Sunny 16 | Perfect Exposure Without A Light Meter

[@ReimannPembroke]

Do you prefer using Sunny 16 or a light meter? COMMENT BELOW⬇️

[@lewis7315]

use both if you can however modern light meters may only give you light intensity which is useless to set a film

[@BennyCFD]

With B&W film I use the sunny 16 rule. I tend to push it one to two stops over to better shadow detail...............................

[@SoundMediaVibes]

So, if I use 400 ISO film and push it to 800 ISO would I use 1/1000 of a second?

[@ReimannPembroke]

@@SoundMediaVibes I believe so!

[@SoundMediaVibes]

@@ReimannPembroke Thanks for replying!

[@dominicwroblewski5832]

I always use Sunny 16. I can remember back when Kodak used to include a small slip of paper with every roll of film that had the Sunny 16 chart and explanation on it. As time went on Kodak just printed it on the inside of the film box. It used to be an unwritten rule to under expose slides by a 1/2 a stop and over expose print film by 1 stop to saturate the colors.

[@sebastianop.3052]

Yes I remember it.

[@JosephApplicationphoto]

Last advice on sunny 16 as a startuing point is insane ! Thanks !

[@randallstewart175]

Being highly subjective in its application, the Sunny 16 rule needs some practice to be reliable when the need arises. Rather than burn film to practice, you can get a reliable light meter and take it out to meter various conditions. But first, apply your Sunny 16 to estimate an exposure. You have arrived when your Sunny 16 and meter are within one stop of each other most of the time. There are far too many variables in life to use Sunny 16 as a primary exposure determination process, so it is a back up to use when you are otherwise without meter. One the big variable is "season". Bright sun is a lot brighter in June than in December, for example.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Great points!

[@owenhaupt]

Great video! I've never used Sunny 16 - almost always have a meter with me - but this is the best explainer on it I've seen!

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks so much! I tried really hard to make this video make sense lol I would give it a try if your ever at a family event or doing street photography or something

[@Sebastian-lw1ei]

Thank you for resurrecting the old Sunny 16 rule for everyone!

[@ReimannPembroke]

No problem! It’s a useful tool to have!

[@daisycorner4755]

So helpful! Just getting back into film photography after a 15 year break. This has helped me feel much more at ease. thanks!

[@ReimannPembroke]

Glad you’re getting back into it and found this helpful!

[@slo369]

Great explanation bro thanks. Also your hair changing at 11:17 was hilarious

[@ReimannPembroke]

Glad it was helpful! Also having that long hair was a nightmare for continuity😂😂

[@MrGarrincha11]

Hello, great video! Personnally I just look at the shadows, it is much more precise : Shadow Full sun - sharp shadow: f / 16 Veiled sun - diffuse shadow: -1 stop => f / 11 Against the light or in the shade (clear shade): -3 stops => f / 5.6 Sun above the horizon, before diving: about -4 stops or about f / 4 No shade Hidden sun, white sky, visible sun disk with sunglasses: -2 stops => f / 8 Overcast sky, light gray, invisible sun disk: -3 stops => f / 5.6 Overcast, leaden gray, it can rain: -4 stops => f / 4 Rain: from -4 to -5 stops or f / 4 to f / 2.8 Interior From -9 to -10 stops Dim lights: between -12 and -15 stops I use this and I have great result, hope it helps.

[@ReimannPembroke]

This is a very nice guide for people! Thanks for watching and leaving such a detailed comment!📸🎞👍🏼

[@bchoward0000]

"F8 and be there!" is some great advice. I found Sunny-16 intimidating at first, but especially with HP5, there is a lot of latitude for imperfection. I started off tracking aperture values and doing lots of bracketing, but gave that up pretty quickly when I couldn't even tell the difference between shots. For places that are mostly overcast, f/8 is a good default, and you can adjust up one stop for bright and down one stop for darker. 85-90% will turn out just fine!

[@bwc1976]

HP5 is one of my favorites! I agree it's very forgiving.

