Now I have made a couple of exposures. But I need to test this camera a little bit. I have TMX-120 loaded and the aperture is around f/256 (needle tip miked at about .2mm and the focal length is about 27mm). This would require any meter reading calling for an exposure at EV16 about one second exposure. Which means EV 10 would need a little over a minute mathematically. How would I figure reciprocity adjustments? Since Kodak publishes an additional 5 seconds if a meter reading requires ten seconds, I'm figuring that you should add about four seconds to a reading that would call for an 8 second exposure. And since that same publication says to adjust a 100 second required exposure by doubling it so probably about the same for a two minute exposure, expose for four minutes. But waht about in between? Do I do what Kodak did and just bracket it until I get the matching exposure and publish it or has anyone here already done pinhole and reciprocity with TMX and can shed some light on the subject (no pun intended)? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

Reciprocity law failure is a curve that can be grafted. However I think you will find this table adequate for the task.

1/10,000 sec. = + ½ stop i.e. shutter speed times 1.5
1/1000 thru 1/10 second = none
1 sec. = + 1 stop i.e. shutter speed times 2
10 sec. = + 2 stops i.e. shutter speed times 4
100 sec. = +3 ½ stops i.e. shutter speed times 12

The sensitivity of film to light (exposure) is rated by a method established by the International Standards Organization (ISO). Film is coated (emulsion) with a myriad of light sensitive silver crystals (salts of silver). A numerical value (speed) is assigned based on how much light energy is required to cause the average crystal in the emulsion to be rendered developable.

This value is a variable based on circumstances. While many factors cause this value to alter, shutter speed has the most pronounced effect.

ISO plummets for very short exposures, such as the type employed when recording super fast motion like bullets or humming birds in flight.

ISO also plummets when time exposure is employed. It begins to drop when the speed exceeds 1 second. Photographers must take this behavior into account and apply exposure compensation.

In a nut-shell, reciprocity failure is a disobedience to the published ISO. It occurs when the shutter speed is set outside the customary range. In other words, exceeding long or exceeding short exposure results is a plunge of the rated ISO speed.

Why? Silver salts react to light via an internal chemical change. If the exposure is exceptionally short the silver salt will not have sufficient time to wholly absorb and react. In other words, the sliver salt is under “chemical inertia” a force that tends to keep the crystal stable. Exceeding short exposure demands additional light energy to cause the crystal to be exposed.

Should an exposure take place over a longer than normal interval, the photon hits, doing the job, come in serial fashion meaning there is a time lag between hits. During the dwell periods between hits, the crystal has time to restore itself somewhat. The net effect is more exposure than one would calculate is required to render the crystal developable.

EV - recommended time - adjusted for reciprocity
EV16 - 1 sec - 1 sec
EV15 - 2 sec - 2.5 sec
EV14 - 4 sec - 5.5 sec
EV13 - 8 sec - 12 sec
EV12 - 15 sec - 25 sec
EV11 - 30 sec - 50 sec
EV10 - 60 sec - 110 sec
EV9 - 120 sec - 240 sec
EV8 - 240 sec - 510 sec

This fits Kodak's recommendations for TMX in their literature which states 'expose TMX for 15 seconds when exposure calls for 10 and expose for 200 seconds when exposure calls for 100'. Works so far.

whenever I do a shoot, I usually shoot on 35mm and then get 4x6's at a crummy place like wal mart, just to see them before I have them enlarged, reprinted, etc.

I got my prints from wal mart and the quality was a crappy as usual, which consequently made me unable to judge the film exposure.

i had the prints enlarged (65 bucks later) and it turns out that the film was underexposed.

Looking at the final result from a photo is not a indicator of proper exposure.

Even Walmart runs film thru standard processing..not pushed or pulled.

You should be able to "look" at the negatives for standard density and contrast values in determing under or over exposure.

