need advice from B&W users

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

ok heres the thing. im gonna shoot my first ever roll of B&W film. i've got 2 rolls right now, FP4+ and Delta 400 (Ilford).

gonna try one roll during my brohter's prom night this coming tuesday. using flash. i have a yellow-green filter that im intending to use.

ive tried to find info on the delta 400 which i will prob use for its faster speed. some say that delta 400 must be pulled to 200, and others say it shd be pushed to 800 or 1600.

may i know your opinions on this?

lets say i push one stop to 800, means it will underexpose by one stop right? do i have to then manually EV +1?

or if i pull one stop to 200, do i have to EV -1?

a little confused here. appreciate any advice.

 

[sljm]

okies to answer ur 800 question. When u "push" a film to 800 it means u expose it as if it was 800 film, but what u do is to lengthen the development time to compensate for it. So for a camera that can't do manual ISO so just do EV-1.

Okies now for the 200 question. Basically what the guys are telling u is to overexpose ur film. For B&W usually we expose the film so as not to lose too much of the shadow detail which can't really be recovered by developing. Typical saying is "Expose for the shadows and develope for the Highlights". So to do this if ur camera can't do manual ISO so u will need to do EV+1. But what i practice is usually a 1/3 to 1/2 stop exposure increase instead of a full stop.

 

[foxtwo]

Since it's your first time, then just shoot 400 at 400. Unless you specifically intend to push 400 to say 800. This "some say that delta 400 must be pulled to 200, and others say it shd be pushed to 800 or 1600." is most likely people stating their experiences in finding delta 400's ideal ISO. Just by following the manufacturer's rating at 400 is good enough for any purpose.

When shooting, unless you can manually set the film ISO rating, else if pushing set -1 EV and when pulling set +1 EV.

Pushing or pulling, all compensation is done at processing. Pushing- development times is longer to balance for short exposure. Pulling- development times is shorter to balance long exposure.

If processing at a pro-lab, unless you know what you're talking about, tell them what ISO you exposed at and they will adjust accordingly. If processing yourself, datasheets can be found at the manufacturer's website, or custom processing times available on the internet.

Small reminder, you also want to check how many stops of light the yellow-green filter reduces so you can adjust accordingly.

 

[foxtwo]

You might also find it impt that not many pro-labs do the max of 3 stop push/pull. So don't go crazy and later find out no lab is willing to process for u.

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

hey thanks bros!

my bro will be wearing a white suit. his prom is at ritz carlton. any suggestions of settings?

i know white can be a problem. it means i will have to partial meter his face. will his suit then be overblown? hopefully the delta 400 is a forgiving film.

 

[Isaiahfortythirtyone]

Since it's your first time, then just shoot 400 at 400. Unless you specifically intend to push 400 to say 800. This "some say that delta 400 must be pulled to 200, and others say it shd be pushed to 800 or 1600." is most likely people stating their experiences in finding delta 400's ideal ISO. Just by following the manufacturer's rating at 400 is good enough for any purpose.

When shooting, unless you can manually set the film ISO rating, else if pushing set -1 EV and when pulling set +1 EV.

Pushing or pulling, all compensation is done at processing. Pushing- development times is longer to balance for short exposure. Pulling- development times is shorter to balance long exposure.

If processing at a pro-lab, unless you know what you're talking about, tell them what ISO you exposed at and they will adjust accordingly. If processing yourself, datasheets can be found at the manufacturer's website, or custom processing times available on the internet.

Small reminder, you also want to check how many stops of light the yellow-green filter reduces so you can adjust accordingly.

oh also...i hope to shoot in ambient lighting. may consider pushing to 800 then. but i will have to remmeber to tell Ruby

 

[waileong]

At night no need filters, unless you have a particular reason. Daytime filters are used to prevent washed out skies.

Just put the film into your SLR and fire away. Delta 400 is forgiving, so is FP4+ (one of my favourite films).

Suggest not to shoot at 800 unless you want grainy pixs. In fact, if your first time, better don't push/pull-- too many things to worry about.

I happen to have an excess of D-76 developer now, will be developing some film soon, so if you want, I can develop for you at nominal charge of $3 per roll with up to +/- 1 stop. However, add $1 for 2 stop push/pull.

Wai Leong
===

ok heres the thing. im gonna shoot my first ever roll of B&W film. i've got 2 rolls right now, FP4+ and Delta 400 (Ilford).

gonna try one roll during my brohter's prom night this coming tuesday. using flash. i have a yellow-green filter that im intending to use.

ive tried to find info on the delta 400 which i will prob use for its faster speed. some say that delta 400 must be pulled to 200, and others say it shd be pushed to 800 or 1600.

may i know your opinions on this?

lets say i push one stop to 800, means it will underexpose by one stop right? do i have to then manually EV +1?

or if i pull one stop to 200, do i have to EV -1?

a little confused here. appreciate any advice.

 

[foxtwo]

oh also...i hope to shoot in ambient lighting. may consider pushing to 800 then. but i will have to remmeber to tell Ruby

Pushing/pulling applies to the whole roll, so plan ahead. When you meter, try to base it on something middle-gray by comparing what is the lightest and darkest points at the general scene.

Alternatively, meter the white suit as normal exposure (18% grey) then open up 2-3 stops (white with detail). How many stops you open for exposure depends on the 'white' suit. This acts on the very basic basis of the zone system.
pls refer this site:
http://www.cicada.com/pub/photo/zs/tables/31.html