[@snapsnappist4529]

Pretty good explanation. I use sunny 16 all the time outdoors and I get exposure pretty much bang on every time. What I would say is that you can in fact make night exposures without a meter using a similar method. Fred Parker's Ultimate Exposure Calculator gives exposure values for pretty much any lighting conditions. I recently had a successful night shoot where all of my shots were under street lights. The settings were 100 ISO film (Ektar), f8 for 8 seconds. Worked like a charm.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Oh wow that’s awesome! I might have to try that! Thanks for watching!👌🏼

[@yaffulwoodpeckerpresents7784]

The Shadow Method is an interesting take on Sunny 16. Good video - thanks.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@acalthu]

When I was 13, I was able to eyeball conditions and shoot on my Zenith ET without any issues at all. But that was 25 years ago, and digital has spoilt me. I have returned to film photography, and I have had to relearn reading light conditions again. Thanks for this.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks for watching! I’m glad you enjoyed it!

[@tommymonolo]

Super helpful 👍 good stuff

[@ReimannPembroke]

Awesome! I’m glad it was helpful!

[@tylero8595]

I shoot with a Hasselblad SWC. Sunny works well. But I meter. The SWC has a lock so when you want to stop up or down it pulls the speed with it. Its the best. Its always perfect. This was a great video. Thnx

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks for watching! That system on the hasselblad lenses is really useful!

[@William-ht5me]

I've just received an Asahi Pentax SV camera (pre-Spotmatic, no internal light meter). Until a cold-shoe mounted digital light meter from China arrives, I'm guess-timating exposures on my first roll of Kodak 200. I set the shutter speed at 1/125 to over-expose 2/3 of a stop for insurance and am using Sunny 16 as a guide and writing down the aperture and shutter speed for each frame so I'll be able to see in what conditions and by how much I was off. Also, because I would never use f16, I've adjusted the formula from f16 @ 1/125 to f11 @ 1/250 and will compensate for less light by first decreasing shutter speed and when that becomes unfeasible then increasing the aperture since depth of field is important to me. I've watched a number of explanations of Sunny 16 on KZbin and yours is the best I've seen. Using shadows to assess the brightness of a scene is valuable information. The eye is easily fooled, I think, in cloudy or overcast or shady conditions.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Cool!! I hope you enjoy your camera! I’m glad the video was helpful too! Thanks for watching!

[@markhaney2884]

Minor point, you don't stop down as the light weakens from sunny to less sunny you in fact "open up" as the smaller number lens openings allow more light to expose your film.

[@thomasstewart6970]

came here to say this :)

[@TheBigNegative-PhotoChannel]

Didn't realize until I had a camera that didn't have auto exposure how much fun it is to guess the exposure. sunny 16 is the perfect starting point for this. nice video. your room looks so cozy. 😀

[@ReimannPembroke]

I agree! It’s a great way to start and take photos quickly! I’ve been enjoying my room recently during this rainy weather haha

[@myronbunchak2543]

Hi Reinmann, thanks for this channel and video. It's really nice to watch your videos. I love the montage in it, your voice tone and overall the themes you choose for video. Thank for sharing and have a good day !

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks for watching! It’s comments like yours that make this fun

[@brameijkman330]

Very nice. Thanks. good for my old Leica IIIf

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks for watching! I hope my little video gives you good exposures

[@Untitl3dImag3s]

Love your channel & this video definitely just helped me for my next shoot/video!

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks so much!😄 I’m glad it was helpful!

[@andytheghosthunter]

Excellent excellent video, thanks.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thank you! I’m glad it was useful

[@bwc1976]

Thanks for the refresher, I'm starting with film again after a few years break, and one of my favorite cameras I have (Olympus 35RC) has a broken meter.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Of course! Glad I could help! also good to hear you're getting back into film.

[@lstrfnx]

Thanks for this video! I think manipulating exposure using aperture and shutter speed is sort of making sense to me now and I’m looking forward to testing this all out!

[@ReimannPembroke]

I really glad you found my video helpful! Good luck and happy shooting!📸🎞

[@juliecumming826]

Really useful video, thank you for sharing! Your videos have inspired me to start making my own videos on here :)

[@ReimannPembroke]

Amazing! My goal is to inspire people to get creative! I’ll check you out!!