If your eye is inexperienced in this, buy a densitometer.

all the best,

But what I'm trying to say here, Brett, is to acquaint yourself with photography SO MUCH that you know it second nature, you do without having it interfere with your creativity, and you will know it so well that you got your exposure right that it won't take Wal-Mart to tell you otherwise. STUDY. STUDY. STUDY. Make yourself better. Make yourself wiser. At some point you may wish to study sensitometry but you don't need to go right out and buy that equipment right now. It'd be like me going out and buying an airplane because I can't see into the next yard over the fence I built. There are easier paths to take and more logical ways to get us from point 'A' to point 'B'. And learning, even more than you already know, the how's and why's of photography are your first major steps to becoming a more complete photographer.

Some ideas. If you shoot color films bear in mind the these films can be very unforgiving. Exposure latitude is the amount of detail to either side of proper exposure that will still be recorded on a negative/slide (ie. highlights and shadows). Color films generally have only about a three stop range of exposure latitude if you are shooting color reversal films (slide films). Color negative films have a little more of a cushion, about 5. Black and white negative films can be much more forgiving but you still have to be close. They have an exposure latitude of 7-9 stops. Much more room to work with.

Exposure bracketting. I don't practice this except in extremely low light and long timed exposures because they can be difficult to get right, no matter how good you are. But exposure bracketting is kind of like laying down a good cover fire in hopes that your enemy will be distracted enough that you can get out alive. Well, maybe not that drastic. You shoot your subject at the indicated exposure from your reading. Now if you're still not sure, you decrease exposure by one stop and shoot again. Then move back to your original exposure setting and increase exposure by one stop and fire a third frame. This will ensure you get decent exposure for a tricky important shot.

Buy one book and all of your problems will be solved. (I just love the sound of that). Not really, but it is the book that showed me the most over the years. It was written by Ansel Adams and it is entitled 'The Negative'. Exposure, the Zone System, natural and artificial light, filters and even film processing. It's all here and is laid out in a concise and easy to learn manner. This is my photographic BIBLE.

Godd luck, Brett.

Also, as Chris said, while practicing is important, experimenting is just as important. You'll find (and I hope pleasantly so) that controlling your exposure, learning how to visualize how the film sees the scene will help you produce top quality results. And to help you visualize that scene, having and knowing how to use a hand held light meter IMHO is equally important.

Then add knowledge of how contrast filters help in the process, how to expose for say shadows and process for highlights, seeing light and shadows and learning exposure latitude of particular films AND the right combination of developer to use with which films will also help you learn a lot.

As for bracketing, even when you really get a handle on the process itself, you may find yourself wanting to bracket exposures. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with that at all. I do it myself regardless of format I'm shooting in at the time. Film is the cheapest commodity we have I think, and a couple of extra frames here and there is a good investment in avoiding reshoots and if you keep accurate exposure notes while learning, can also help teach you the nuts and bolts of the process.

It will be most difficult to express in words, instructions that will help you improve your skills to make visual assessments of your negatives. However; the correct exposure is generally defined as the least exposure that produces an image with tonalities and or color intensities desired by the photographer while retaining adequate shadow detail.

I advise you to procure an inexpensive slide sorter (under $25). These are illumined viewers made of milk colored plastic with shelves to hold slides. While designed for slide sorting that will hold negative strips. You can make such a viewer by procuring milk glass or opal glass or plastic at the hardware store. Replacement diffusers for florescent light fixtures are inexpensive and excellent for this task. Cut a sheet of milk plastic and illuminate from behind. You are making a light table to lay-out your negatives. Once the negatives and prints are viewed simultaneously, you will soon get the hang of it. The best light will be a mixture of florescent and incandescent. Allow 60 watts incandescent to intermix with 40 watts florescent CW (cool white). This combination (ratio) yields a high color index needed for photo inspection.

A word about quality: I speak with more that 50 years experience evaluating all categories of photo lab work. All labs, even the high-status pro labs, have good and bad days. Without question, all of the mass merchandising photo labs invest enormous resources into their quality control effort. Their employee training is first rate; their equipment is top of the line. Generally they never falter as to the quality of their product. In all likelihood a mass merchandising photo lab will out perform all but a handful of their entrepreneurial counterparts.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but no, a Maxxum flash is not compatible with your X700. The X700 has a standard hot shoe with the addition of two ttl contacts. The Maxxums use a completely different system. There are many flashes on the market that use a module system that is easily modified to be used on both cameras.

