Win a Pentax Limited Lens: Raffle Now Live!

raider · 08-03-2007, 07:54 AM

Hi

I will be going out on a photo shooting trip tomorrow and would like to know if there are any portable guide book (downloadable from the internet) or guideline on setting the correct exposures (shutter speed, aperture) for various shooting conditions?

I do not mean that I will follow the guide like a textbook or anything, but something to refer to on the spot is better than nothing..

Any tips? Thanks

mph · 08-03-2007, 10:59 AM

It's not downloadable, and probably too late for you, but in my photo bag, I have my dad's old "Kodak Photoguide". Mine is old enough that you tell the films' speeds by how many X's are in their names (Panchromatic X, Tri-X, Kodachrome X, etc.). It had an exposure calculator, where you could turn a wheel to line up a film speed with a situation (candlelight, fireworks, etc.) and read off the exposure.

I see there is now a digital edition. I wonder how it compares to my ancient version.

mickeyobe · 08-03-2007, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by raider

Hi

I will be going out on a photo shooting trip tomorrow and would like to know if there are any portable guide book (downloadable from the internet) or guideline on setting the correct exposures (shutter speed, aperture) for various shooting conditions?

I do not mean that I will follow the guide like a textbook or anything, but something to refer to on the spot is better than nothing..

Any tips? Thanks

Raider,

I believe you may find what you want if you check what is printed on the inside of your film box(es).
I know that Agfa, Fuji and Kodak have printed guides in side their boxes.

Mickey

mph · 08-03-2007, 11:33 AM

Originally posted by mickeyobe

I believe you may find what you want if you check what is printed on the inside of your film box(es).

I'm visualizing a farcical scene where a DSLR owner goes into a camera shop, buys a roll of film, throws away the film, and keeps the box.

Here's a site with some pretty thorough tables, but you might have to do a little work to print it nicely:
Ultimate Exposure Computer

Dave Lee · 08-03-2007, 02:54 PM

I have this excel file that I print out and carry with me. I will gladly email it to you if you like.

raider · 08-03-2007, 04:57 PM

Is there a guideline (already compiled) that gives the recommendation of exposure for each different type of shooting conditions such as, eg:

1. water - to freeze in time - shutter speed = 1/250sec
2. water - to motion freeze with some apparent movement - shutter speed = 1/25 - > 1/250sec
3. Fireworks - F22 @ 15-22sec

etc
etc??

Thanks

FLASH · 08-03-2007, 06:12 PM

Grab "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby; he writes quite well and is an accomplished author of books on Photoshop, IPod and such. Try to reach him at Photoshop Insider. He writes about digital photography in general, not specifically Pentax material.....................................He's good!

FLASH

stewart_photo · 08-03-2007, 08:22 PM

I'm not aware of anything downloadable, but you may want to pick up something for future use. Here are a sampling (from B&H) of some of the most common pocket and exposure guides...

Kodak Pocket Guide to Digital Photography ($8)...

Kodak Book: #AR-41 Kodak Pocket Guide to Digital Photography

Kodak Pocket Guide to 35mm Photography ($9)...

Kodak Book: #AR-22 Kodak Pocket Guide to 35mm Photography

Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide ($20)...

Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide

I have all three in my camera bag. The Kodak digital pocket guide is an updated version of the 35mm guide, but the 35mm guide is still useful (with or without the digital guide) since basic technique is not all that different. The exposure guide simply lists dozens and dozens of typical and not-so-typical photo situations (moon, fireworks, candlelight, etc), with recommendations on camera settings for proper exposure.

Note: the Kodak digital pocket guide is not yet available (I have a pre-release sample), but should be any day now.

stewart

raider · 08-04-2007, 08:39 AM

I checked out the black cat exposure guide and I think it is quite good. But is the USD19.95 inclusive of just the rotating wheel thingy or contains some other documentations, info, booklet, etc?

m8o · 08-04-2007, 09:34 AM

Originally posted by mph

I'm visualizing a farcical scene where a DSLR owner goes into a camera shop, buys a roll of film, throws away the film, and keeps the box.

Here's a site with some pretty thorough tables, but you might have to do a little work to print it nicely:
Ultimate Exposure Computer

Lol is right to the 1st paragraph!

I'm grabbing that page and converting it into a .PDF, and will load it (with many other things) into a Sony PRS-500 e-book reader and take it with me to Tanzania!!!

much thanx. and tho I'm not the OP, much thanx to all.

stewart_photo · 08-04-2007, 09:31 PM

Originally posted by raider

I checked out the black cat exposure guide and I think it is quite good. But is the USD19.95 inclusive of just the rotating wheel thingy or contains some other documentations, info, booklet, etc?