[@KosolOnwudinjor]

I practiced the Sunny 16 rule with my digital cameras. That's how I got better at reading light intensity.

[@ReimannPembroke]

That’s a great way to do it without wasting film!

[@nelsonm.5044]

I always had problems guessing the aperture on cloudy day with the Sunny 16 rule, the shadow technique will certainly help me

[@ReimannPembroke]

Yes I think that’s where the rule becomes a little confusing so I’m glad I could help

[@Bonsees]

Cool stuff, Reimann 😊

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thank you!!😄

[@Bonsees]

@@ReimannPembroke my pleasure!

[@dieufivandersabwe]

Very helpful

[@ReimannPembroke]

I'm glad! Thanks for watching!

[@cronopiado]

I just discover your channel and it's really good! Is that a Jupiter 12?

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thank you! I’m glad you like it! It is a Jupiter 12! Honestly my favorite lens I have for this camera

[@bchoward0000]

@@ReimannPembroke Would love for you to do a review on the Jupiter 12. I use a Canon VL and/or L1 (basically the predecessor to the P) and I've read lots of conflicting accounts about whether it fits or can cause damage. But those Canon 35mm lenses are expensive!

[@ReimannPembroke]

@@bchoward0000 I’m planning to do a review of that lens soon!

[@bchoward0000]

@@ReimannPembroke Thanks for the great videos!

[@ReimannPembroke]

@@bchoward0000 my pleasure! Thanks for watching!

[@kenPgago]

Awesome video! More film photography content pls 😅

[@ReimannPembroke]

Glad you like it! There will be more on the way!🎥📸🎞

[@unseen_gl]

Thank you

[@ReimannPembroke]

No problem!

[@premiumyoutubechannel2341]

My struggle with this is. With aperture at 16 I can barely see anything in my viewfinder to make sure my shot is in focus so how do I deal with that??😊

[@ReimannPembroke]

So much of your frame will be in focus at f/16 that I wouldn’t worry too much! Most cameras have a button that stops the lens down so you can see in the viewfinder, if yours doesn’t and you want to make sure what you want is in focus, you could stop your aperture down to the lowest to focus and then switch back to f/16

[@devincheh4064]

informative video! thanks Reimann! :))

[@ReimannPembroke]

You’re very welcome! I love helping out when I can!

[@YabanEllerde]

Many thanks for this video. I wonder what if it’s sunny but it’s 5.30PM so sun is a little bit lazy. Do we still need to stick f16?

[@ReimannPembroke]

If it’s golden hour light, you could probably use a different aperture! I often don’t use f/16 because I like to overexpose

[@BennyCFD]

Henri Cartier Bresson Shot almost exclusively B&W, and used Kodak Tri-x. He shot everything at 1/125th and adjusted the f-stop. Tri-X is very forgiving and has terrific latitude in exposure variations so you can be off by two or three stops and still get a great shot.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Black and white film definitely has more flexibility!!

[@Amia67360]

You're sure of that information about H.C.Bresson ?? Because he worked with a Leica camera M3 and this camera has no 1/125th but only 1/100th and 1/250th ! I have a M3 and I can't see 1/125th on it, sorry!

[@stevenla1147]

Useful video! Can you link where you got the wooden soft release cap / cold shoe cover? Been looking for one for my Canon P as well :-)

[@ReimannPembroke]

Glad it was helpful! There’s two places I know of that make those little wooden pieces. There’s artisan obscura which makes them and they’re very detailed but a little more expensive and then there’s THEMOREGOODER which is where I got mine! They’re a little less expensive but still nice

Amazing stuff bro 👏🏼👏🏼 do you use that method often?

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thanks bro! I do when I'm doing street photography just because its so much faster!

