Ping: Littleboy - Fuji 645 rangefinder

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

And I have a LOT of film yet to scan.

It's weird that I know so many people just getting serious about
scanning film when everybody has stopped making scanners. I suspect
they may have to start again.

There are a few brands we've never heard of out there...

--
gmail originated posts filtered due to spam.

Bruce writes:

David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

It's weird that I know so many people just getting serious about
scanning film when everybody has stopped making scanners. I suspect
they may have to start again.


But they *have* started making scanners again. Over the last couple
of years, film scanners designed for consumer use have been made in
China and sold in huge numbers. They aren't especially good, though.
The most common brand in the UK is Summit but I have seen similar
scanners with a wide range of brand names.

Yeah, I mean real dedicated film scanners. Nearly everybody makes
"transparency adapters" for their flatbeds, but the results on consumer
units are unusable.

There are some good scanners that have continued to be made, including
the Plustek OpticFilm range. Mechanically, they aren't up to Nikon
standards of robustness but they are optically good enough for most
photography enthusiasts.
http://plustek.com/usa/products/opti...roduction.html

I put the Plustek below the range of consideration, but I've never owned
one, so it's second hand info for me.

I still shoot film and use an Imacon Flextight (now Hasselblad) and
occasionally an old but extremely capable Howtek drum scanner. Either
of these will blow away any Nikon scans because of their higher Dmax.

Sure, and at that price they damned well better :-).

There is a large selection of film scanners at B&H:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Fi...1/N/4277366338

Sure, but most of them are clearly a trap for ignorant consumers.

Pacific Image seems to be trying to market some serious things; dunno
about their results, though.

Alan Browne writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

On 2011-11-03 13:41 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

That's *not* how one does it with a meter.

If desired DOF is at f/4 for a 3:1 ratio I meter (adjust) the key light
to f/4 at the subject.

Then I meter (adjust) the fill light to f/2.4 (3:1 key:fill).

Finally, for the -1 stop BG , I simply meter the BG light to f/2.8 at
the background.

All separately (other two lights off or masked from the meter).

Then shoot at f/4.

--
gmail originated posts filtered due to spam.

Alan Browne writes:

On 2011-11-03 13:41 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

That's *not* how one does it with a meter.

If desired DOF is at f/4 for a 3:1 ratio I meter (adjust) the key
light to f/4 at the subject.

Then I meter (adjust) the fill light to f/2.4 (3:1 key:fill).

How does that differ from "test until it dows what you want"?

Finally, for the -1 stop BG , I simply meter the BG light to f/2.8 at
the background.

All separately (other two lights off or masked from the meter).

Then shoot at f/4.

Sure. You can do that with the camera, too, you know.

On 2011-11-03 17:22 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-03 13:41 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

That's *not* how one does it with a meter.

If desired DOF is at f/4 for a 3:1 ratio I meter (adjust) the key
light to f/4 at the subject.

Then I meter (adjust) the fill light to f/2.4 (3:1 key:fill).

How does that differ from "test until it dows what you want"?

It's not subjective. It takes 2 or 3 flash firings to set a light.


Finally, for the -1 stop BG , I simply meter the BG light to f/2.8 at
the background.

All separately (other two lights off or masked from the meter).

Then shoot at f/4.

Sure. You can do that with the camera, too, you know.

Enlighten me with a procedure.

What is your reference for 3:1 lighting?

--
gmail originated posts filtered due to spam.

Alan Browne writes:

On 2011-11-03 17:22 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-03 13:41 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

That's *not* how one does it with a meter.

If desired DOF is at f/4 for a 3:1 ratio I meter (adjust) the key
light to f/4 at the subject.

Then I meter (adjust) the fill light to f/2.4 (3:1 key:fill).

How does that differ from "test until it dows what you want"?

It's not subjective. It takes 2 or 3 flash firings to set a light.

"What you want" is subjective. If you want 3:1, then test until you get
that.

The camera is covered with controls adjusted in f/stops. The histogram
will tell you when things are being exposed to a given level. So, set
your key light, photograph a standard (gray card, whatever) and observe
the location of the sharp spike on the histogram. Set the fill light,
open the lens 1.3 stops (is that what 2.4 is from 4?), photograph the
same standard, and adjust the fill light until the spike in the
histogram is in the same place.

Mostly I use less precise and quicker procedures; I'm skeptical of
people thinking that .1 stop precision actually matters anywhere, but I
don't do studio stuff professionally, so maybe it really does.

On 2011-11-04 10:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-03 17:22 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-03 13:41 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
Alan writes:

On 2011-11-01 15:51 , David Dyer-Bennet wrote:

I suppose if you're used enough to using the meter. I could do it, but
I find the digital data more complete for multi-flash setups.

How do you set a subject 3:1 lighting ratio with a BG light @ -1 stop
using a camera?

Same way you do with a meter; test until it does what you want.

That's *not* how one does it with a meter.

If desired DOF is at f/4 for a 3:1 ratio I meter (adjust) the key
light to f/4 at the subject.

Then I meter (adjust) the fill light to f/2.4 (3:1 key:fill).

How does that differ from "test until it dows what you want"?

It's not subjective. It takes 2 or 3 flash firings to set a light.

"What you want" is subjective. If you want 3:1, then test until you get
that.

The camera is covered with controls adjusted in f/stops. The histogram
will tell you when things are being exposed to a given level. So, set
your key light, photograph a standard (gray card, whatever)

I knew you'd go there. So you also need a grey card. So you need
something to hold that (a person, a stand, ...). Of course a grey card
has to be at the right angle to prevent specular reflections to the
camera from all lights. So you'll end up having to adjust it for two
light shots, and then move it to the BG for that shot (or v-v).

Further, your camera does not expose at f/2.4. It likely has f/2.3 or
f/2.5 or both (third or half stops). This is a quibble.

With a meter, a simple setup as I describe takes about 2 minutes to set
the lights - less if you have an assistant or remote controlled lights.
You wouldn't get there with a camera that quick.

The expression goes: "The right tool for the job."

--
gmail originated posts filtered due to spam.

Bruce wrote:
I still shoot film and use an Imacon Flextight (now Hasselblad) and
occasionally an old but extremely capable Howtek drum scanner. Either
of these will blow away any Nikon scans because of their higher Dmax.

Sure, and at that price they damned well better:-).

The Howtek cost me nothing, as long as I removed it. The only problem
was finding a spare room large enough to house it, with a strong
concrete floor. The Flextight cost me about 15% of the new price at a
bankruptcy auction because no-one seemed to know what it was ...

That would be cool for large format!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/castorscan/6327219114/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/castorscan/6348420483/