Will Hexanon lenses fit onto a Nikon F100 or Canon EOS 3, and if I need a mount, what would it be called?

The lenses are manual focus. Are there any SLR bodies (film or digital) on the market (new or used) that have autofocus drives that can basically turn MF into AF?

Konica Auto-Reflex (1965-1968) Known as the Autorex in Japan.
Konica Auto-Reflex P (1966-1968) Known as the Autorex P in Japan.
Konica Autoreflex T (1968-1970)
Konica Autoreflex A (1968-1971)
Konica Autoreflex T2 (1970-1973)
Konica Autoreflex A2 (1971-1972)
Konica Autoreflex A1000 (1972-1973)
Konica Autoreflex T3 (1973-1975)
Konica Autoreflex A3 (1973-?)
Konica Autoreflex T3N (1975-1978)
Konica Autoreflex TC (1976-1982)
Konica Autoreflex T4 (1978-1979)
Konica FS-1 (1979-1983)
Konica FC-1 (1980-1983)
Konica FP-1 (1981-1983)
Konica FT-1 (1983-1987)
Konica TC-X (1985-1987) Built by Cosina.

Hope this helps if you can't get the FT-1 CLA'ed cheap.

Your question seems strange however; I know there are no norms when it comes to art so here goes.

Unexposed film requires light or other radiant energies to cause the sensitized silver salt crystals to become exposed and thus rendered developable. Each silver salt thus has a threshold requirement. In the camera, light from the scene streams through the camera’s optical system and bathes the film with light energy in proportion to the brightness distribution.

Should you pre-expose the film to light, and the light level (energy) you supply is below exposure threshold, then the film will be made more sensitive to light. You can do this uniformly or perhaps fabricate a way to add this exposure randomly as to both color and intensity. In any event those locations that receive this exposure will be artificially elevated as to ISO. This is known as hyper sensitization. It is a valid technique used to increase film’s sensitivity to light. Hyper sensitization is normally preformed via a uniform light exposure or exposure to chemical fumes prior to the camera exposure.

You can flash after the camera exposure. In graphic arts, a flash exposure is used to change the film’s characteristics. A bump exposure is a flash with the halftone screen removed; this is just another way to alter the film’s scale.

You can have lots of fun pre-exposing and post-exposing. You must figure out how to control these exposures, and you can use different color flashes. You are mostly on your own as this will be your experimentation. I envy you – go to it.

You might want to use the web to check out shadowgraphs. This is a method whereby objects like leaves and keys and watches or maybe lace are placed (in the dark) on top of film and then briefly exposed by turning on the lights or using odd light sources like sparks and the like. I was thinking you might try the new LED toys, you know the ones that have red – green – blue – spinning LEDs. Look at the works of William Henry Fox Talbot who did this in 1836. You could use sparking toys or use your imagination regarding other light sources. Maybe you would be better using an old junk 120 box camera, the film is bigger.

First shadow free background is difficult. A black background is least likely to show shadows. White is the most difficult. You must pour on the background light. The idea is to over-expose the background. Severe overexposure forces the background to go white and detail like wrinkles vanish.

If you were skilled with a light meter and you measured the background and set your aperture (and shutter for continuous lights), as the meter indicates, your background will reproduce middle gray regardless of its color. What I am trying to tell you is; you must light the background a minimum of three f/stops brighter than the subject, four would be better.

You say you are using one “main” or “key” light. I suggest you place it high to simulate afternoon sun. Because white backgrounds lend themselves to a category we call “high key”, you are better off if the “main” is brought closer in to the camera, (almost by not quite frontal lighting). So maybe it would be best to place the main at the seven O’clock or four O’clock position (subject in center of clock, background at twelve O’clock, and camera at six O’clock).

