I posted this over in cinematography, but I wanted to hear the opinions of the experts here as well
Soon I'll be shooting a short film using a Beaulieu 4008II and a canon 310xl. I'll be using the canon for the dimly lit indoor and outdoor night scenes using Kodak 500t. I'll be using the Beaulieu for daytime indoor and outdoor scenes using 200T for outside and 500T for inside. It will be my first time using theses color films.
I have a spot meter, but I'd like to use the automatic features on the Beaulieu as much as possible.
1. Canon 310xl- Should I leave the 500t unnotched if the light is very low to purposely over expose or will this create problems in color and contrast?
2. Canon 310 xl- Do I need to notch 200t for correct exposure as well?
3. Beaulieu- 500T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
4. Beaulieu- 200T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
5. Meter- 500T where should I set my asa on my meter
6. Meter-200T where should I set my asa on my meter
7. Any advice on my choice of films/cameras for their respective settings?
Thanks to all.
First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
Moderator: Andreas Wideroe
-
Stephenbyron
- Posts: 26
- Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:04 pm
- Location: NYC
- Contact:
-
richard p. t.
- Senior member
- Posts: 1004
- Joined: Sat Oct 15, 2005 3:44 pm
- Location: victoria, Australia
- Contact:
Re: First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
1. Canon 310xl- Should I leave the 500t unnotched if the light is very low to purposely over expose or will this create problems in color and contrast?
2. Canon 310 xl- Do I need to notch 200t for correct exposure as well?
3. Beaulieu- 500T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
4. Beaulieu- 200T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
5. Meter- 500T where should I set my asa on my meter
6. Meter-200T where should I set my asa on my meter
g'day stephen,
lots of questions here. There would also seem to me to be some confusion on a few matters. I will have a go at answering you.
Lets start with the beaulieu as it is simpler. Now, lets assume its exposure system is all still working as intended (which is always a major asumption with a super 8 camera until it has been tested with a roll of film). The beaulieu has no filter notch reader or asa notch reader pins. It may or may not have an internal filter. If it does, there is a slot for a filter key in the handle ... or there might be a filter switch. in either case, the presence or absence of the filter will be accounted for by the meter, so no problem. So it just comes down to asa setting. Personally if you are using the 500t for low light, then I would set the meter to 400 (ie maximum) to exploit this low light sensitivity of the 500 asa film. Yes, you could set the asa to as low as 250 if you wanted.
The canon is much more complicated as it is a much simpler camera. It has a filter notch reader and a single asa pin (or does it have 2 asa pins?). It is a 40/160 and possibly 250 asa camera (250 if it has a second asa pin). Yes, its a good low light camera, but determining the exposure will be more difficult. You talk about notching a cartridge. This would be done to enable a camera's internal tungsten filter if shooting outdoors. If you have a beaulieu, you will probably only want to use this camera in low light - and that will presumably be low tungsten light ... so you wont want the cameras internal 85 filter. So, no, you don't want to notch your cartridges to enable the internal filter. You shouldn't think of the filter notch as a way to modify the cameras asa setting. Yes, the way a super 8 camera determines the asa of a particular cartridge involves the presence or absence of a cartridge notch, but you don't need to know about that as its quite complex and often hard for people to explain clearly and hence difficult for novices to grasp in a hurry.
So what to do about the canon? Here is some simple useable advice: Only use in low light where the beaulieu can't be used with 500t, and that means use the canon only with the 500t. What you need to do is calibrate a light meter (your spot meter perhaps) to the exposure system (shutter angle, viewfinder loss etc) of the canon. Here is a way to do that. Get an old roll of 40 asa film like kodachrome or simmilar. Put it in the camera. Now the camera will think 'ah-ha! my old favorite! this is 40 tungsten or 25 asa film!' Now point the camera at some grass for example and see what f-stop reading it gives. Now point your spot meter at the same grass and see what asa you need to set the spot meter to to get the same f-stop reading as the canon gave. Lets say you had to set the spot meter to 12 asa. That is 1 stop slower than the film (25 asa). Do this test a few times, then average the results. Now you know a factor to apply to the film asa for setting the spot meter asa. So lets say it was 1 stop more open as in our example. Now, with a roll of 500t in the canon, set the spot meter to 250 or 200. This will be close enough for negative film. If it was reversal film I would insist on shooting a test, but this will be fine for neg.
hope that helps.
cheers,
richard
2. Canon 310 xl- Do I need to notch 200t for correct exposure as well?
3. Beaulieu- 500T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
4. Beaulieu- 200T where should I set my asa speed on the camera for the automatic exposure to read correctly?
5. Meter- 500T where should I set my asa on my meter
6. Meter-200T where should I set my asa on my meter
g'day stephen,
lots of questions here. There would also seem to me to be some confusion on a few matters. I will have a go at answering you.
