QUESTIONS:

[amundenovskiy]

I am New to film Photography (ABSALUTELY LOVE IT!) And I've been reading and reading about ISO, Shutter speed (I think thats ISO?) Aperture/F-Stop and theres a third one or something UGH i can't remember...

but all 2 or three of them go hand in hand I think to take a great picture...
My pictures I've developed I think look like they don't have enough light (I used flash) I am using a Pentax sn1? (I think) and I have a Pentax flash, AND its built-in flash... I think NOW it is the F-stop... I said it to 5.6 I think... But it differs from different lighting conditions...? Can someone please explain to me in detail without pushing links to read or books to read please (Regardless HOW great this link or book is it will be useless to me, I've been ALLLLL over the internet and my university text bok and I'm still here hahaha )


BITTE UND DANKE!!!!!

[tkamiya]

Welcome to film photography.

None of that is actually specific to film photography. The same applies to digital photography as well. ISO says how sensitive your film is to the light. Aperture and shutter speed combined with the light reflected from your subject defines how much light will actually hit the film.

For example...
Let's say your subject is well lit in day light sun.
Let's say your film is ISO 400.
Let's say your shutter speed is 1/400.
Let's say your aperture is about f/16.

Then, you are LIKELY to get a good exposure.

Because your shutter speed and aperture combined defines the amount of light that will hit your film, the combination that will work is actually endless.
You could increase the shutter speed and decrease the aperture opening or do the other way around. There's a simple math to it (but I won't go into that now)

Does that help at all? This is very basic, yet a very important aspect of photography. Because combination is endless, there isn't a single example that will explain all. Actually, there's a mathematical formula for it as well. I'd say this is a scientific part of an artistic field of photography. It is possible to do it by feel but for complete understanding, it requires a bit of logical approach.

[Erik Petersson]

I'll try to help you. First, ISO is written on the film cartridge. Put a film in the camera and ISO is fixed for the duration of that film. Set the ISO on your camera to the same value (if your camera has a light meter) and then stop thinking of it for the time being.

I think it will be easier to learn if you skip the flash for now.

I am not familiar with your camera. Can you put it in manual regime? Then do that. Then ask yourself how much light hits the film. You can either open up the aperture or make it smaller. This is one variable. You can also increase or decrease the shutter time and this is the other variable. The apertures and the different shutter speeds are set so that each full step (or "stop" as it is called) either doubles or halves the film's exposure to light. So if you decrease shutter time one stop, and open up the aperture one stop, the film's exposure to light remains the same. Works in both directions and for any number of stops.

Now, your camera's light meter might be broken. Or your film was old and had expired. Or the development of the film was not done well. Or your flash did not work. First check your camera's light meter to another camera. Digital is ok, you can see if its in the ballpark.

It might also be bad scanning of properly developed negatives.

[jnanian]

the reason your photographs were poorly-lit is because
your subject was further from your camera than you had estimated.
as light travels it loses intensity, so you need to either decrease your shutter speed
( drag your shutter at a slower speed from the sync speed )
or open your lens up an additional stop to let more light in to the film.
the guide numbers on your lens probably said "x-distance use f5.6" but you were
further than whatever distance was stated for that fstop.
the next time, expose your at f2 instead of f5.6.

[amundenovskiy]

Thanks jnanian it was very helpful

[amundenovskiy]

Now, your camera's light meter might be broken. Or your film was old and had expired. Or the development of the film was not done well. Or your flash did not work. First check your camera's light meter to another camera. Digital is ok, you can see if its in the ballpark.

I don't want to sound stupid like someone thinks (not you) but how exactly do you compare this? What does a light meter look like on a camera?

[MattKing]

Can you check again as to what model of pentax you have? sn1 doesn't sound familiar. If we know which model it is, we may be better able to point to what you need to look for or expect to see.

The meter is built into most relatively modern 35mm cameras. It usually gives some sort of indication in the viewfinder and/or on an LCD screen on the camera as to which shutter speed and aperture the camera recommends when you point it at a subject. If set to "Auto" the camera may also set those settings for you, unless you choose to over-ride them.

[eddie]

If you shot with the flash, I think Jnanian's answer is probably correct. How far from the camera was your subject?

[jnanian]

My pictures I've developed I think look like they don't have enough light (I used flash) I am using a Pentax sn1? (I think) and I have a Pentax flash, AND its built-in flash...

hi again

i just realized it is a point + shoot camera with a built in flash, so you probably can't adjust your shutter speed or flash intensity or fstops, or over ride the pre set settings by faking a different asa/iso ...
so, instead of having your camera set to " auto flash ( lightingbolt ) " have it set to " fill in" so it does just fill flash.
you do this by pressing the lightening bolt button on your camera until it cycles through all the flash modes ( probably red eye, auto, none and fill flash )
the fill flash mode will meter for ambient ambient light, and then add some extra flash ... it is probably the best mode to have a point/shoot camera.

good luck !
john

[amundenovskiy]

Can you check again as to what model of pentax you have? sn1 doesn't sound familiar. If we know which model it is, we may be better able to point to what you need to look for or expect to see.

The meter is built into most relatively modern 35mm cameras. It usually gives some sort of indication in the viewfinder and/or on an LCD screen on the camera as to which shutter speed and aperture the camera recommends when you point it at a subject. If set to "Auto" the camera may also set those settings for you, unless you choose to over-ride them.

hun the camera is a SF1n (on the camera) your right it isn't a sn1 but I was close! Ok cool. I have been thinking about actually buying a light meter - I can't find one really but I'm checking out kijiji and ebay.ca regularly (also because I wanna get a Rolleiflex 2.8 for the start of my medium. Or a Mamiya rb67) The camera is semi automatic I believe. you set it to manual or auto-focus... Ah. ISO is manual (But digital if you get what I mean?) and EF+/- is also manual (What is this. Exposure?? On my Canon g10 powershot Digital camera I have this dial. and I understand it, but ifI change this AT ALL the camera will NOT take a picture :S In the little LCD screen if I set aperture to auto (A = i think means Auto) the camera usually pics 4.0 for ANY picture (Mall lighting) I haven't tried it outside seeing if It chooses another f-stop....