Related Links:
Night-time Exposure guide
Exposure
Chart
SLR controls -
aperture/shutter speed (tutorial)
Exposure (Kevin
O'Neil) [3/2001]
Sunrises and
Sunsets
Sunny 16 Rule
[6/2001]
Would you believe you can usually guess the right exposure more accurately
than the camera? For one thing, you know when you are shooting a
snow scene you want to be white. The camera meter usually tries to set the
right exposure for an "average" scene. Many of us may rely on the camera
meter recommendation for such "average" scenes (12% to 18% grey). But when
we know the conditions are challenging (e.g., backlighting, snow) we take
over and use our guess rather than the camera's exposure guesses. So we
know when the meter is likely to be wrong, and take over manually with our
better exposure guesses.
Many expensive medium format and other cameras don't even have an
exposure meter. So how do you determine what exposure to use, especially
if you don't have a meter (or your camera meter battery has died)?
You could buy a extra handheld exposure meter,
which would be handy in tricky mixed lighting situations, especially if it
has an ambient light metering capability. But in a pinch, you can use the
rule of Sunny-16 for free!
The film you load in the camera has a printed film
speed (ISO/ASA rating) that typically is 25 ASA or 25 ISO through 800 ASA
or 800 ISO, depending on the film's speed. Simply take the reciprocal of
this number as the shutter speed. So for 25 ASA/ISO film, the speed would
be 1/25th second (so use the closest standard shutter speed, here 1/30th
second on most cameras). For 100 ASA/ISO film, you would use f/16 and
1/100th second (or 1/125th on many cameras). How about 400 ASA/ISO film?
800 ASA/ISO? Did you guess 1/400th second, or 1/500th on most cameras;
1/800th second, or 1/1,000th second on most cameras?
| Aperture | stops | conditions |
|---|---|---|
| f/22 | -1 stop | snow or beach |
| f/16 | sunny-16 | bright daylight dark shadows |
| f/11 | +1 stop | weak or hazy sun sun low in sky |
| f/8 | +2 stops | cloudy bright |
| f/5.6 | +3 stops | darker clouds subject in shadow |
| f/4 | +4 stops | sunset |
Sunny-16 rule applies to "full daylight", with a bright sun and dark
shadows with hard or sharp edges.
If the sun is weak or hazy, perhaps due to some thin clouds, then you need
to "open up" another stop. So open up from f/16 to f/11, letting in more
light through the larger opening of the lens. This larger opening will
compensate for the light losses due to clouds causing the sun being weak
or hazy, okay?
Are there no shadows, but the sun is well above the horizon? You probably
have cloudy-bright conditions. In this case, open up two (2) stops from
sunny-16. So open up from f/16 (past f/11) to f/8.
What? The clouds are not only so thick there aren't any shadows, but the
clouds are kind of dark? It is time to open up three (3) stops, from f/16
past f/11 and f/8 to f/5.6. If the
clouds are so dark that they look like rain and it is really dark and
stormy, you may want to provide even more light (another stop or ??).
When the sun is setting, you will need to decide if you want to
expose for the sun, and let the clouds and ground be darker. Most of us
prefer the sun to be "burned out" if it is in the shot, and the clouds and
ground to have some detail in them. For this approach, you can meter the
clouds or sky and ground off to the side, away from the sun so the sun
isn't in the picture. This trick will prevent the light from the sun
fooling the camera meter into thinking the light is really bright, when it
is just the direct light of the sun it is seeing. Right after sunset, you
will often find you need to stop down four (4) stops or more (e.g., from
f/16 to f/11 to f/8 to f/5.6 to f/4).
If a subject is not in direct sunlight, but is in the shade on an
otherwise bright and sunny day, you may find that three (3) stops is a
good starting point. I find such shaded light to be quite blue in color,
since it is coming from the blue sky rather than the yellow sun. I often
use a warming filter, an #81b or #812 (#81a is weak, #81b is stronger,
they go up to #81EF and beyond).
