Help an amateur out:OPEN ME

[limr]

Oh, and I would get some Portra 400 (there's no 500). Lower light = faster film.

Thankyou so much
If I get the portra 400, should I match my shutterspeed to 400?

When you are using 400 ISO film, then you would start with a shutter speed of 1/500th, yes. So for a bright sunny day, your settings would be f16 and 1/500. Then, as the light goes away or you move indoors, you would have to adjust the settings accordingly. The Sunny 16 rule is a system to help you know how to adjust your settings systematically because it gives you a rule for the starting point, and a system for adjusting settings away from that starting point. For example, let's say you are shooting ISO 400 film on a cloudy day, so you know you need settings that allow in more light. You might want to keep the fast shutter speed to capture a moving target, so you can open the aperture but leave the shutter speed at 500. Or, alternatively, you want to take a landscape shot and want things sharper all over the picture, so you slow the shutter but leave the aperture at f16.

A light meter is very useful, especially at first. After you get used to the calculations and associating certain kinds of light with appropriate settings, it gets a little easier and you might not always need the light meter. For example, these days, I'll take a meter reading when I start shooting to get a sense of the light on that day in that place. I'll take a reading of brighter areas and more shaded areas. This helps me know how I need to adjust my settings depending on what I'm shooting at that time, and I don't meter before every single shot. If something changes, I'll take some more readings. The important thing is I know my starting point (Sunny 16) and how far away I have to go from those base settings.

Give me a few minutes and I'll use my light meter app to take a reading and then I'll upload the screenshot. I don't know about you, but visuals always help me understand something better.

 

[limr]

 

[Gary A.]

Oh, and I would get some Portra 400 (there's no 500). Lower light = faster film.

Thankyou so much
If I get the portra 400, should I match my shutterspeed to 400?

The ISO you're using has nothing to do with selecting a shutter speed. Upping the ISO should only allow you to use faster shutter speeds, but there's no 'rule' that says the two must be 'equal'.

Yes, I know this I just am not sure what shutterspeeed would be best for the Portra 400 film in an indoor area.
Thankyou.

When shooting without a meter, then yes, I found it always the easiest starting point is the Sunny 16 rule. I would mentally start my shutter speed at the reciprocal of the ASA @ F/16, then visually/mentally measure/compare the existing light to the Sunny 16 light. Remember that a full shift in shutter speed is equal to a 'full stop' of light. A full shift in aperture equals a 'full stop' of light. A doubling of halving of your ASA equals a 'full stop' of light.

By moving from ASA 200 film to ASA 400 film, your have doubled the light sensitivity of the film, thereby effectively halving the total amount light required for a 'proper exposure'.

Using the Sunny 16 rule, if your camera setting for ASA 200 film were:
Shutter Speed- 1/200 (1/250)
Aperture - F/16

For ASA 400 film your new settings would be:
Shutter Speed- 1/400 (1/500)
Aperture- F/16

Remember that a full adjustment in aperture is equal to a full adjustment in shutter speed.

Starting at proper exposure of
1/250 @ F/16
and you adjust your shutter speed to
1/500 @ F/16
now you must compensate for the drop in light on the shutter by increasing the light the same amount as was reduced, via the aperture, with your new setting being
1/500 @ F/11
in order to maintain a proper exposure.

Et Cetera

 

[limr]

Okay, so that's the app that I use and is available free on Android and I believe iPhone as well.

What you see are the following pieces of information:

1) ISO setting (I set it for 400 since you'll probably be using this for your shoot.)
2) EV setting = 12 (for reference, Sunny 16 is EV 15.)
3) The suggested shutter speeds and aperture settings that are appropriate for an EV 12 lighting situation. You'll see that you have several options. If you have a camera that goes up to a shutter speed of 1/2000th, then you can set your aperture at f1.4 (if you have a lens that goes that big.)

For shooting a model, some of the portrait photogs here might weigh in, but I would personally go for something like f5.6 or f4 to isolate the model and blur the background a bit, but still leave enough depth of field to get the whole subject sharp and in focus. This would give you a shutter speed of 1/125th or 1/250th.