Lets start with the beaulieu as it is simpler. Now, lets assume its exposure system is all still working as intended (which is always a major asumption with a super 8 camera until it has been tested with a roll of film). The beaulieu has no filter notch reader or asa notch reader pins. It may or may not have an internal filter. If it does, there is a slot for a filter key in the handle ... or there might be a filter switch. in either case, the presence or absence of the filter will be accounted for by the meter, so no problem. So it just comes down to asa setting. Personally if you are using the 500t for low light, then I would set the meter to 400 (ie maximum) to exploit this low light sensitivity of the 500 asa film. Yes, you could set the asa to as low as 250 if you wanted.
The canon is much more complicated as it is a much simpler camera. It has a filter notch reader and a single asa pin (or does it have 2 asa pins?). It is a 40/160 and possibly 250 asa camera (250 if it has a second asa pin). Yes, its a good low light camera, but determining the exposure will be more difficult. You talk about notching a cartridge. This would be done to enable a camera's internal tungsten filter if shooting outdoors. If you have a beaulieu, you will probably only want to use this camera in low light - and that will presumably be low tungsten light ... so you wont want the cameras internal 85 filter. So, no, you don't want to notch your cartridges to enable the internal filter. You shouldn't think of the filter notch as a way to modify the cameras asa setting. Yes, the way a super 8 camera determines the asa of a particular cartridge involves the presence or absence of a cartridge notch, but you don't need to know about that as its quite complex and often hard for people to explain clearly and hence difficult for novices to grasp in a hurry.
So what to do about the canon? Here is some simple useable advice: Only use in low light where the beaulieu can't be used with 500t, and that means use the canon only with the 500t. What you need to do is calibrate a light meter (your spot meter perhaps) to the exposure system (shutter angle, viewfinder loss etc) of the canon. Here is a way to do that. Get an old roll of 40 asa film like kodachrome or simmilar. Put it in the camera. Now the camera will think 'ah-ha! my old favorite! this is 40 tungsten or 25 asa film!' Now point the camera at some grass for example and see what f-stop reading it gives. Now point your spot meter at the same grass and see what asa you need to set the spot meter to to get the same f-stop reading as the canon gave. Lets say you had to set the spot meter to 12 asa. That is 1 stop slower than the film (25 asa). Do this test a few times, then average the results. Now you know a factor to apply to the film asa for setting the spot meter asa. So lets say it was 1 stop more open as in our example. Now, with a roll of 500t in the canon, set the spot meter to 250 or 200. This will be close enough for negative film. If it was reversal film I would insist on shooting a test, but this will be fine for neg.
hope that helps.
cheers,
richard
I run Nano Lab - Australia's super8 ektachrome processing service
- visit nanolab.com.au
richard@nanolab.com.au
- visit nanolab.com.au
richard@nanolab.com.au
-
Jim Carlile
- Posts: 927
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:59 pm
- Location: Los Angeles
- Contact:
Re: First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
On the Canon 310, definitely notch the cartridge for 500T. The camera will only read as high as ASA 250, which is one stop overexposed for 500, but that's OK-- that's how Kodak prefers it.
If you don't notch the cartridge, it will overexpose it even more at ASA 160.
For V200T, the film will be read correctly by the 310-- a little bit overexposed which is OK. If you want, you can use an external 85 outdoors. You can notch it, too-- in that case it will be exposed at a straight ASA 250, with the internal 85 useable.
If you don't notch the cartridge, it will overexpose it even more at ASA 160.
For V200T, the film will be read correctly by the 310-- a little bit overexposed which is OK. If you want, you can use an external 85 outdoors. You can notch it, too-- in that case it will be exposed at a straight ASA 250, with the internal 85 useable.
Re: First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
double post
Last edited by Chris-B on Tue Aug 26, 2008 7:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
I was reading this as I have a 310xl and a Beaulieu and was looking to give advice but I'm not sure what you mean by notching.
Do you mean re size the film speed notch of the cartridge?
Or make a filter notch?
Thanks,
Chris.
PS
Never thought about the notches on 200t and 500t but it has always come out fine for me in tungsten light, day light, bright and low light. Negative is very forgiving.
Do you mean re size the film speed notch of the cartridge?
Or make a filter notch?
Thanks,
Chris.
PS
Never thought about the notches on 200t and 500t but it has always come out fine for me in tungsten light, day light, bright and low light. Negative is very forgiving.
-
Jim Carlile
- Posts: 927
- Joined: Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:59 pm
- Location: Los Angeles
- Contact:
Re: First time Vision user. Exposure questions.
Filter notch.
The 310 will rate both those films well with no modifications. The 500T will be about 1 1/3 stop overexposed, the 200T will be 1/3 stop overexposed. At night or in low light conditions where the camera sees the red flag in the window, not even as much.
If you notch 500T, you can cut down the overexposure and use the internal 85.
The 310 will rate both those films well with no modifications. The 500T will be about 1 1/3 stop overexposed, the 200T will be 1/3 stop overexposed. At night or in low light conditions where the camera sees the red flag in the window, not even as much.
If you notch 500T, you can cut down the overexposure and use the internal 85.