From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Reply-To: pentax-discuss@pdml.net
To: pentax-discuss@pdml.net
Subject: Survey Results: How do you do exposure?
Date: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 14:02:43 EST
I took a survey on exposure starting 3/2/2005 and have several times since
promised the results. Recently I've been going through my AOL email inbox,
trying to whittle down the 45,000+ PDML messages in it, and came across the
survey.
I printed out all the responses and did a rough tally. So here the
results...
finally!
I am dyslexic, and this means I have a lousy time sense. Not for hours in
the
day, but for days in the week, weeks in the month, and months in the year.
Anyway, that's my story about why the results are so late, and I am
sticking to
it. :-)
Before the survey I had recently attended a John Shaw weekend, then a
George
Lepp weekend and was surprised to find both use Av (Aperture Priority) most
of
the time. Coming from using the K-1000 and then the ZX-5n, I was still
doing
exposure all manually. After this survey I switched to Av on my DSLR and my
pictures improved (quite a bit).
I could glean interesting tid bits from the results, but I am going to go
with the broad results. Since people answered differently it's a bit hard
to
tally, but here goes.
And, actually, it was more fun to read at the time, than see any results.
But
they may be semi-interesting...
========
The questions were:
1. How do you do exposure most of the time? Av or Tv or manual (doing it
yourself)?
2. Do you shoot digital or film?
Optional --
3. If you shoot digital, have you changed how you do exposure since
switching
from film?
========
Numbers may be off by 1 (or 2) either way.
41 responded to the survey itself (I am discounting the chatter. :-)).
One or more have since left the list and several or more have since
switched
to shooting mainly digital.
Of that 41...
17 were still shooting either all film, or mainly film.
24 were shooting either all digital, or mainly digital.
Av was the clear winner.
25 were shooting using Av most of the time.
Exceptions were given for using Tv for long glass, night photography,
flash,
and sports/action. Exceptions were given for using manual for tricky
lighting
and close ups.
7 were shooting manual all of the time or most of the time.
They were all film camera users. Many had cameras that would only let them
do
manual.
8 were doing some combination, broken down into percentages.
Closer to 60%/50% for Av and 50% Tv or manual. Others in the 25 I have
mentioned above may have broken it down into percentages too, but they were
shooting
over 80% (usually over 90%) Av.
Many in this group mentioned Hyperprogram. So they were both film and
digital
shooters or were shooting both. And sometimes they were mentioning using
one
mode or another based on which film or digital camera they were using at
the
time.
1 used mainly Tv. He was shooting mainly digital.
Of the 24 mainly digital responders, 14 said no, they had not changed the
way
they did exposure since switching to digital.
HOWEVER -- this is where I am going to throw in my own conclusions :-) --
many qualified their nos.
How? Lots had used handheld meters of one kind or another when they
shooting
film. Many mentioned they no longer used them, the in camera meter was
accurate. That they relied on it. Several mentioned matrix metering in
particular.
Another qualification was many mentioned being aware of being more cautious
about overexposure. Paying attention to settings to not to have blown
highlights and/or using exposure compensation (one or more mentioned
referring to the
histogram).
So, despite the fact that those 14 thought there had been no change, in
reading them over, I got the distinct impression they was more of a change
than
they may have realized. Not for everyone, of course, but for some. And
maybe not
that big a change, but a change.
Anyway, that's the basic results.
The thread went off to discuss Hyperprogram (and differences between it and
Hypermanual) and how Pentax is/was great for coming up with that. (Don't
ask
me, I've haven't used either.)
Results of another survey coming soon.
Or maybe not. That time sense thing. ;-)
Later, Marnie aka Doe