You're using a 55mm lens, so the general "rule" is anything slower than 1/60th would require some sort of stabilization - a table or a tripod, or something to settle the camera.

EDIT: I metered an area indoors with half the window in the frame and half not in the frame. Outside metered at EV 15 (the Sunny 16 starting point). Metering with less of the actual window in the shot gave me a reading of EV 10. So you may be looking at something around EV 8 or 10 depending on how close your subject is to the window, how much light is coming through. You might also want to consider a mirror or a white sheet out of the frame to help reflect some of that light back onto the subject if you find that you need settings beyond what your camera can handle. The 55mm lens is a f2, yes?

 

[dxqcanada]

Hmmm, is that light meter made with a wood case ? I want a real one of those.

I have Pocket Light Meter (Nuwaste Studios) on my iPhone.

 

[limr]

Hmmm, is that light meter made with a wood case ? I want a real one of those.

I have Pocket Light Meter (Nuwaste Studios) on my iPhone.

I would totally have one of them too, if they were real

 

[Moonchild]

Okay, so that's the app that I use and is available free on Android and I believe iPhone as well.

What you see are the following pieces of information:

1) ISO setting (I set it for 400 since you'll probably be using this for your shoot.)
2) EV setting = 12 (for reference, Sunny 16 is EV 15.)
3) The suggested shutter speeds and aperture settings that are appropriate for an EV 12 lighting situation. You'll see that you have several options. If you have a camera that goes up to a shutter speed of 1/2000th, then you can set your aperture at f1.4 (if you have a lens that goes that big.)

For shooting a model, some of the portrait photogs here might weigh in, but I would personally go for something like f5.6 or f4 to isolate the model and blur the background a bit, but still leave enough depth of field to get the whole subject sharp and in focus. This would give you a shutter speed of 1/125th or 1/250th.

You're using a 55mm lens, so the general "rule" is anything slower than 1/60th would require some sort of stabilization - a table or a tripod, or something to settle the camera.

EDIT: I metered an area indoors with half the window in the frame and half not in the frame. Outside metered at EV 15 (the Sunny 16 starting point). Metering with less of the actual window in the shot gave me a reading of EV 10. So you may be looking at something around EV 8 or 10 depending on how close your subject is to the window, how much light is coming through. You might also want to consider a mirror or a white sheet out of the frame to help reflect some of that light back onto the subject if you find that you need settings beyond what your camera can handle. The 55mm lens is a f2, yes?

Thankyou so much!!!
This was so helpful, you are full of much knowledge.
The lens is actually a f1.8
Thankyou again, I finally understand it. *gives virtual hug*

 

[limr]

Okay, so that's the app that I use and is available free on Android and I believe iPhone as well.

What you see are the following pieces of information:

1) ISO setting (I set it for 400 since you'll probably be using this for your shoot.)
2) EV setting = 12 (for reference, Sunny 16 is EV 15.)
3) The suggested shutter speeds and aperture settings that are appropriate for an EV 12 lighting situation. You'll see that you have several options. If you have a camera that goes up to a shutter speed of 1/2000th, then you can set your aperture at f1.4 (if you have a lens that goes that big.)

For shooting a model, some of the portrait photogs here might weigh in, but I would personally go for something like f5.6 or f4 to isolate the model and blur the background a bit, but still leave enough depth of field to get the whole subject sharp and in focus. This would give you a shutter speed of 1/125th or 1/250th.

You're using a 55mm lens, so the general "rule" is anything slower than 1/60th would require some sort of stabilization - a table or a tripod, or something to settle the camera.

EDIT: I metered an area indoors with half the window in the frame and half not in the frame. Outside metered at EV 15 (the Sunny 16 starting point). Metering with less of the actual window in the shot gave me a reading of EV 10. So you may be looking at something around EV 8 or 10 depending on how close your subject is to the window, how much light is coming through. You might also want to consider a mirror or a white sheet out of the frame to help reflect some of that light back onto the subject if you find that you need settings beyond what your camera can handle. The 55mm lens is a f2, yes?

Thankyou so much!!!
This was so helpful, you are full of much knowledge.
The lens is actually a f1.8
Thankyou again, I finally understand it. *gives virtual hug*

My pleasure