[DaveHolmes]

Is the a guide anywhere on how to shoot double exposures?

Something I'd like to try on the MX this week while in the Lake District....

[normhead]

I don't know the MX.... film?

[DaveHolmes]

I don't know the MX.... film?

Yes here you go...

Anybody able to tell me how to do a double exposure with it?

[normhead]

If memory serves me well, you depress that clutch button on the bottom that allows you to rewind, and then hold the clutch open while you advance the "film advance" lever. That will cock your shutter without advancing the film.

[DaveHolmes]

Advance or Rewind... Sorry, I may be being dense but that makes little sense...

Clutch button is the little one I hold down when rewinding a spent film right?

Sorry...

[boriscleto]

From the Pentax manual...

For deliberate multiple exposures, make the first exposure in the normal way. Then tighten the film by turning the rewind knob, and keep hold of the rewind knob. Depress the film rewind release button, and cock the rapid-wind lever. This cocks the shutter without advancing the film. Finally, release the shutter to make the second exposure. Then make one blank exposure, before taking the next picture, to avoid overlapping as registration may not be exact.

[DaveHolmes]

From the Pentax manual...

Thank you!!

[Adam]

On the LX you can also rewind the film to expose it again later - it has special click stops designed for this.

[LesDMess]

Visual aids (cameraporn) since Norm is unfamiliar with the MX and possibly the LX too . . .



The feature that Adam pointed out - the LX's ability to allow you to randomly go back to any frame accurately, is one other feature unique only to the LX.

[normhead]

Depress the film rewind release button,

I made students memorize that term for 15 years..in fact the whole parts image, I photocopied it . handed it out, and tested them on each part for 3 weeks every time I handed out a camera, but now I've forgotten it. I'm gonna just go have a beer and pretend this didn't happen.

[DaveHolmes]

On the LX you can also rewind the film to expose it again later - it has special click stops designed for this.

The feature that Adam pointed out - the LX's ability to allow you to randomly go back to any frame accurately, is one other feature unique only to the LX.

I unfortunately don't have an LX and (much as I'd love one!) if I bought one in the near future I find it quite likely that my girlfriend would find a way to chop my b*l*o*k*s with it... There is currently a curb on all LBA/CBA activities in the Holmes household and discussion (oneway discussion might I add) on the future of current photographic equipment...

However... Any donations of a working LX would be gratefully recieved (my foot can at times 'still go down') :-)

[LesDMess]

Sorry but I currently only have one LX . . .

Nonetheless the MX's huge viewfinder - biggest VF and also smallest 35mm SLR body, makes manually focusing that f1.2 lens very easy and precise!

[JimJohnson]

From the Pentax manual... For deliberate multiple exposures, make the first exposure in the normal way. Then tighten the film by turning the rewind knob, and keep hold of the rewind knob. Depress the film rewind release button, and cock the rapid-wind lever. This cocks the shutter without advancing the film. Finally, release the shutter to make the second exposure. Then make one blank exposure, before taking the next picture, to avoid overlapping as registration may not be exact.

I'll add one more thing... you also need to deliberately under-expose both images if there is any overlap of subjects. Otherwise you'll burn out all the highlights. Think about it this way, if a scene meters at 1/125 and f/5.6, and you double-expose an identical frame twice at 1/250 and f/5.6, the film will have the same exposure as a single shot at 1/125 and f/5.6.

An exception and common way to double expose is to use a completely dark studio with a black background and the subject wearing black. Use a tight spot on the subject's face and compose the first shot with the subject in one corner of the frame. Then change the angle of the subject's face and/or the lighting angle, and the lens to subject distance and compose with the subject in a different corner. Because of the full black, both shots are at normal exposure using spot metering.

[DaveHolmes]

I'll add one more thing... you also need to deliberately under-expose both images if there is any overlap of subjects. Otherwise you'll burn out all the highlights. Think about it this way, if a scene meters at 1/125 and f/5.6, and you double-expose an identical frame twice at 1/250 and f/5.6, the film will have the same exposure as a single shot at 1/125 and f/5.6.

That right there is a damn useful piece of advice!

Cheers Jim!

[average-guy]

The part about tightening the film and holding the rewind knob as stated in the instructions above is pretty important. When I first tried double exposures I didn't know I needed to tighten the film, when you don't you get frames that are not aligned and will be off by 1/2 a frame or more. A few years ago I ran across a cheat sheet that allowed you to quickly estimate the exposure for each frame for up to six superimposed frames, unfortunately I can't find it now, I'll share it if I do.