@@ReimannPembroke yeah that what I thought, I need to try that

[@ReimannPembroke]

@ do it! I’d love to see some street photos on film from you!📸🎞👌🏼

[@philhodgkinson1460]

What film speed do you need to have to shoot wide open.. (f2. 8)

[@ReimannPembroke]

It depends on what conditions you are shooting in. If you are shooting in bright sun, you'll want a lower speed film. as the conditions get darker you can get away with higher speed films. I personally really like 200 speed film for when I want to shoot wide open during the day

[@oringe7326]

love your videos

[@ReimannPembroke]

Thank you so much! I’m glad!👍🏼

[@JohnDought]

I use a light meter app, if I got iso 200 and set the speed to 250 and the app measures the light and the 250 ends up at 11 should this then be used?

[@michaelcase8574]

When in doubt, Bracket!

[@ReimannPembroke]

Totally agree! Especially if it's a photo you think you will really love!

[@jayzn1931]

I'm usually fine with my integrated meters. It's a lot nicer than grabbing my phone...and a real meter is just way too expensive for what it does imo. I'm gonna try Sunny 16 soon I think, it is interesting to not rely on any metering.

[@ReimannPembroke]

Definitely try it! It’s great for street photography!

[@TuCompa]

Does the Sunny 16 Rule apply to Black and White film?

[@ReimannPembroke]

Yes this also applies to black and white film!

[@doggyydog2692]

hello! I have a silly question.. so what if i decide to shoot indoors mid roll is it okay to change settings mid roll?

[@ReimannPembroke]

Yeah you can change the settings every shot of the roll if you want!

[@doggyydog2692]

@@ReimannPembroke thank you so much this video is a life saver for a beginner like me

[@ReimannPembroke]

@@doggyydog2692 glad it was helpful!👍🏼

[@eccentricsmithy2746]

You must love the light refraction at F16

[@ReimannPembroke]

Wait, are we talking about diffraction? Bc if so, all of the lenses I use go to f/22 or f/32. So f/16 tends to be okay in most situations

[@powderedtoastman3093]

If you go from full sun to shade of a building - what is the aperture then?5.6, 4 or what

[@ReimannPembroke]

I don’t really know what you mean by “go from full sun to full shade” but if it’s a sunny day and you want complete shaded areas to be exposed properly, I would say around f/4

[@powderedtoastman3093]

@@ReimannPembroke 😉

[@seralegre]

lol, today i watched a couple of videos in your channel with long hair and others woth short hair, and untill now i didnt realize it was the same person

[@ReimannPembroke]

Hahaha yes! I look like a totally different person

[@caldera878]

Wouldn't wood collect moisture while closely mated with metal over time cause corrosion?

[@jacovanlith5082]

I doubt it you are right. I deny the correctness of the rule of Sunny 16. Which aperture in the snow and on the beach in the Summer? My carton Agfa Berlin two ruler exposure meter made in 1920 is better. Besides my Weston Master, Gosen Lunasix, Sekonic 308 L and my brains.

[@MinhNguyen-cj3gi]

thanks you

[@ReimannPembroke]

You’re welcome! Glad I could help!

[@blackwingvisuals5017]

Half box speed it then apply this!! No mistakes at all then !

[@blackwingvisuals5017]

So that means if you are using a 400 speed film run Your camera at 200 of a sec and adjust the apature as he explains. 200 of a sec will cover you for most focal lengths for hand holding up to about 200mm. Focal length should never go above your shutter speed unless you've got a good stabilised lens!:-) Adding this extra stop guarantees you will not have muddy shadows:-)

[@ReimannPembroke]

Agreed! Also great tips!

[@questions6746]

Sunny 16 does not only relate to film photography. In fact film cameras have light meters too. I use DSLR on full manual and make no reference to metering. It vLue of this is to learn to control special effects.

[@nickfanzo]

Sunny 16 doesn’t work unless you calibrate it to your geologic location and you always look at the shadows not the highlights or mid tones.

[@ultimatetruthteller4169]

I screenshot it before I read the caption to screenshot it 😂😂😂😂

[@ReimannPembroke]

Haha you’re on it!!👏🏼

[@vermontmike9800]

Using natural light indoor = wide open.

[@pwood5733]

The croaking should be left to women who practice it a lot and think its fashionable, even though its so last season

[@jacovanlith5082]

You are under exposed ! Are you a genuine professional or a show off ?