Beginner Bronica advice

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Barney

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Name
Wayne
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I have bought an old Bronica ETRS in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

1; Try medium format film.
2; Slow down my approach and more thoroughly contemplate the composition aspect of my photographs.

As kindly suggested in a previous post I have dropped on some HP5 400 film, I also got a couple of rolls of Fomapan 400.

Now herein lies a potential, for me, stumbling block. I will be using the sunny 16 rule and there is not a reciprocal shutter speed on the Bronica for 400 ASA. I have either 500th or 250th of a second. I am minded to consider 250th, for winter, as the base and more or less ignore the 2/3 stop extra exposure.

I would like some opinion on when you would use the 1/3 stop less 2/3 stop more exposure and why?

Wayne
 
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I agree with Paul and, as shutter speeds tend to be slower rather than faster, I'd go for 1/500th.
 
There's a couple of technical points I could raise (which give background explanations and concrete reasons for my advice) but the short answer is that I would go with the 250th.

Negative films suffer if you underexposed, and certainly with black and white and larger negatives 2 stops over is nothing to worry about. Larger negative - because grain increases with exposure, but larger negatives need less enlargement.

Good camera choice. I love my ETRS.
 
StephenM said:
Negative films suffer if you underexposed...
Click to expand...
Topsy said:
Yep, if in doubt with neg film always go with over exposure.
Click to expand...
The very best way to decide how to expose your monochrome film is to take several pictures of the same subject on the same film at one stop intervals, develop the film and make prints from each negative. Having picked the image you like best, that's the exposure you should use for those conditions. This experiment is best performed on a cloudy bright day to provide some leeway for "over exposing" and "under exposing".

Three photographers, with three similar cameras and lenses, can expose and develop a picture of the same scene on the same negative material, develop in the same chemistry at the same temperature and still get three different results on their negative. That's because all the different analogue processes (aperture, shutter, temperature, chemistry) can affect the outcome.
 
Thank you all, I have arrived at the conclusion that the Sunny 16 will get me somewhere near but I will choose a static subject at both SS and at three different Apertures and see what looks the best.

I have a couple of light meters somewhere, I must find them.

The phone app sounds a good idea also. thanks.
 
For what it's worth, according to something I read (reference on request) when Kodak originally determined film speeds, they did it empirically - no messing around with densitometers. A series of negatives made at different exposure, then the best possible print made from each negative. Then the best possible print that was better than the next in series with less exposure was taken as giving the speed to use. There were, of course, several identical excellent prints.

And as a piece of photographic history, about 3 years before you were born (assuming your forum age is correct), all black and white film speeds were doubled overnight to remove the safety factor that had previously been there. Hence even the makers thought one stop over was fine...
 
StephenM said:
For what it's worth, according to something I read (reference on request) when Kodak originally determined film speeds, they did it empirically - no messing around with densitometers. A series of negatives made at different exposure, then the best possible print made from each negative. Then the best possible print that was better than the next in series with less exposure was taken as giving the speed to use. There were, of course, several identical excellent prints.

And as a piece of photographic history, about 3 years before you were born (assuming your forum age is correct), all black and white film speeds were doubled overnight to remove the safety factor that had previously been there. Hence even the makers thought one stop over was fine...
Click to expand...
Thats brilliant Stephen thanks,

I did watch a you tube some ago regarding the dynamic range of Digital and film cameras compared, the upshot was digital is all about recovering the shadows six stops seemed fine and film was four or five stops better on on overexposure but nowhere near on under exposed images
 
I use an ETRSi and would always prefer to use 250 unless there are very few shadows or motion. I prefer HP5 too for reasons previously mentioned.

Great cameras - enjoy shooting it. :cool:
 
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