Ken Norton wrote:
>Film speed ratings are based on "averaging" meters and average subjects.
>Before automatically compensating the film speed in all of our
>cameras/meters we must determine if it is our metering technique that is
>the culprit. When going from one metering system to another do you rate
>the film differently?
Probably you are right that a lot of the fuss over exposure ratings is
unfounded, as long as you know your technique. However, apart from the fact
that my own personal exposure ratings are based on experience in the
darkroom and test various film/developer combos, I believe that over
exposing by 1/3-2/3 of a stop has two key benefits--1. it helps reinforce
the old zone dictum (concerning negative films) "expose for shadow detail,
print for highlights"; 2. it counteracts the tendency toward overoptimism on
the part of both photog and film manufacturer. These psychological effects
are often as important as the 'real' capabilities of a given film/developer.
In my experience--"averaging" meters on average tend to help average people
to underexpose, more often than overexpose.
Incidentally, I've been carrying an incident light meter everywhere and am
less reliant on the various camera metering systems I have. Don't get me
wrong I like the spot in my OM4, but I find that it's also valuable to know
what's going on overhead or behind my back.
Glen
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