Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/09/20

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Subject: [Leica] Ballpark
From: "Johnny Deadman" <deadman@jukebox.demon.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 20 Sep 1999 19:58:25 +0100

I am with those people who meter with their eyes, then check on the 
machinery. In fact, between 1/30 @ f1.4 and 1/500 @ f22 at your chosen speed
of film, say 400, you have covered the entire useful brightness range you
are ever likely to encounter as a photographer. You know how many brightness
values that is? Fourteen. Most of them are values you will encounter again
and again and again.

How hard can it be to learn what they look like?

Now, the interesting thing is, you can knock them off one by one. Here
goes...with my version...others might like to fill in or amend.

"Sunny f16" says f16 at 1/ASA in bright sun
Hazy f11 says f11 at 1/ASA in hazy sun with clear shadows
Bright cloud f8
Dark cloud/open shade f5.6
Thunderstorm/onset of dusk f4
Deep wooded shade 1/30 @ 2.8 @ 400 ASA
Overhead 60w tungsten, light interior shadow in daylight 1/30 @ f2 @ 400 ASA
Dim overhead tungsten, darker interior daylight shadow 1/30 @ 1.4 @ 400 ASA

These are all obviously very rough, but it's a lot like learning perfect
pitch as a musician.

Exercise: every time you meter, however you do it, take a guess first.

You'll be amazed how good you get, how quickly. If you photograph with
someone else, it becomes a somewhat compulsive game. "f16 @ 1/250". "Never!
f11" And so on.

- --
Johnny Deadman

"When a dog runs at you, whistle for him" - Thoreau