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#1
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test strip
Hi
What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Thanking you group |
#2
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test strip
sonsdad wrote:
Hi What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Some how I think this is one case that English is different on each side of the Ocean. What do you mean by a test strip? Nick -- "It is a mistake, however, to assume that the Zone System therefore 'does not work' with roll-film cameras; since it is a practical expression of sensitometric principles, the Zone System remains valid, even though its use is somewhat different." Adams _The_Negative_ |
#3
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test strip
"sonsdad" wrote in message ... Hi What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Thanking you group To me, "test strip" is something used in the darkroom. Perhaps you mean something else, since you don't mention anything about darkrooms. Anyway, a test strip is used to determine proper exposure of the negative onto the printing paper. The negative is placed in the enlarger and focused. A piece of photo printing paper is placed in the easel, and all but 1/4 of it is covered with an opaque card. An exposure of 5 seconds is made (typically 5 seconds). The cover is moved back so that 1/2 of it is covered and another 5 second exposure is made. The cover is moved back so that only 1/4 of it is covered and another 5 second exposure is made. The cover is removed entirely and a final 5 second exposure is made. After processing, you have a print with four exposures: 20, 15, 10, and 5 seconds. You pick the best exposure, and make your print. Sorry of this isn't what you mean! Ken |
#4
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test strip
"sonsdad" wrote in message ...
Hi What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. No. I never use them. They're useless. Make a test ***print*** or two so you can see the ***whole*** image, and adjust the exposure accordingly. If your negatives are consistent, there will be little change in exposure from one print to the next. One may be 6 seconds, another 7.2, but after a while you'll be able to judge this by eye anyway. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. Practice, practice, practice. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, No. You don't need it. Learn the basic exposures by heart for most scenes. I did it, and you can too. Use 1 or two films at the most, and learn them PERFECTLY. I suggest you start with Tri-X Pan and FP4. DON'T push them. Learn how to expose them properly EVERY time. If it's too dark, it's too dark! Tough! That''s how life is sometimes. Deal with it and go on with your life. if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Thanking you group See: http://zd.csimultimedia.com/ No spot meters were used in the creation of these images. Half of them were exposed by memory of the correct exposure. |
#5
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test strip
Hi Group
Thanks for your comments. I think Michael interpreted my question fine. Cheers "Michael Scarpitti" wrote in message m... "sonsdad" wrote in message ... Hi What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. No. I never use them. They're useless. Make a test ***print*** or two so you can see the ***whole*** image, and adjust the exposure accordingly. If your negatives are consistent, there will be little change in exposure from one print to the next. One may be 6 seconds, another 7.2, but after a while you'll be able to judge this by eye anyway. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. Practice, practice, practice. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, No. You don't need it. Learn the basic exposures by heart for most scenes. I did it, and you can too. Use 1 or two films at the most, and learn them PERFECTLY. I suggest you start with Tri-X Pan and FP4. DON'T push them. Learn how to expose them properly EVERY time. If it's too dark, it's too dark! Tough! That''s how life is sometimes. Deal with it and go on with your life. if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Thanking you group See: http://zd.csimultimedia.com/ No spot meters were used in the creation of these images. Half of them were exposed by memory of the correct exposure. |
#6
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test strip
sonsdad,
A few things Michael said have some validity, others don't. If you wish your images and prints to look like his, then sure, do EXACTLY what he says. However, if you are looking to have more control, express your images in a variety of ways, and shoot a variety of things, I'd reccomend you expand your understanding of photography further than his limited approach. Take this: No. I never use them. They're useless. Make a test ***print*** or two so you can see the ***whole*** image, and adjust the exposure accordingly. If your negatives are consistent, there will be little change in exposure from one print to the next. One may be 6 seconds, another 7.2, but after a while you'll be able to judge this by eye anyway. I agree in part, but, and this is especially if you are just starting out, or are not familar with the wide variety of materials out there, test strips can be valuable. I personally rarely do them, BUT I've been printing professionally for about 28 yrears (33 years total) and they can give you a lot of information. Don't use just a little piece of the paper, though, go ahead and use a full sheet. That way you can make sure your borders are correct, and you see all the areas of the image that need to be "adjusted". I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. Practice, practice, practice. And open your mind to the possibilities of the medium and materials. They are quite numerous. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, No. You don't need it. Learn the basic exposures by heart for most scenes. I did it, and you can too. Use 1 or two films at the most, and learn them PERFECTLY. I suggest you start with Tri-X Pan and FP4. DON'T push them. Learn how to expose them properly EVERY time. If it's too dark, it's too dark! Tough! That''s how life is sometimes. Deal with it and go on with your life. It really depends on what you are going to shoot. Outdoors and using the dreaded Zone System which Michael hates so much, they are indespensible. Or at least they can make exposing an image easy or harder. If you plan to do studio work, they can have some benifits. Street photography, for yearbooks, well, Michael is right there. It would slow you down considerable and most likely make you lose that special shot of syrup slowly cascading over a stack of pancakes. With reportage, you will need to learn some basic "exposure" facts regarding certain film speeds that will help when shooting off the cuff. Also, learning to develop for the particular scene you shot is essential. And BTW, pushing, even pulling, development works, but there is a trade off on results and must be considered based on your personal choice and desires for the image. As for film, Tri-X is the standard for sure, but I'd suggest Agfa 100 over FP-4 for its better tonality and gradation of tones. Better grain also. See: http://zd.csimultimedia.com/ No spot meters were used in the creation of these images. Half of them were exposed by memory of the correct exposure. I'm not gonna touch this again. Alexis www.alexisneel.com |
#8
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test strip
Thanks for everything. What you are saying is that I need to take shots, log
my settings and decide which are the most pleasing to me. Than take more shots to confirm my results. I never thought about the differences in particular films of the same ISO. I have ordered some TRI X 400! Cheers "sonsdad" wrote in message ... Hi What can anyone tell me about making a test strip. I am anxious to improve my Black&White photography. I have a Nikon F60. Should I consider buying a spotmeter, if so which, or will the cameras meter be adequate? Thanking you group |
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