Speaking of filters, if you use a filter, most cameras with built-in
meters will automatically suggest the right settings, taking the filter's
light absorption into account. A heavy blue or red filter may "cost" you
two or even three stops of light (usually marked on the filter or in its
instructions booklet). If you are using a handheld meter, you need to
remember to factor this filter loss in too. If you don't know the filter
factor, you can simply hold the filter up to the handheld meter and see
how much light it is "costing" you.
A few filters use polarizing material, which can vary its light absorption
from say 1.5 to 2 or even 2.5+ stops. Polarizers rotate, and so can change
the angle and amount of light they absorb. Some dual color (e.g.,
red-blue) filters also use polarizers, and so vary in their "filter
factor" or amount of light absorbed. Most folks use a filter factor of 2
or two stops loss when they add a polarizer to their camera, assuming the
camera doesn't have a built-in meter.
What about moonlight exposures or buildings at night. You will find some
recommended starting points on our night-time
exposure guide pages. You may also want to bracket one or two or even
more stops when shooting at night so as to be able to pick the effect you
want.
A favorite trick is to carry a handheld light meter or camera with a light
meter, and try to "guess" the light setting for a given lighting
condition. You will quickly discover that you can guess the camera meter's
recommended setting quite accurately (e.g., with shutter speed set at
1/ASA seconds).
In most cases, you will be better off with over-exposing rather than
under-exposing color (and black and white) print film. When you are
printing, the problem is often more one of getting details in shadow
areas, which won't be there without some degree of exposure. Over-exposed
areas will be printable with some printing tricks, but if there isn't any
exposure to work with (under-exposed badly) you can't conjure up silver
grains that aren't there.
Many of us routinely set a slower film speed than on the printed ASA/ISO
guide for the film (i.e., an EI or exposure index). So I might set 80 or
even 64 ASA/ISO for color print film with a printed speed rating of 100
ASA/ISO. Naturally, it pays to test the film and see if you like the
results from this trick. Some modern films are relatively good at their
rated speeds. But most color print films will produce better results from
a moderate over-exposure than with a moderate under-exposure. So if you
are going to make an error, you know which way to go now!
Slide films are different. The problem with most slide films is that they
have a relatively narrow or limited range of film latitude. In color print
films, a difference of a stop over or under-exposure may be compensated
for during making the print and hardly visible to the consumer. But a stop
over-exposure will often make a poorer slide with washed out (absent)
bright areas or highlights. An overly bright slide will also tend to
impact color fidelity, with colors becoming lighter and more pastel.
So many slide films must be within a stop over or under to produce a
reasonable acceptable image. Many pros will bracket their slide shots by
taking shots at 1/2 stop or even 1/3rd stop steps over and under the meter
recommended settings. Comparable bracketing on print film might be one or
two stops above and below the recommended settings. So slide film requires
more careful exposure to get optimal results, with less room or latitude
for exposure errors.
On the other hand, a slightly underexposed slide will often have richer
colors and bluer skies. To get less light or exposure on the slide, you
have to pretend the film is more sensitive than it really is. For
example, if you set a speed on your camera ASA/ISO dial of 200 ASA/ISO,
when you are using 100 ASA/ISO film, you would get half the exposure or
amount of light on the film as when you set 100 ASA/ISO on the dial. This
setting would be too much under-exposure for most slide films. A setting
of 125 ASA/ISO might work better.
This trick has to be tested out with your camera or handheld meter. For
one thing, meters vary and are adjusted differently, batteries can age,
and settings or component values can drift. Films can vary in their
response too, and some manufacturers are more conservative than others.
And naturally, people's tastes vary, and what I think is a nicely exposed
slide might be under-exposed to your eyes!
