stacked filters + light meter No TTL

[oceanbeast]

I am new to using filters though I understand their concept, I am used to using an incident light meter as I have worked with digital flash photography but I am beginning a new endeavor and using filters on medium format film.

I want to stack a polarizer and a yellow 15 but my camera does not have TTL metering, I do all metering for a scene on a handheld light meter. What is the best way to find out how much exposure compensation I will need in order to get an accurate exposure?

Most websites say a polarizer will generally eat up 1 2/3 stops but yellow filters vary so I dont have a real baseline and I dont want to waste a bunch of film running tests. any advice would help.

 

[cgipson1]

There are several apps that will calculate exposure for you.... based on ND filters and such. You might be able to get an accurate reading on the other filters by using your handheld meter and reading a consistent light source through the filters and comparing that to no filter. Should get you close.... just adjust your exposure to compensate for the light lost by the filters

 

[oceanbeast]

There are several apps that will calculate exposure for you.... based on ND filters and such. You might be able to get an accurate reading on the other filters by using your handheld meter and reading a consistent light source through the filters and comparing that to no filter. Should get you close.... just adjust your exposure to compensate for the light lost by the filters

Have you used any of these apps? Could you recommend one?

 

[amolitor]

The effect colored filters are going to have on your picture depends very much on what your subject is. If your subject is yellow, you get one effect. If it's cyan, you get quite another.

 

[oceanbeast]

Do you think stacking them on my digital camera to evaluate exposure differences would translate equally over to film?

 

[amolitor]

Yeah, it should be in the ballpark, anyways!

 

[cgipson1]

There are several apps that will calculate exposure for you.... based on ND filters and such. You might be able to get an accurate reading on the other filters by using your handheld meter and reading a consistent light source through the filters and comparing that to no filter. Should get you close.... just adjust your exposure to compensate for the light lost by the filters

Have you used any of these apps? Could you recommend one?

I often use NDTimer on my Iphone... have others for Droid, but that tablet is at home. I can't remember the Droid apps offhand.

 

[hirejn]

If you have a hand-held meter, it's easy; just take a reading without the filters first. Then place the filters on the hand-held separately and take a reading. Compare the difference. Turn the polarizer as you would use it in the shot and place it over the meter that way. You can also take a reading in manual mode with a camera meter and then use the filters as you normally would and zero the meter and compare the difference. Once you know the effect, you don't need to recalculate. You can use that value each time. Knowing the effect of each filter individually gives you more versatility.

 

[tirediron]

If you have a hand-held meter, it's easy; just take a reading without the filters first. Then place the filters on the hand-held separately and take a reading. Compare the difference. Turn the polarizer as you would use it in the shot and place it over the meter that way. You can also take a reading in manual mode with a camera meter and then use the filters as you normally would and zero the meter and compare the difference. Once you know the effect, you don't need to recalculate. You can use that value each time. Knowing the effect of each filter individually gives you more versatility.

This. Exactly.

 

[cgipson1]

If you have a hand-held meter, it's easy; just take a reading without the filters first. Then place the filters on the hand-held separately and take a reading. Compare the difference. Turn the polarizer as you would use it in the shot and place it over the meter that way. You can also take a reading in manual mode with a camera meter and then use the filters as you normally would and zero the meter and compare the difference. Once you know the effect, you don't need to recalculate. You can use that value each time. Knowing the effect of each filter individually gives you more versatility.

Isn't this what I said above? (albeit possibly not as clearly..) lol!

 

[amolitor]

Googling around a bit suggests that a Wratten #15 yellow has a filter factor of 2 to 2.5, generally, which means a 1 to 1 1/3 stops. But, again, color of whatever you're shooting matters a lot. Test with the digital, and bracket with the film (at least if precision matters).