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The
"Sunny 16" Rule and Other Camera Basics
For some of the younger crowd it may seem hard to
believe, but until the late 1960s very few photographers used electronic
exposure meters. Most relied on experience (or secretly used printed
exposure guides). Some photographers (us "Old-Timers") still prefer
to work with the old mechanical cameras, and know that it pays to
have some of the basics in your head, because the essential photographic
facts, formulas and rules can help you get good shots, even when
the fanciest of meters fail.
The "Sunny 16" Rule
The basic exposure rule for an average scene taken on a bright,
sunny day is to use f/16 at a shutter speed equivalent to one over
the ISO setting; that is, f/16 at 1/100 sec (or the nearest equivalent,
1/125) at ISO 100, etc. In other words, the shutter speed will vary
according to the ISO you are using. From this you can interpolate
other exposures. Believe me, the rule works! As with most photography,
there are variables to keep in mind, but once you understand the
variables of exposure, to do things like stop action or manipulate
depth-of-field, you can actually use the "Sunny 16 Rule" to check
the accuracy of all your light meters! Which points up the most
important lesson of the rule: you probably don't need a light
meter at all!
For those of you who are partial to tables, here are a couple of
quick ones to help visualize ways to interpolate usage of the Sunny
16 Rule, and adjust your aperture for existing weather conditions...plus
be clear on what those conditions really mean to the light:
| How To Use The SUNNY
16 RULE To Determine Exposure Variables |
| Under a Bright Sun
(Normal Subject), These Are All Equivalent Exposures |
 |
| f/22 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
| ISO 100 - Speed 1/60 |
ISO 100 - Speed 1/125 |
ISO 100 - Speed 1/250 |
ISO 100 - Speed 1/500 |
ISO 100 - Speed 1/1000 |
| ISO 200 - Speed 1/125 |
ISO 200 - Speed 1/250 |
ISO 200 - Speed 1/500 |
ISO 200 - Speed 1/1000 |
ISO 200 - Speed 1/2000 |
| ISO 400 - Speed 1/250 |
ISO 400 - Speed 1/500 |
ISO 400 - Speed 1/1000 |
ISO 400 - Speed 1/2000 |
ISO 400 - Speed 1/4000 |
| A Quick Guide For
Adjusting Your Aperture In Variable Weather Conditions (Shutter
Speed Constant) |
Snow or
Bright Sand |
Bright Sun
(Normal Subject) |
Hazy Sun |
Cloudy Bright |
Overcast or
Open Shade |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
| f/22 |
f/16 |
f/11 |
f/8 |
f/5.6 |
| Distinct Shadow and Glare |
Distinct Shadow |
Shadow Soft Around Edges |
Shadow Visible, But Barely |
No Shadow At All |
Moon Rules
My favorite trick for obtaining a proper exposure
of a full moon is to set my aperture at f/11 and my shutter speed
at one over the ISO setting. For pictures of a half moon, I use the
same shutter speed at f/8. For a quarter moon, f/5.6.
Camera Shake Rule
Lenses and cameras never used to have anti-shake systems built into
them. As shutter speeds got slower, camera shake was likely to blur
your image, and you had to know what you could safely get away with!
As a rule-of-thumb, the slowest shutter speed at which you could safely
handhold a camera was usually considered to be one over the focal
length of the lens. So, if you're using a 50mm lens, you could generally
shoot at 1/60 sec or faster. A 100mm lens needed at least 1/125 sec.
Not enough light to do that? Then you had to use flash, a tripod,
or brace your camera (and yourself) against a solid object.
Anatomical Gray Card
Metering off an 18% neutral gray card is a good way to get a midtone
meter reading for good overall exposure of a scene. Don't have a gray
card? Hold your open hand up so it's facing the light, and take a
reading off your palm. Open up one stop from that, and go ahead and
shoot at that setting (note: the variety of human skin tones rarely
accounts for even a full-stop difference).
Exposure Rules
The classic advice is, "Expose for the highlights and let the shadows
take care of themselves." This works with slide film (and even with
today's digital). But with negative film, especially color negative
film, you're actually better off overexposing by one stop.
Action-Stopping Rules
To stop action that's moving across the frame perpendicular to the
lens axis, you need a shutter speed two-stops faster than if the same
action was moving toward (or away) from you. For action moving at
a 45-degree angle to the lens axis, you can use a shutter speed one-stop
slower. Example: If the action of a person running toward you at moderate
speed can be stopped at 1/250, you'll need a shutter speed of 1/1000
to stop the same subject moving across the frame, and a shutter speed
of 1/125 to stop action if they are moving diagonally with respect
to the camera.
Sunset Rule
To get a properly exposed sunset, meter the area directly above the
sun (without including the sun). If you want the scene to look like
it's a half-hour later, stop down by one f-stop, or set exposure compensation
(if you have it available) to minus one.
Other do-it-yourself repair or technique sections are listed below
(note - line items in black are still under construction):
If you would like a specific repair item or usage
question to be considered on this site, simply go to my Mamiya
35mm Forum! and make your suggestion known. However, please
don't hold your breath, because it is likely to be some time before
I can get around to documenting all the things that might need fixing,
and I would hate to be responsible for even small portions of the
camera-collecting population turning blue! Note that no liability
for results or damage is either expressed or implied in the use of
these notations. |