From: "roland.rashleigh-berry" roland.rashleigh-berry@ntlworld.com Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: User Guide for Mamiya C33 Date: Sat, 2 Mar 2002 To work with manual cameras just go back to basics. If you rip open a 35mm film packet you will find an exposure guide inside. Use that. There is the "sunny sixteen" rule in that for objects front-lit by the sun then the exposure you use is the inverse of the film speed at f16. So if you have 100 speed film then you set it to a speed of 1/100th sec at f16. If you open up to f11 then you let in twice as much light so you have got to use 1/200th sec (or thereabouts) to compensate and so forth. If the sun is shining through a haze then you open up one stop and so forth. There is plenty about exposure on the Kodak site. Start here http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/pictureTaking/exposure/exposureMain. shtml For indoors work you have got to go into it deeply with flash power and all that. It gets complicated because you will probably want to use multiple flash units and diffusers and bounce of the ceiling and what have you. But for outdoors work you don't really need a meter. If you must have one then you can pick them up very cheaply secondhand on ebay. Incident light meters are better than refected light meters so long as you can get up to your subject or can make a reading in similar conditions to where your subject is placed. I take an old folding camera when I go on holiday for those shots that really count. I NEVER use a meter with one. That is because I only use it in bright and sunny conditions, never photograph a subject unless it has some front sunlight on it and only if the sun is bright and shining. So I use the sunny sixteen rule. But sometimes I stop down one stop for very bright subjects or sea or snow scenes. The exposure guide inside your 35mm film package will also tell you to do that. "Chris Lermanis" lermanis@netspace.net.au wrote ... > Just got hold of a camera to take me into Medium Format after a lifetime > with 35mm. Could someone please recommend a publication specific to the > C33 that could lead me by the hand and open up the wonderful possibilities > of my new medium:-) > > The original official Handbook is useless - it assumes the new owner has > worked with a totally manual camera before. > > On the subject of Light Meters Can someone also suggest an inexpensive one > that I could buy second hand to use with the Mamiya . > > Cheers Chris
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 From: Lassi lahippel@ieee.org Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Shooting with digital to preview exposure ... > Sure, but then again, I've been taught the "extended" sunny 16 rule - > open up some more if you don't get the light directly on (most of) the > subject ... "THE ULTIMATE EXPOSURE COMPUTER", http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm, and scroll close to the bottom. -- Lassi
From: haijack@nospam.onr.com (RD) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Shooting with digital to preview exposure Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 "Jeff" tokom@sympatico.ca wrote: >I forgot >the meter at home, so I decided to use the sunny 16 for my shots. F11 at >1/125 would have been ideal under open sky condition, but half of my shots >had treed scenery with lots of shadows. Those shots are definitely >underexposed by at least 1 stop. But the Sunny 16 rule is only the starting point: Close 1 Stop Bright Sunny day, scene over snow or light sand Sunny 16 - Reciprocal of ASA @ f/16 Bright sunny day, *hard shadows* Open 3 stops shooting into shade Open 1 Stop Bright hazy sun, *weak shadows* Open 3 more stops shooting into shade Open 2 Stops Cloudy but bright, *no shadows* Open 3 more stops shooting into shade Open 3 Stops Heavy overcast, medium grey sky Open 3 more stops shooting into shade Memorize this list and you'll be able to identify most outdoor shots from EV16 to EV9. The Ultimate Exposure Computer site that I mentioned earlier (and someone else here has also mentioned in response to your post) has descriptions of additional EVs, such as those you might encounter indoors, or at night. Incidentally, I have a 35mm with excellent multi-zone metering. It ruined one of my favorite shots a few years ago. The smallish subject, completely in the shade, is badly underexposed due to lighter (but relatively unimportant) surroundings. I know now that using Sunny 16 and opening 3 stops would have taken a perfect picture. JL