Now you second lamp should carry out the job of filling the shadows cast by the main. Set a lamp close to the camera at lens height. This will be the “fill”. This lamp is adjusted so the light arrives at the subject at 50% of the intensity of the “main”. Achieved either by power adjustment or setting the fill at a further distance than the main. If power is not adjustable and main and fill are equal fixtures. Measure main-to-subject distance and multiply by 1.4. This calculates the required fill-to-subject distance.

Now the background light must be brighter as measured at the background. Again you can accomplish by distance. Place the background light hidden behind subject. Shine it upwards at the background. If equal to the main as to wattage, measure main-to-subject distance and multiply by 0.08. (Example main is 10 feet x 0.2 = 2 feet). Note: this may be impossible to achieve as the background likely will become unevenly illuminated plus with continuous lights the background might overheat. This all means, you need more fixtures so you can more evenly and brightly light the background.

Maybe you should not attempt an even white background. You might want to practice your digital editing and enhancement skills.

"I am photographing people with studio lights, with a white background. How do I make the background go completley white?"

There is not quite enough information in your question.

Are you shooting a group of people? One person full length? Head shot?

A head shot is quite easy if you want to "blow out" the backdrop. In this scenario you are not covering much backdrop real estate; so it's pretty easy.

One person shot full length is a little more technically challenging, as you must light from head to toe; it requires a white back drop AND a white material for them to stand on.

A group of people requires a lot of (even diffusd) powerful light.

With your two backdrop lights you can easily light a head shot or head & shoulders portrait with a pure white back drop.

Full length one person? Doubtful unless you have very strong strobes and the ability to diffuse the light properly.
It IS do-able with careful placement of the strobes behind your subject and enough distance between the backdrop and the subject. (8-10 ft.) The trick here is to have both strobes fire at the back drop EVENLY with no overlap of the 2 strobes.
The further you move your subject from the backdrop, the more difficult it becomes to light evenly.

Group? Forget it. Not with 2 strobes.

John S advice is excellent. Blowing out a white back drop is quite easy in post processing and also very forgiving. (i.e) little chance of edge halo's.

Black is do-able but MUCH more difficult unless you have a firm grasp on post processing techniques. Msking, clipping paths etc...

Simply select the background, feather the selection to about (2) and raise the "levels" slider until it's pure white.
The selection process requires a little skill but easily mastered.
Some people prefer to use the "mask" tool for a nice smooth transition.

The bonus to this method is you can now "Select inverse" and exposure & color adjust the subjects.

If you need more help, feel free to email me for a better step by step proceedure.

all the best,

We went to PMA (Photo Marketing Association), in Los Vegas with high hopes. We planned a system – camera –film 24mm wide. The camera has three image size modes.
a. H for high definition 16.7mm by 30.2mm for an aspect ratio of 16:9 the same as HD TV prints to be 4 by 7.1.
b. C for classic 16.7mm by 25.1mm aspect ratio for 4 by 6 print
c. P for panoramic 9.5mm by 30.2mm aspect ratio for 4 by 12 prints.

The system was named APS for advanced photo System.

Now you might need to know that the full image was always recorded on the film. The image on the film never changes away from 16.7mm by 30.2mm. Only the view through the viewfinder changed. The idea was to signal the photofinishing printer and tell it to print a or b or c above. This was accomplished by using a film that contained a magnetic layer that could be recorded upon. The camera did its talking to film like a tape recorder. Oh what possibilities!. This film was and is in use in the movie arena. The magnetic layer was transparent; it did not harm the chemistry and image quality was first rate. The sound is fantastic. Why not have the film talk to the developing and printing machines? Besides this was to be baby steps into digital world. Now we had a film and a format that recorded optically and digitally at the same time.

It was a dismal failure. No one anticipated the explosion of chip logic that was to be incorporated into the 35mm camera. No one anticipated the explosion of the pure digital camera. We should have. Look at what happened to the home movie business. Even then you weren’t able to find 8mm or 16mm movie stuff at the camera shop?

You need to know:
Always the negatives that printed a panoramic size print using the APS system are not identifiable as panoramic; they look like full frame negative. You can scan them and crop them when you print. Use your digital editing software. Once scanned, you can size the images to fit standard size print papers.