Sunny 16 Rule?

[figment]

bump for great post.

I am very good technically with my camera, but I did learn something in this thread.

good stuff.

[Hogleg 44]

Originally Posted by figment

bump for great post.

I am very good technically with my camera, but I did learn something in this thread.

good stuff.

Yep! Me Too!!!
I found out the rule ain't quite as obsolete as I thought it was!!!

[figment]

yeah, the doubling 'idea' also helped me understand some of that better.

im normally a manual indoors, av outdoors, but i always wanted to try to get good with manual outside.

[AeroClassics]

Wow! Lots of interesting information. I think I learned more reading this thread than I have in 2 hours of reading other web sites! However, as an amateur in the semi-pro TPF world, I think I have more questions now that I did when I started reading. So I beg your indulgence..............

Just to make sure I have the relationship. If I am shooting outdoors, bright sun with ISO 400 dialed up (not sure why I would do this but for the sake of understanding) I would step down (down is bigger, right?) my f-stop from f/16 two stops or f/8.5 and I would set double double my shutter speed from 1/100 to 1/400 (or the reciprocal of the ISO value). If I understand what I am reading each change of the f-stop either doubles or halves the amount of light available and each step of the shutter speed does virtually the same thing, doubles or halves the duration that the light will be available. So as long as I maintain the same relationship between the f-stop and the shutter speed I should get the same exposure but I can adjust my depth of field or ability to stop action? Based on this assumption, if I wish to under expose I can either step down one stop or increase my shutter speed one increment (stop?), correct? And by doing so, under most brightly lit outdoor conditions I lessen the risk of blown highlights which are harder to recover in post processing than it is to recover details in under exposed shadows? Am I anywhere close?

Brad, are you saying that if I want to take a decent picture of the moon I should apply the sunny/16 rule as if shooting on a sunny day. So my moon shot with f/16, ISO 100 and 1/100 should get me a nicely exposed shot? Really? Cool!

12stones, you brought up shooting in the shade by saying that if you are shooting from the shade the subject is under exposed because of the background light. I assume this is basically true for any back lit situation. So what rule of them applies here? Where do you start to get decent exposure? (besides on P or Auto) I know my XT I can adjust the internal flash a little bit up or down? Any rules of thumb of if I should an how much? Especially as it applies to back lit situations. I took a couple photos of a great subject standing in front of some stained glass windows in the dark foyer of a church. Her Mom with her P&S couldn't come close to getting them I cam close but I am sure they could have been better. Just wasn't sure how to set up the shot.

Thanks!

[brad]

Originally Posted by AeroClassics

Brad, are you saying that if I want to take a decent picture of the moon I should apply the sunny/16 rule as if shooting on a sunny day. So my moon shot with f/16, ISO 100 and 1/100 should get me a nicely exposed shot? Really? Cool!

It should get you very close.

[12stones]

Douglas, it sounds like you have the gist of it.

As for your question about the shade, the issue is where your subject is, because that's where the camera (or your light meter) will get its reading from. It doesn't matter if you're shooting from the shade, it matters where your subject is. In my post earlier, I was talking about shooting a subject that's shaded on a sunny day. Depending on where you meter (subject v. background), you could possibly underexpose the subject or overexpose the background. One way to counter this is by metering for the background and using fill flash, portable lighting, reflectors or some other way to get enough light on the subject that you'll have a well exposed subject within a well exposed background.

[AeroClassics]

Very cool! No wonder every photo I have tried to take was GROSSLY over exposed!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by brad

It should get you very close.

[AeroClassics]

Ricky,
Thanks. I did misread your post. it seems to me that this is probably the hardest picture to get when there is such diverse lighting conditions. I must admit that pair of pictures and the work in PSE5 have taught me a great deal. Adding the information from this thread is another big step. Thanks all for sharing your knowledge. Oh, thanks for the link to the TPF FAQs! Great stuff there for folks who are a bit inexperienced.

Doug

[AeroClassics]

Very cool! No wonder every photo I have tried to take was GROSSLY over

Originally Posted by brad

It should get you very close.