Sunny F16 rule

[92135011]

You guys ever try it out? Is it accurate stuff?

[another view]

Accurate and been used for years. Well, it's accurate to an extent. With either color or black and white film, it's fine as is. With neg film, when in doubt overexpose because you can still get a good print 1-2 stops over. With slide film, I'd bracket a little bit because 1/3 stop makes a difference.

This time of the year with short days, you'll have to add a little to your exposure (more important with slide film) because the sun is lower in the sky because the rule is based on mid-summer (July 4th if urban legend has it right). However, you'll want to close down a stop or so from this in snow - so putting the two together pretty much rules out compensation, and you'd be on the side of a little overexposure which isn't bad anyway.

It's a great system to use with an older camera that doesn't have a light meter and neg film. It will teach you to think about your exposure, too.

[Dzerzhinski46]

I use it practically all the time with my cameras, and it is accurate enough (go to my gallery). Remember that before light meters came along, all photos were done this way, more or less (Ansel Adams, W. Eugene Smith, etc.). I use it more by necessity than choice though, as the Seagull doesn't come with a light meter, and the Canon is lacking a battery (I am going to get one some day ). The one thing I would caution is that it is very good for daylight and dusk only. Once night sets on, figuring out how much light is around is a tricky business. I have tried it (night photos) without a light meter and have been severly disappointed in the process. Also, don't try it with indoor photos, also very tricky. The trouble with indoor lighting, is that it is inconsistant. Tungsten and flouresant bulbs have different exposures, even if they appear to put out the same amount of light. Use a light meter for night and indoor photos. Other than those, Sunny 16 is great for daylight. And as another view said, it helps you think about the elements of exposure more, and helps you actively think about how you take a photograph.

Dzerzhinski

[technicolor]

what exactly is the sunny 16? im guessing..if you dont have a meter set f/16 and shutter of...something. for an okay exposure in a pinch?

[Dzerzhinski46]

what exactly is the sunny 16? im guessing..if you dont have a meter set f/16 and shutter of...something. for an okay exposure in a pinch?

You've guessed half of it already. The rule says, that in bright sunlight (no clouds, from 2hrs after sunrise to 2hrs before sunset), your aperture is f 16, and your shutter speed is 1/ISO. For example, if you had ISO 400 film in your camera, on a sunny day, your aperture would be f 16, and your shutter speed would be 1/400 (or whatever is the closest shutter speed, probably 1/500 on most cameras). With ISO 125 film, your shutter would be 1/125, with ISO 50 film, your shutter would be 1/60, etc.

In terms of usefulness, it is a good thing to have memorized. If your meter breaks down, or you find yourself without it for some silly reason, just remember this rule. This rule also covers most conditions found in daylight other than sunny clear skys (e.g. cloudy bright, hazy, overcast, etc.), so it is versital. The Sunny 16 rule generally produces excellent (not just okay!) exposures, so long as the photographer knows how to estimate the amount of available light. If people say that this rule is bunk or that it doesn't work, it is generally because they themselves don't know how to properly estimate available light or do not understand how to exspose film properly. This is an important skill to have anyways. Do a Google search on "Sunny 16 rule". There is plenty of useful information on it out there if you are interested. Sorry for the blabbing.

Cheers,
Dzerzhinski

[92135011]

plus it's also useful for people like me who dont have a light meter at all ^_^
I would guess its especially good for those who have an in camera reflective meter.
Situations like snow, really white or really black scenes, and so on benefit from this rule, and crucial shadow details might require the use of this rule that your in camera meter might screw up

[another view]

Actually, all in-camera meters are reflected meters. Matrix/Evaluative, center-weighted and spot meters are all types of reflected light meters.

The other type is an incident meter, which measures the amount of light falling onto a subject. These will be very accurate (as long as you meter carefully) because you don't have to compensate for the tonality of your subject. If you have a white subject, the reflected light meter wants to turn it 18% gray so you'll have to open up a stop or two to get an accurate reading. Black is of course just the opposite. The reason incident meters are so useful is that you don't need to guess how much you have to compensate - it's not a factor. Of course, this will slow you down so they won't work with every subject.

[92135011]

ok, people.

So I went out with my fixed 35. No meter. No other lenses. No zoom.
Just me, the camera and film.

Let me tell you. It was super fun now thinking back. Guessed every exposure using the Sunny F16 as a guideline. Pictures turned out pretty good considering the circumstances. Even the 10% indoor shots I did were ok.

I know many of you guys dont have an option with your in-camera meter since removing your battery also disables any picture-taking. But if you get a chance, please try this out. Its generally a waste of film since the start is paired with uncertainty. Then, it just gets fun. An remember - any picture that turned out perfect is the work of you. You can even say you worked out the exposure yourself!

Highly recommended for any hobbyist or amateur.

ps. I still dont have a meter. Wanna shoot some slide...but those are pickier and I dont wanna risk it. Maybe more cheap film first. Oh yeah, find yourself some cheap developing. I get it done at Superstore around here 5-day process only $2.99 cdn with 4x6 proof 24-frame

[another view]

Good for you for trying it. I agree though, slide film is probably best left to using a meter; 1/3 stop makes a difference.

You can do this with a camera that has a light meter, just put the camera in manual mode and ignore the reading. If you know the camera's meter well enough (like how it will handle a difficult lighting scene) then it should just confirm what you've figured out by using the rule.

[92135011]

kinda hard to TRY to ignore the camera's reading seeing that you have to look in the viewfinder. Most in-camera meters are put in obvious places so that they are easy to see!