Okay, here is what mine came with. First is the exposure guide itself. This is thick laminated cardboard page folded in thirds. When open fully, it's about the size of a standard sheet of paper turned sideways (not quite as tall as the sheet sideways and a little wider). When folded, the cover has the rotating wheel and the back has a 18% gray card (useful for metering or setting WB).

The wheel itself has A-Z representing the various scenes. Over that is the first rotating wheel with the ISO setting. You align the ISO with the letter representing the scene of your choosing. Over that is another wheel with the shutter speed you've chosen. Rotating that will expose the aperture. You now have the three settings needed for your scene - ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. You can further move the dials to discover various ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings that will work with your particular scene.

The rest of the guide contains a list of scenes with the corresponding letter (A-Z) used on the wheel. Each scene contains a description and notes for that scene. For example, the first one is "airplane" with a note saying the interior and also applies to similar interiors like a bus or train. The next scene on the chart is "average scene" and note "in full sun." An additional note here says a "front-lit scene or subject in full sun 2 hrs after sunrise and 2 hrs before sunset." The chart goes on to list dozens of scenes with various notes, with the letters used for the exposure wheel on the cover.

The list of scenes is quite complete, covering everything from full sunlight to swimming pools. In all that are store windows, nightclubs, skylines at night, fog, fireworks ground, fireworks aerial, candle light, museums, snow, moon, moonlit scenes, rain, stained glass inside, stained glass outside, television, christmas tree (singular), christmas trees (plural), and so on.

In addition to the exposure guide itself, the package comes with a smaller two-fold "manual" that quickly explains the exposure guide, gives a couple of examples, and explains the use of the gray card. Finally, the third sheet is an addendum listing additional scenes not covered in the exposure guide.

It's fairly easy to use and accurate most of the time. You'll have to make some judgements calls. For example, in the "airplane" example above (intended for the entire plane interior), the settings may not be ideal for a person on an airplane sitting next to a bright window. In this case, it may be better to use the "window light" settings instead of the "airplane" settings.

Well, that's it. I put the entire package in a standard business-size envelope, which was than tossed into the mesh pocket on the lid of my camera bag. The pocket guides listed also contain much of the same info, but not as quickly accessed. However, the pocket guides also cover notes about cameras, lenses, special techniques, shooting advice, and more.

stewart

raider · 08-04-2007, 10:27 PM

Thanks for the information! I will order my copy of this exposure guide!! Thanks again

PDL · 08-04-2007, 11:42 PM

I have three portable devices.

The first is a exposure program that runs on my PDA (freeware).

The second is an old Kodak book that is buried out in a old defunct cooler (those things are nice for long term storage - insulated and bugs can not get into them very easy). The book as an exposure calculator (circular slide rule for the old guys among us) that has many rings of data and many functions (guide numbers, magnification, CINE speeds, EV, Zones etc.

The third is really two devices - hand held light meters. Just move the dials around and the relationships are displayed.

PDL

**barondla** · 08-05-2007, 09:12 PM

The Black Cat covers almost anything. Highly recommended. It even has aurora exposures listed.
thanks
barondla

Mechan1k · 08-05-2007, 09:34 PM

Originally posted by FLASH

Grab "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby; he writes quite well and is an accomplished author of books on Photoshop, IPod and such. Try to reach him at Photoshop Insider. He writes about digital photography in general, not specifically Pentax material.....................................He's good!

FLASH

I have this book ... very handy ... easy to read for a beginner like myself.
Not exactly that portable ... but is a fairly small-ish book though.

Has a good guide on different settings for different situations as well ... like settings he'd use for night time/cloudy situations/fast action/etc.

08-03-2007, 07:54 AM	#1
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989	Any portable guide on exposures, shutter speed, aperture? Hi I will be going out on a photo shooting trip tomorrow and would like to know if there are any portable guide book (downloadable from the internet) or guideline on setting the correct exposures (shutter speed, aperture) for various shooting conditions? I do not mean that I will follow the guide like a textbook or anything, but something to refer to on the spot is better than nothing.. Any tips? Thanks

08-03-2007, 02:54 PM	#5
Dave Lee Forum Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Monroe, MI USA Posts: 58	I have this excel file that I print out and carry with me. I will gladly email it to you if you like. Attached Images

