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camera and aperature questions

 
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blockonut
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Joined: 23 Feb 2003
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PostPosted: May 24, 2004 5:22 pm    Post subject: camera and aperature questions Reply with quote

Im startin to get into photography a little more seriously now and have a few questions.

I have a old Canon A1 - Is this a "point and shoot camera"?

When shooting at night(mostly skate photos) with a flash on the camera, do you still use the meter or just put it at 1.8 to let in the most light possible?

Also when metering somehting, I use the meter in my camera, do you meter the person, or should i get a grey card and do that?

Any answers will help
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RD
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Joined: 22 Apr 2003
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PostPosted: May 25, 2004 5:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"I have a old Canon A1 - Is this a "point and shoot camera"?"

That's more of a phrase then a feature set. Your A1 is a late 70's film body which was advanced at it's time. As it has full manual control I wouldn't call it a P&S.

Depending on your flash you should be able set your aperature and shutter to a normal daylite setting as long as you don't exceed the "flash sync speed" and a good flash will meter the amount of light and expose the picture accordingly. On an older body like that you will probably have to program your film speed, shutter speed and aperature into the flash and let it do the rest. Opening up the aperature will mean less light is required and should tone down the flash effect.

Metering is a whole other thing. You can spot meter off a grey card, off the scene or get yourself an incident light meter and set your camera off it's reading. I know what a grey card does with a digital cam but I'm not sure if the process works the same with a film camera, it should though. If you have the manual for the camera I'd read that F to B. If you don't there is a how to book available for that camera. There is a lot to learn about this stuff if you really want to dial your pictures in. I'm just scratching the surface myself. I recently got a flash for my 1D and shot around 300 pics just trying to figure out how the manual controls worked vs the auto, and how to set it up. With film you don't have that luxery!

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BillJ
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Joined: 15 Jan 2003
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PostPosted: May 26, 2004 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

When using a flash on a camera like the A1 you need to figure out the distance to your subject and then determine which flash setting will work.

For example, I have a small inexpensive flash that doesn't have much power. It has 2 auto settings, one good for up to 17 feet and the other 35 feet. With ISO 100 film the f-stop options are f/4 and f/2. So if I was using this flash on an A1 I would set the shutter speed to 1/60 (the flash sync speed on the A1) and then choose one of the 2 auto exposure settings - assuming I had a lens that is fast enough (meaning f/2). With the A1 you'll basically shoot flash photography on manual mode.

I have the A1 manual in .pdf format if you need it.

The thing to remember about metering is that you are metering the amount of light hitting a subject, not reflecting off a subject. For example, if you spot meter a guy wearing a black t-shirt your results will be way off, just as they would be if he's wearing a white t-shirt. If you use an average metering system it will probably work better, or spot meter using a grey card or something similar. In a pinch the palm of your hand works really well, as does green grass.
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Craiggy
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PostPosted: May 29, 2004 7:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If you don't want to use a grey card to meter than you can meter grass or meter skin tone and open up the aperature i stop, as long as these are in the same light as your subject.
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