Date: Thu, 14 Nov 2002 From: Jim Brick jbrick@elesys.net To: hasselblad@kelvin.net, hasselblad@kelvin.net Subject: RE: [HUG] Sunny 16 rule EV Karl Wolz wrote: >Jim, > >Come to Arizona, where it's actually more like the "sunny 22 rule". We >have some pretty harsh and direct light out here. Sunny 16 does work >great if there's a bit of moisture in the air. > >Karl Wolz Yes. Different parts of the world have different Sunny-16 rules. some are 16, some are 22, some are 11 and some even 32. Barrow Alaska in the winter... Sunny-2.8 rule... :-) Where I am (Silly Cone Valley CA) it is Sunny-16. Jim
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 From: DaveHodge@aol.com To: hasselblad@kelvin.net Subject: [HUG] Re: hasselblad V1 #1773 hasselblad@kelvin.net writes: > PS... The sunny-16 rule was made for, guess what... out in the SUN. Not in > the shadows. That's why it is called "Sunny", not "Shadowdy". In older Kodak dataguides (ca. 1950-65), five "standard" rules were defined for exposure: Y> Bright or hazy sun on light snow or sand - f/22 at the reciprocal of the film speed. Y> Bright or hazy sun, distinct shadows - f/16 (the "sunny 16" rule). Y> Cloudy bright, no shadows - f/8. Y> Heavy overcast - f/5.6 Y> Open shade (subject shaded from sun but lighted by a large area of sky) - f/5.6. Having started my photo career in an era when a light meter was simply unaffordable, I can tell you that I made a lot of nice photographs using these simple rules, and I still use the Sunny 16 Rule as a check on my Blad meter prism. Best regards, David Hodge, Churchville, MD
Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 From: Tom Christiansen tomchr@softhome.net To: hasselblad@kelvin.net Subject: Sunny-16 (was Re: [HUG] Re: hasselblad V1 #1773) Folks, >In older Kodak dataguides (ca. 1950-65), five "standard" rules were defined >for exposure: For a FRONTLIT subject!! Increase exposure by one stop for sidelit subjects, two stops for backlit. Tom
From: hemi4268@aol.com (Hemi4268) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.large-format Date: 10 Dec 2002 Subject: Re: formula for relative f stop >Especially if you follow the info printed inside the film box, or use >the "f16@ 'direct sun'" rule. Just thought I would expand on this rule. The average sunlight is about 5000 foot candles most of the time. This can vary from about 10,000 in Mexico in mid summer to 2500 in North Maine at Christmas time. This is a full two stop difference. Most neg films will handle 2 stops. For slide film I would use slightly more the f-11 in New York City this time of year and you better use f-22 this summer at the Flordia beaches. Larry
From Russian Camera Mailing list: Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 From: David T Mason dave_mason@juno.com Subject: Re: super rangefinder newbie seeks advice Kate - If you get tired of trimming film you might want to set aside your FED 2 as a collectable gem/fashion accessory and try shooting with a FED 3 or 5. These sequels are bulkier than the earlier Leica-clone FEDs, but they're so much easier to load with removeable backs and no film trimming. They also have convenience features like trigger wind and one-window viewfinder. The FED 3 has a very nice art deco design in its own right. The various FED 5s (5, 5B and 5C) are uglier but have rewind cranks and hot shoes that do away with annoying flash cords. Some sub-models of the FED 5 have built-in but uncoupled selinium cell exposure meters. But better than any low-budget meter, here are URLs for exposure calculators/guides that go far beyond the Sunny f/16 rule. You might not want to attempt shooting transparencies with these but they're consistently good enough for color negative (print) film. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-43.html http://www.southbristolviews.com/pics/Cameras/JiffyCalc.pdf With color negative film, whether I'm metering or using a calculator/guide, I like to give an extra stop or two of exposure because these films tolerate overexposure very well, whereas published film speeds are minimums that leave little latitude for underexposure and often lower shadow contrast. If you do this there's little point in bracketing exposures. The main exception is that overexposure tends to lower sky/cloud contrast, so in those situations (and perhaps other high-contrast situations) bracketing at 2 stop intervals is still a good idea if you don't need to conserve film. - Dave Mason