08-03-2007, 06:12 PM	#7
FLASH Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Eastern Shore of Alabama (Daphne, Alabama) Posts: 109	Digital photography book Grab "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby; he writes quite well and is an accomplished author of books on Photoshop, IPod and such. Try to reach him at Photoshop Insider. He writes about digital photography in general, not specifically Pentax material.....................................He's good! FLASH

08-04-2007, 09:31 PM	#11
stewart_photo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 1,864	Originally posted by raider I checked out the black cat exposure guide and I think it is quite good. But is the USD19.95 inclusive of just the rotating wheel thingy or contains some other documentations, info, booklet, etc? Okay, here is what mine came with. First is the exposure guide itself. This is thick laminated cardboard page folded in thirds. When open fully, it's about the size of a standard sheet of paper turned sideways (not quite as tall as the sheet sideways and a little wider). When folded, the cover has the rotating wheel and the back has a 18% gray card (useful for metering or setting WB). The wheel itself has A-Z representing the various scenes. Over that is the first rotating wheel with the ISO setting. You align the ISO with the letter representing the scene of your choosing. Over that is another wheel with the shutter speed you've chosen. Rotating that will expose the aperture. You now have the three settings needed for your scene - ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. You can further move the dials to discover various ISO, shutter speed, and aperture settings that will work with your particular scene. The rest of the guide contains a list of scenes with the corresponding letter (A-Z) used on the wheel. Each scene contains a description and notes for that scene. For example, the first one is "airplane" with a note saying the interior and also applies to similar interiors like a bus or train. The next scene on the chart is "average scene" and note "in full sun." An additional note here says a "front-lit scene or subject in full sun 2 hrs after sunrise and 2 hrs before sunset." The chart goes on to list dozens of scenes with various notes, with the letters used for the exposure wheel on the cover. The list of scenes is quite complete, covering everything from full sunlight to swimming pools. In all that are store windows, nightclubs, skylines at night, fog, fireworks ground, fireworks aerial, candle light, museums, snow, moon, moonlit scenes, rain, stained glass inside, stained glass outside, television, christmas tree (singular), christmas trees (plural), and so on. In addition to the exposure guide itself, the package comes with a smaller two-fold "manual" that quickly explains the exposure guide, gives a couple of examples, and explains the use of the gray card. Finally, the third sheet is an addendum listing additional scenes not covered in the exposure guide. It's fairly easy to use and accurate most of the time. You'll have to make some judgements calls. For example, in the "airplane" example above (intended for the entire plane interior), the settings may not be ideal for a person on an airplane sitting next to a bright window. In this case, it may be better to use the "window light" settings instead of the "airplane" settings. Well, that's it. I put the entire package in a standard business-size envelope, which was than tossed into the mesh pocket on the lid of my camera bag. The pocket guides listed also contain much of the same info, but not as quickly accessed. However, the pocket guides also cover notes about cameras, lenses, special techniques, shooting advice, and more. stewart Last edited by stewart_photo; 08-04-2007 at 11:38 PM. Reason: clarification

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Setting Shutter Speed for Video (A How To Guide)	johnnybodybags	Video Recording and Processing	77	11-04-2011 04:21 PM
Quick Guide to Shutter Speed/Aperture/ISO	Copyright	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	3	10-24-2010 12:06 PM
Shutter Speed and Aperture Comparison	indy	Pentax SLR Lens Discussion	6	05-28-2010 06:25 AM
How do you where to start with Aperture and SHutter speed??	hockmasm	Pentax DSLR Discussion	22	05-04-2010 12:57 PM
Setting the shutter speed AND aperture on the K10D	Photogoof	Pentax DSLR Discussion	3	03-28-2008 03:19 PM

08-03-2007, 10:59 AM	#2
mph Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Johnstown, PA, USA Posts: 44	It's not downloadable, and probably too late for you, but in my photo bag, I have my dad's old "Kodak Photoguide". Mine is old enough that you tell the films' speeds by how many X's are in their names (Panchromatic X, Tri-X, Kodachrome X, etc.). It had an exposure calculator, where you could turn a wheel to line up a film speed with a situation (candlelight, fireworks, etc.) and read off the exposure. I see there is now a digital edition. I wonder how it compares to my ancient version.

