Re: Sunny 16 versus meters

[P3D Michael Kersenbrock <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I was quoted....

> From: P3D P3D Michael Kersenbrock  <michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > 
> > This is probably true.  Under optimal conditions, "thinking-only" can 
> > probably at best only match using a light meter.  Why?....
> > 

Then Greg was quoted....

> From: P3D  P3D Gregory J. Wageman  <gjw@xxxxxxxxxx>
> > So how invariant are sunlight conditions around the globe?  Is a sunny
> > smoggy noontime in L.A. really photometrically equivalent to noon in, say
> > the Swiss Alps (and I don't mean in snow)?  What about seasonal variations,
> > like noon on the summer solstice, vs. noon on the winter solstice at a
> 
> Contrary to what is quoted above, an incident light meter is actually
> often just right for slides, which is what I take with my Realist format
> camera, and some of the time with my Nimslo. Consider my serious photography,
> which often involves a California native shrub with nice flowers, at far, near,
> and closeup distances. With my Minolta Maxxum 700si, which has very fancy
~
> 
> For this sort of work, an incident light meter is really better. Furthermore,
> the f/16 rule is not bad if you can see a sharp shadow edge and your shadow
> is markedly shorter than you are. The reason is that in both the tropics and
> 
> Anyway, my point is that the f/16 rule is often adequate, and that sometimes
> better than even a pretty good meter.

I don't understand how that which I wrote is "Contrary" to what you said.   I
said that at best "thinking" will only match using a light meter (plus thinking).

Or are you saying that using a light meter in a think-free light meter fashion 
instead of thinking will *always* yield a better exposure?  That'd be the only 
way to logically be contrary to what I said.  

Note that even random camera settings are capable of sometimes giving perfect
exposures which a light meter cannot beat!


Mike K.

P.S. - My original point was that you *still* think when using a light meter.  One
       doesn't necessarily use the sunny-16 rule because one eventually learns about
       what setting works for a particular lighting situation.  So it's being used
       indirectly by "table lookup" rather than by computation.  This cross-checks
       what a light meter says and judgements are made from the results.


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