Larky
Well-known
What about the 'Never: I'm too lazy and don't believe the hype about slide' option? I never bracket, I guess I've always been very lucky.
Lilserenity
Well-known
Ever shot Kodachrome?
If you have, jammy so and so!
Generally with Ektachrome, Provia and Astia I can be a stop out either side and still get a perfectly good slide. More than that and we start getting into dodgy territory. Velvia can be a bit of a pig but that's just in its nature as a contrasty super-saturated film.
Kodachrome however has a very fine line and I find even so much as half a stop in some light can render a slide completely blocked up in the shadows. Also just got back a load of slides that were for the most part bang on ISO 64 but the first 10 or so I had accidentally set the meter at 80 and particularly on the scanner -- they're good for one thing (pass me the bin) -- projected they have a little more detail but not much.
I don't usually bracket either but for crucial shots, it has to be done, I'd rather waste a couple of frames on something I am convinced will be worth nailing.
Anyway, just re-emphasising what I said a while back, it depends on the film for me!
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
I consider this an advantage of Kodachrome.
If you're off by a stop either way you won't even be able to tell what shot you missed!
Chris
V
varjag
Guest
Well I shot a modest amount of Kodachrome, it isn't any worse in this regard than E6 films. Maybe it's the old rep dating back to the middle of last century, when the emulsion and the process were different.
I bracket very infrequently: a dependable incident meter and conscious evaluation of a scene help a lot.
I bracket very infrequently: a dependable incident meter and conscious evaluation of a scene help a lot.
rbsinto
Well-known
I shoot essentially nothing but 100 ISO colour slide. Most of my shooting is street photography, and the only time I bracket is when I think I might get fooled by excessive reflection off the road or sidewalk. Otherwise I don't bother.
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Harold Gough
Established
I rarely bracket, as such, but repeat metering and re-shoot if I think the light has changed between initial metering and shutter release. A spot meter (not available on my rangefinders anyway, but an SLR can be used just to meter) reading off a grey card can vary with the angle of illumination/the metering lens, so I may alter settings once off the same reading.
Ronald M
Mentor
I last used chromes with a commercial shoot 15 years ago. I did not bracket. It was still lifes of various dental equipment. I had to set up lights and a paper backdrop in the middle of a factory.
The slides were all perfect and well lit and the client loved them.
Use an incident light meter. reflected types including in camera require mental interpretation of subject brightness and color reflectivity. You will never get it right 100%.
The slides were all perfect and well lit and the client loved them.
Use an incident light meter. reflected types including in camera require mental interpretation of subject brightness and color reflectivity. You will never get it right 100%.
Ted2001
Established
I used to only shoot Kodachrome 25. I'd set the F3hp at ASA 32 and bracket when I had the opportunity. When I did bracket, it was -1, -1/2, +1/2. I was thrill when Velvia came out and went all the way up to ASA 50, wow 1/2 stop!
ChrisPlatt
Thread Killer
Bracketing is a conspiracy to make film photography as boring as digital!
Chris
Chris
david.elliott
Well-known
Bracketing with slide film?! It is expensive enough as it is!
jjovin
Established
I actually never bracket. However I almost always use an incident light meter. Sometimes I take along a spot meter. My favorite film used to be K25, then K64, and recently I have completely switched to Fuji slide films. I have to admit that every now and then I miss the exposure by 1/3 to 1 stop but it does not happen sufficiently often to justify bracketing. I should also mention that I only use slides and B&W - no negative film and no digital. I also do not scan my slides. I use a slide projector instead.
Cheers
Cheers
charjohncarter
Mentor
Somebody. I'd like to meet.
raid
Dad Photographer
I have taken thousands of slides with Fujichrome 50 and then with Velvia 50. I used a spotmeter,and I read several books on critical exposure, Then, I did not bracket. I hardly ever had to throw away slides for poor exposure.
At one time, I used color IR film which was the old process. Even then, I did not bracket. In my first roll of film, I got back 34 out of 36 IR slides that were beautiful. The pro-lab manager was surprised at such a success rate.
At one time, I used color IR film which was the old process. Even then, I did not bracket. In my first roll of film, I got back 34 out of 36 IR slides that were beautiful. The pro-lab manager was surprised at such a success rate.
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Luddite Frank
Well-known
My dad shot hundreds (maybe in the thousands?) of Kodachromes in the 1960's, using a Nikon S. Somewhere along the way, he got a Seikonic L-86 meter. I doubt he ever did incident readings.
This was at a time when slides were "the only way to get a good color image".
All the slides were stored in their Kodak lab boxes as Dad never bought slide projector (!), therefore, I saw every shot, good or not so.
The majority of his shots were acceptable, in terms of exposure. Dad also tried to keep the sun at his back when possible; and most shots were of family at gatherings; not many "art shots".
I never heard him speak of "bracketing" when he was teaching me to use the Nikon, in my tender youth.
( Mom did it frequently, when she was taking photography courses from the local community college while I was in high school; she introduced me to the technique.)
For myself, I shot the majority of my slides in the mid-1980's, with my Retina IIIc, using the built-in selenium meter, using reflected readings.
I may have bracketed a few tough shots that were "irreplaceable", but the majority were "one frame and move on". Most of these were shots taken on two trips to Europe on summer band tours while in High school, so I guess my photos were more of the "snapshot" variety than "money shots", but I believe my "success rate" was probably at least 75% acceptable.
If I were shooting for money, I guess I'd have to develop a reliable system for slide exposure, and bracket when critical; trying to balance thrift of film against successful / saleable images.
Regards,
LF
This was at a time when slides were "the only way to get a good color image".
All the slides were stored in their Kodak lab boxes as Dad never bought slide projector (!), therefore, I saw every shot, good or not so.
The majority of his shots were acceptable, in terms of exposure. Dad also tried to keep the sun at his back when possible; and most shots were of family at gatherings; not many "art shots".
I never heard him speak of "bracketing" when he was teaching me to use the Nikon, in my tender youth.
( Mom did it frequently, when she was taking photography courses from the local community college while I was in high school; she introduced me to the technique.)
For myself, I shot the majority of my slides in the mid-1980's, with my Retina IIIc, using the built-in selenium meter, using reflected readings.
I may have bracketed a few tough shots that were "irreplaceable", but the majority were "one frame and move on". Most of these were shots taken on two trips to Europe on summer band tours while in High school, so I guess my photos were more of the "snapshot" variety than "money shots", but I believe my "success rate" was probably at least 75% acceptable.
If I were shooting for money, I guess I'd have to develop a reliable system for slide exposure, and bracket when critical; trying to balance thrift of film against successful / saleable images.
Regards,
LF
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
I've shot a ton of Velvia 50 with my Nikon FE and I've learned to trust that camera's meter...therefore not much bracketing...what I did do was shoot more than one frame...The best dup is another original...
Harold Gough
Established
Yes and no. I bought several hundred (long-dated) 36 exposure cassettes of Konica Minolta Centuria Chrome 100 just after it had been discontinued (in my opinion a crime against photography) at about 60P per film and still have plenty in my freezer. It will come as a shock when I have to go back to buying Provia.