08-03-2007, 11:18 AM	#3
mickeyobe Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,759	Originally posted by raider Hi I will be going out on a photo shooting trip tomorrow and would like to know if there are any portable guide book (downloadable from the internet) or guideline on setting the correct exposures (shutter speed, aperture) for various shooting conditions? I do not mean that I will follow the guide like a textbook or anything, but something to refer to on the spot is better than nothing.. Any tips? Thanks Raider, I believe you may find what you want if you check what is printed on the inside of your film box(es). I know that Agfa, Fuji and Kodak have printed guides in side their boxes. Mickey

08-03-2007, 11:33 AM	#4
mph Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Johnstown, PA, USA Posts: 44	Originally posted by mickeyobe I believe you may find what you want if you check what is printed on the inside of your film box(es). I'm visualizing a farcical scene where a DSLR owner goes into a camera shop, buys a roll of film, throws away the film, and keeps the box. Here's a site with some pretty thorough tables, but you might have to do a little work to print it nicely: Ultimate Exposure Computer

08-03-2007, 04:57 PM	#6
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989 Original Poster	Is there a guideline (already compiled) that gives the recommendation of exposure for each different type of shooting conditions such as, eg: 1. water - to freeze in time - shutter speed = 1/250sec 2. water - to motion freeze with some apparent movement - shutter speed = 1/25 - > 1/250sec 3. Fireworks - F22 @ 15-22sec etc etc?? Thanks

08-03-2007, 08:22 PM	#8
stewart_photo Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Heidelberg, Germany Posts: 1,864	I'm not aware of anything downloadable, but you may want to pick up something for future use. Here are a sampling (from B&H) of some of the most common pocket and exposure guides... Kodak Pocket Guide to Digital Photography ($8)... Kodak Book: #AR-41 Kodak Pocket Guide to Digital Photography Kodak Pocket Guide to 35mm Photography ($9)... Kodak Book: #AR-22 Kodak Pocket Guide to 35mm Photography Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide ($20)... Black Cat Extended Range Exposure Guide I have all three in my camera bag. The Kodak digital pocket guide is an updated version of the 35mm guide, but the 35mm guide is still useful (with or without the digital guide) since basic technique is not all that different. The exposure guide simply lists dozens and dozens of typical and not-so-typical photo situations (moon, fireworks, candlelight, etc), with recommendations on camera settings for proper exposure. Note: the Kodak digital pocket guide is not yet available (I have a pre-release sample), but should be any day now. stewart

08-04-2007, 08:39 AM	#9
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989 Original Poster	I checked out the black cat exposure guide and I think it is quite good. But is the USD19.95 inclusive of just the rotating wheel thingy or contains some other documentations, info, booklet, etc?

08-04-2007, 09:34 AM	#10
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092	Originally posted by mph I'm visualizing a farcical scene where a DSLR owner goes into a camera shop, buys a roll of film, throws away the film, and keeps the box. Here's a site with some pretty thorough tables, but you might have to do a little work to print it nicely: Ultimate Exposure Computer Lol is right to the 1st paragraph! I'm grabbing that page and converting it into a .PDF, and will load it (with many other things) into a Sony PRS-500 e-book reader and take it with me to Tanzania!!! much thanx. and tho I'm not the OP, much thanx to all.

08-04-2007, 10:27 PM	#12
raider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Perth, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,989 Original Poster	Thanks for the information! I will order my copy of this exposure guide!! Thanks again

08-04-2007, 11:42 PM	#13
PDL Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: PNW USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,128	I have three portable devices. The first is a exposure program that runs on my PDA (freeware). The second is an old Kodak book that is buried out in a old defunct cooler (those things are nice for long term storage - insulated and bugs can not get into them very easy). The book as an exposure calculator (circular slide rule for the old guys among us) that has many rings of data and many functions (guide numbers, magnification, CINE speeds, EV, Zones etc. The third is really two devices - hand held light meters. Just move the dials around and the relationships are displayed. PDL

08-05-2007, 09:12 PM	#14
barondla Site Supporter Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: midwest, United States Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,717	The Black Cat covers almost anything. Highly recommended. It even has aurora exposures listed. thanks barondla

08-05-2007, 09:34 PM	#15
Mechan1k Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 2,891	Originally posted by FLASH Grab "The Digital Photography Book" by Scott Kelby; he writes quite well and is an accomplished author of books on Photoshop, IPod and such. Try to reach him at Photoshop Insider. He writes about digital photography in general, not specifically Pentax material.....................................He's good! FLASH I have this book ... very handy ... easy to read for a beginner like myself. Not exactly that portable ... but is a fairly small-ish book though. Has a good guide on different settings for different situations as well ... like settings he'd use for night time/cloudy situations/fast action/etc.

Any portable guide on exposures, shutter speed, aperture?

Win a Pentax Limited Lens: Raffle Now Live!