED signs, you cannot read the shutter speed / aperture inside the viewfinder. Nor can you read it on the body unless you had a torch light or off a smartphone. I don't have the F3 or F4, do they have it out of curiosity? I had a look on google images, it looks like the F3 has a digital shutter speed display is that visible at night? The aperture looks like it won't though. What about the F4 and do any manual focus bodies or are they like the FM2. </p> <p>Thanks. </p>

<p>1. I found the spot meter on the Sekonic is different to the Nikon. Both spot metering on the 18% patch on my Color Checker Chart. Or just anywhere for that matter - green grass and just compare the two devices. I have now calibrated it so they are the same. Without this - consistently the Sekonic is 0.5 stop darker than my Nikon. </p> <p>2. Regarding spot metering the highlights and shadows and the mids. One would still need to do compensation right? If you meter the mids that is cool. But once you meter the highlights or shadows it is going to fool the meter. If one meters the gravel road and then meter the white snow ahead ..... To me once I meter the ground and then meter the snow it might say 5 stop different. I subtract 2 stops off. </p> <p>I plan to use the meter with slide film (Velvia). </p> <p> </p>

<p>Yes, I do shoot occasionally. This was for going to larger format in 2016 got a great deal from it. I have to look how it profile film thou, the user manual does say use my photo software so it might not be using the auto process set by Sekonic as it is for digital equipment. </p> <p>But having said that once the calibration is set you can just say to yourself I need to be within 2 stops either side for Velvia. </p> <p>I had a look at the raw data in Sekonic. There is a compensation value as well as your other points like clipping and DR. The default profile has 0 compensation. The D600 Nikon has a -0.4 compensation. When I use the D600 profile and I spot meter it is bang on. If I use the default profile it is off approx 0.5 stop or that 04 it says. What was also interesting is that my D70 gave darker images than my D600. Sekonic says there is a 0.6 stop difference between these 2 cameras. When I bought my used D2h from a pro he did set it compensation +0.7 but he used 3D Matrix or CW which overall gives a darker exposure by a tad than spot anyway the +0.7 might be align to +0.5 or +0.4. </p>

<p>Might have answered my own question. </p> <p>It might be geared more towards portraiture and product photog. So you meter diff parts of the scene or group photo area to ensure the readings are consistent. </p> <p>Sekonic is calibrated to 12% gray and the Nikons at least 18% hence the Sekonic underexposes by 0.5 stop. I've set a calibration for it. If you use the calibration feature it does align the meter to your dSLR. When I scroll thru the diff profie spot metering the same area I got slightly diff readings. </p> <p>http://www.bythom.com/graycards.htm</p> <p> </p>

<p>Hi all, it is December more time hence thinking and mucking around. Some of the other filter systems like the Lee have the polariser on the outside slot, I guess as light first hit it gets polarised at the first instance. The Cokin P has the sprocket slot at the most inner slot. One could have solid ND and grad filters in front of it. </p> <p>Is this an issue? </p> <p>Cheers</p>

<p>Hi all</p> <p>I just got this and looking to venture to larger film formats in the near future. I've been sussing this item out. </p> <p>1. Where do you find useful with measuring mids, highlights and shadows? There is a electronic scale that shows these points. When you meter the shadows or highlights wouldn't you need to compensate? I could meter mids as usual but if I meter snow the spot meter would get fooled right? I've tried to meter mids like normal and then meter snow or white clouds dialing in a compensation value but it resets it. I can only use compensation for all readings or no compensations for all readings. So for snow I would need to do a 2 stop calculation in my brain. Wondering in what situations would one find this feature useful?</p> <p>2. I have been reading about Sekonic's 12% gray, 18%, and now 15% and 13% (Gossen and Minolta). The spot metering are bit different between my Nikon camera and the Sekonic. between 1/3 of a stop, 2/3 or 1 stop depending on the tone. If I pick mid tone green or brown it's 1/3. </p> <p>Thanks.</p>

Light copy stand like they use for macro? My 2c.

<p>It is Dec now and I have a bit more time to ponder even thou I am not near a national park ... Been confused by some reads on the net hence posting this question. <br> Let's say - near white cloudy sky. <br> 1) I usually spot meter the clouds and knowingly the meter gets fooled by it I compensate so the sky looks good. I do the same to the ground. Note the difference and if I need a grad filter if it's outside the range of the film. Velvia is 2 stops either side. </p> <p>2) Another school of thought I read on the net is that they simply spot meter the mids the shadows and the highlights and take an average and then see if the shadows and highlights are within range. </p> <p>Comments? </p>

<p>I see what you mean now. I don't have the device but kind of get you. </p> <p>Once you do the doo dah and it is all calibrated. You can spot meter on some mid tone mountain and you have a bright sky. You can spot meter the bright sky and you can get the device to compensate it? So with that in mind - if it is not outside of range it won't start going nuts. </p> <p>I also still shoot some film for my enjoyment. If one isn't calibrating the meter. That shouldn't pose an issue right? </p>

<p>I don't have this yet. I have watched videos and I have a question. After you have the profile set you have additional information such as the calibrating the meter to be more accurate and information re: its dynamic range. If you are using the reflector meter - not everything are 18% gray so if you point it to a a white car or a black car or white clouds you would still need to do arithmetic in your head right? I guess you if you had grey foreground and mid tone blue sky you could use that.</p> <p>Thanks.</p>

