How come I get different min/max Aperature settings?

[drlynn]

You're right, Matt. Trying to calculate a good exposure using a newer SLR with electronically controlled aperture can give you quite a headache!
"Man, was that 1/2 stop, 1/3 stop, or what" gets to you, until you finally open one of those dusty ole books, and refresh yourself on standard apertures!

 

[Jovian]

I have found with with half stops, it doesn't really make things harder. You just have to know what stop you are on. It's important for everyone to have shutterspeeds and f-stops memorized. But it's the same thing to jump from f13 to f19 as it is from f11 to f16...same amount of change that is... twice the amount of light. Half stops are your friend, as long as you know what they are is my point I guess.

~Andrew~

 

[Jovian]

I have found with with half stops, it doesn't really make things harder. You just have to know what stop you are on. It's important for everyone to have shutterspeeds and f-stops memorized. But it's the same thing to jump from f13 to f19 as it is from f11 to f16...same amount of change that is... twice the amount of light. Half stops are your friend, as long as you know what they are is my point I guess.

~Andrew~

 

[GerryDavid]

I have found with with half stops, it doesn't really make things harder. You just have to know what stop you are on. It's important for everyone to have shutterspeeds and f-stops memorized. But it's the same thing to jump from f13 to f19 as it is from f11 to f16...same amount of change that is... twice the amount of light. Half stops are your friend, as long as you know what they are is my point I guess.

~Andrew~

Hmm, you memorize shutterspeeds and fstops? I just use the light meter on my camera. If its a regular shot, I try to keep it on 0, if its all black or white things, I set it to overexpose by 1 stop or so, which may not be enough, I havent really done much of this stuff yet. I also generally try to keep the aperature as small as I can to get best dof, unless I want less, so I mostly play with exposure length. So im not sure why youd memorize the different shutterspeed and fstops.

 

[ksmattfish]

If its a regular shot, I try to keep it on 0, if its all black or white things, I set it to overexpose by 1 stop or so, which may not be enough, I havent really done much of this stuff yet.

Overexpose for a light image. Underexpose for a dark image. Your meter tries to turn everything gray.

 

[GerryDavid]

If its a regular shot, I try to keep it on 0, if its all black or white things, I set it to overexpose by 1 stop or so, which may not be enough, I havent really done much of this stuff yet.

Overexpose for a light image. Underexpose for a dark image. Your meter tries to turn everything gray.

Woudlnt an underexposure of a dark image just be dark? Pretty sure my teacher said to overexpose for dark images, but Ill ask Friday to make sure.

 

[markc]

Overexpose for a light image. Underexpose for a dark image. Your meter tries to turn everything gray.

Woudlnt an underexposure of a dark image just be dark? Pretty sure my teacher said to overexpose for dark images, but Ill ask Friday to make sure.

Underexpose for a dark image, as in getting a dark image as a result. An image is the end result. You would overexpose a dark scene to get a more normal image.

 

[ksmattfish]

Say you are photographing cats; the cat fills most of the frame.

White cat: shoot at meter recommendation = gray cat
under expose = dark gray cat
over expose = white cat

Gray cat: shoot at recommended exposure = gray cat
under expose = dark gray or black cat
over expose = light gray or white cat

Black cat: shoot at recommended exposure = gray cat
under expose = black cat
over expose = light gray cat

Your meter tries to make everything gray. If you want to lighten over expose. If you want to darken under expose.

Your teacher probably suggested over exposure because it is possible to lose shadow detail if you under expose too much. But remember, your meter tells you how to render the world as middle gray.

 

[markc]

Both of what Matt and I are saying is correct, Gerry ('though I was probably just confusing things). It just depends on what you are trying to do. Do you want a dark scene to be a dark image so that it represents what you are seeing (underexpose), or do you want a dark scene to be a lighter image so that you can see more detail (as metered, or overexpose).

 

[Jeff Canes]

This thread is very confusing; :scratch: maybe if we all meet at Matt’s so we can work this out

 

[ksmattfish]

This thread is very confusing; :scratch: maybe if we all meet at Matt’s we work this out

Okay, but you have to bring the cats.

 

[GerryDavid]

teacher probably suggested over exposure because it is possible to lose shadow detail if you under expose too much. But remember, your meter tells you how to render the world as middle gray.

The teacher's real job is a photographer for the police department, taking pictures of crime scenes and such, so his goal is to get as much detail in the pictures as possible. So a burnt room, thats all black from ashes, his point was to expose longer to get more detail. I can see your point about this would make things look non-black, so if you want to make things black, you need to underexpose. I think thats what you said, hehe. They need to make true film that works like the human eye, hehe.