From: hemi4268@aol.com (Hemi4268) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Date: 06 May 2004 Subject: Re: Rule of f16 Hi More then you ever wanted to know about the rule of f16. The sun is a fixed light source although the light hitting the earth can be vary with the time of year and angle. This varation can be from about 12000 foot candles at the equator to around 1250 foot candles at the very nothern reaches of Canada. Average is about 5000 foot candles which the rule of f16 is attached to. Knowing this, you might want to use f22 in the summer in Florida (about 10,000 ft candles) and f11 at Christmas time in Maine (about 2500 ft candles). Generally, f16 is good in Washington DC in September. Larry
From: hemi4268@aol.com (Hemi4268) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Date: 23 May 2004 Subject: Re: metering a best "guess"? ;-) Re: Rule of f16 >Well, no. Not "as much". >The "rule" keeps you guessing about two things: the actual illumination, and >how to deal with that vis-a-vis de particulars of the subject. But the guess in any type of daylight anywhere in the world will be from 12,000 ft candles to 2,500 foot candles. Anything else and you might want to take cover. It means a "H" bomb just went off ot a tornado is on it's way. Larry
From: rolandberry@hotmail.com (RolandRB) Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: metering a best "guess"? ;-) Re: Rule of f16 Date: 22 May 2004 "David J. Littleboy" davidjl@gol.com wrote > "Michael Scarpitti" mikescarpitti@yahoo.com wrote: > > "David J. Littleboy" davidjl@gol.com wrote: > > > > > > Sheesh. This all started because I noticed that sunny 16 gave the wrong > > > answer enough of the time that it's unacceptable. > > > > F/11 is closer in my experience.... > > Yup. Earlier in this thread I wrote f/8, but I think I was mis-remembering. > > Anyway, even if sunny 16 were correct, it'd still be wrong because (at least > for the stuff I do) I want to reproduce the apparent effect of the scene on > the viewer, not to produce the equivalent of a studio catalog shot of the > subject. That means I need to place the subject on the zone that best > renders the appearance, not the subject's reflectivity. > > David J. Littleboy > Tokyo, Japan If you shoot slide film using the f16 rule then on a sunny day your shadows will be near black and you'll get no good detail from it. If what you are interested in is part in shadow and you want to see details from the shaded part then you open up a stop. If what you are interested in is largely in shadow then you open up two stops and don't worry about the bright areas being bleached. This is slide film I am talking about here. As others have rightly pointed out then for print film the photo lab can rescue your shot and give you a good print if you have underexposed.
From: Alan Browne alan.browne@FreeLunchVideotron.ca Newsgroups: rec.photo.equipment.medium-format Subject: Re: Rule of f16 Date: Tue, 18 May 2004 Q.G. de Bakker wrote: > Bob Monaghan wrote: > >>yes, viz.: >>Aperture stops conditions >>f/22 -1 stop snow or beach >>f/16 sunny-16 bright daylight dark shadows >>f/11 +1 stop weak or hazy sun sun low in sky >>f/8 +2 stops cloudy bright >>f/5.6 +3 stops darker clouds subject in shadow >>f/4 +4 stops sunset > > > I can't help but love the precision in the "rule" expressed using the words > "beach", "dark", "shadow", "hazy", "cloudy", "darker", "bright"... > ;-) But remarkably, even for slide film, these rules are quite effective. I personally use my in-camera spot or incident meter 98% of the time; but I can usually look at a daylight scene and guess the setting pretty closely from EV 16 (f/22) down to EV 12 (f/5.6) (for speed +/- 1/3 stops from film EI). From there reciprocity gets the rest. Below EV 0 or -1, the Fred Parker chart is all I need. "Precision"? With so much variance in meters, meter geometry and film sensitivities, meter precision is not as important as knowing your meter and your film well. As another poster mentioned, the Fred Parker 'meter' works quite well. http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#Light%20Intensity%20Chart http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm#EXPOSURE%20FACTOR%20RELATIONSHIP%20CHART%20B I keep a printed copy in my office and on some excursions bring it along. Cheers, Alan
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