<p>In New Zealand here capital city, no E6 processing now. The Pro Kodak Q Lab packed up they now send it away. In the largest city Auckland they might be one or two perhaps. Yes, at the time, when they did E6, C41 and B/W. B/W was more expensive than C41. Perhaps due to customer demand.</p> <p>Try to find a roll of E6 here, it cost $28US. Processing E6 maybe $14US. Additional cost for mounting slides and labelling.</p> <p>For DIY B/W stuff. The minimum size of Ilford ID-11 powder 1L developer does up to 16 rolls for an expiry of 6 months when mixed. Or you can get the 5L pack for approx 2x the price right. Stop bath is very high dilution and 5yr expiry un-mixed from memory. Fixer might last 2 or 3yrs but a 1L of that does up to 500 rolls. Although a old timer at the club said don't do so much cos you may get fogging. He does about 8 or 16 per 1L of working solution. The 1L fixer conc provides 5L if I am not mistaken.</p>

http://sunsetwx.com/

Seen this? Only for USA though. Predicts sky color and clouds http://photoephemeris.com/skyfire-for-tpe

<p>I have photoephemeris. Right time, right day, no obstructions, city harbour side, the sky is just very plain. They do have a new app paid for "Sky Fire" but that is again USA. </p> <p>I'll have a look at PhotoPills. </p>

<p>I see these are in the USA mainly, any feedback? I am not in the USA unfortunately so cannot use. </p> <p>I've been pretty much set back b/c I have gone out after work in the weekends 6 Saturday and Sundays in a row and I can have very plain sunrise and sunsets, I could go out for 3 set of weekends and have no shots. Yes a bit of pink or yellow tinge but that is about it. Much of the time the cloud is thick. </p>

<p>Oh yes. Thanks for reminding me. I have 2 by itself, 3 by itself or a 2+2, 2+3,3+3. Cheers. Yes I still shoot slides occasionally. </p>

<p>Hi all - many find that the 1 stop filters are not essential. In terms of stacking are they still needed? If you had a 2 or 3 stops and you needed more the min would be a 2 soft + 2 hard (or the 3 stop). If one jumped from 2 to 4 is that an issue ?</p> <p>Thanks.</p>

<p>When I select the shutter just passed bulb I get x200. Is this any different than just selecting 1/200?</p> <p>Thanks.</p>

<p>Thanks RJ. I was taking a portrait of 3 people half passport height. Within 50cm or 0.5m with the sun just didn't work. But yeah .. understand now.</p>

Mag - yes I did use manual flash too at full power after TTL not doing the job. Subject was still dark.

<p>I meant to say:<br> Just looking at the LR EXIF. Perfect subject but blown background 1/50 F5.6 at ISO 100 with flash TTL. 1/250 f5.6 a bit dark FOREGROUND. The mountain was at the back so I needed more depth. 1/250 F8 subject even darker still. What would you guys suggest in this situation?</p> <p>Ran out of editing time. </p>

<p>I do have FP Sync. D600 and SB800. Problem is that outside. With a very bright background and the subject is in the foreground under still the sun. I get a heavily underexposed subject with nice background. Or I get nice subject but a overblown back.</p> <p>Just looking at the LR EXIF. Perfect subject but blown background 1/50 F5.6 at ISO 100 with flash TTL. 1/250 f5.6 a bit dark background. The mountain was at the back so I needed more depth. 1/250 F8 subject even darker still. What would you guys suggest in this situation?</p>

<p>Inside with subject in shade you can use faster than 1/250? Seems like I can do that inside with the background (window). For outside, little chance for me to get within 10 inches to overpower the sun. Cheers. </p>

<p>I ran some tests, I'm in the southern hemisphere so it is spring/summer. <br />When I was inside, the curtains opened I could use 1/60 F2.8 until 1/2000 F2.8 and it doesn't get dark until 1/4000. When I was outside under 12'O Clock summer sunlight. I could only vary underexpose the ambient (background) light by 1 stop, at 2 stop the foreground or the subject becomes dark.</p> <p>I started thinking about this b/c I don't use flash photography (portraits) often. As you do in the summer you go to the botanical gardens with friends and family or to the beach or a daytrip away and you see a lovely mountain. They jump into the spot underneath bright sunlight and want a photo taken. The background is great but the pple are way underexposed or vice versa. Then I put the flash into full manual at full power and same thing.</p> <p>One of the test shots I did outside, with the person standing in the bright sun. F13 1/60 ok, 1/125 ok still, 1/250 not ok.</p> <p>Yes - FP Sync. But I was 0.5m from the subject.</p> <p>Cheers, I guess I found the limitation.</p>

<p>I don't use this often, just been playing around with it. Aperture controls the flash, the shutter controls the ambient. </p> <p>It works pretty good and then I was playing around with it at extremes. There were times if I selected 1/4000 the flash wasn't quite powerful enough. Is there a rule of thumb in day time and at night time how much I can underexpose the shutter speed and the Nikon speedlight can still produce enough light? </p> <p>The other question is in theory if I selected F2.8 or F22 in the camera if the flash was powerful enough it ought to produce enough light? After all this is TTL right? So at times when the subject is still dark does it mean the speedlight has reached the point of not enough light? </p> <p>Thanks.</p>