Experience with Sunny 16

[Keith Tapscott.]

I find that sunny 16 gives very reliable results, but the actual advice to use f/16 seems geared toward slide film. I prefer to give more shadow exposure and deliberately prefer to expose up to 2 stops more than sunny 16 when I use negative film. If I was using transparency, though, I would use sunny 16.

I still say that an exposure meter is the best method, although sunny-16 and exposure guides can be useful and fun to try.

[E. von Hoegh]

I find that sunny 16 gives very reliable results, but the actual advice to use f/16 seems geared toward slide film. I prefer to give more shadow exposure and deliberately prefer to expose up to 2 stops more than sunny 16 when I use negative film. If I was using transparency, though, I would use sunny 16.

If I was using transparency, I'd be using a meter. 4x5 sheets are way too expensive. For that matter, so are 35mm frames.

[benjiboy]

If I was using transparency, I'd be using a meter. 4x5 sheets are way too expensive. For that matter, so are 35mm frames.

I agree the cost of a meter is soon recouped by the saving of unusable exposures on expensive and increasingly difficult to get film, the effort put in to taking the shots, and processing them.

[E. von Hoegh]

I agree the cost of a meter is soon recouped by the saving of unusable exposures on expensive and increasingly difficult to get film, the effort put in to taking the shots, and processing them.

When you look at what a top quality meter sells for nowadays, there really is no excuse to go without.

[BetterSense]

If I was using transparency, I'd be using a meter.

Ok, go ahead and use a meter. And in sunlight, it's going to tell you to expose ... sunny 16 anyway.

Meters are good for tricky lighting conditions, but most natural outdoor lighting situations (sunlight, clouds, gloom, etc) are not tricky. Once you know them, it becomes pretty pointless to meter. The sun hasn't changed in a few millennia. The real challenge is making the creative decision how to expose, which the meter won't help you with anyway.

[Steve Smith]

Ok, go ahead and use a meter. And in sunlight, it's going to tell you to expose ... sunny 16 anyway.

In the normal range of daylight, I rarely use a meter with negative film. They are very useful in low light though.


Steve.

[E. von Hoegh]

Ok, go ahead and use a meter. And in sunlight, it's going to tell you to expose ... sunny 16 anyway.

The real challenge is making the creative decision how to expose, which the meter won't help you with anyway.

A meter may not help you, but it helps me a great deal in measuring brightness range and so on. I noticed (about 1975 or so) that my eyeballs aren't very good at any but comparative measurements, while film has a fixed and known sensitivity. I like to know what I have on the emulsion before I develop it. I don't believe in bracketing with six dollar sheets of film.

[benjiboy]

A meter may not help you, but it helps me a great deal in measuring brightness range and so on. I noticed (about 1975 or so) that my eyeballs aren't very good at any but comparative measurements, while film has a fixed and known sensitivity. I like to know what I have on the emulsion before I develop it. I don't believe in bracketing with six dollar sheets of film.

+1, The human eyes are a very poor instrument for measuring light intensity because they automatically react and adjust to changes without the person being aware of it.

[RalphLambrecht]

they make a meter, sensitive enough for wales?Wow!

[Steve Smith]

+1, The human eyes are a very poor instrument for measuring light intensity because they automatically react and adjust to changes without the person being aware of it.

But very good at judging contrast which is what we actually do when assessing lighting conditions. During daylight hours the sun as a light source is constant. The only thing which changes it is the amount of cloud diffusing it.

Sunny 16 conditions can be judged purely on the shadow definition which is a function of cloud diffusion of sunlight.


Steve.