----- Original Message -----
From: "Rob Studdert"
Subject: Re: RE: Understanding exposure? Recommendations?
I can appreciate that but when do you surrender to automation after it's
proven
that for the greater part it ends up being more competent than yourself,
what
if effort doesn't offer an advantage over technology? In the 4WD forums I
lurk
in often the old guard claim that you need to struggle up and down hills
in a 4
speed manual to be a "real" 4WDer, they decry the use of 5-6 speed autos
with
traction control and belittle down-hill assist ...until they actually try
it
and experience just how effective the technology is.
Take a few seconds to properly assess a scene and expose the image
"properly" or
spend a long time gazing at and fiddling with phosphor dots? No
competition in
my book, even allowing that it might take some time to learn the
assessment
process.
After spending the time to learn how my *ist D camera behaves WRT
metering/exposure I know what it can do, in most case I can trust the
metering
to make optimal use of the capture latitude. My post processing method I
have
polished so that it's repeatable and very quick, it's working. I haven't
forgotten all my film camera derived exposure knowledge, I still shoot
film,
I've just found a more predictable, time efficient and effective way to
realize
my photographic images.
In the end unless you are using your photography as a proof of your
competence
to yourself, no one else viewing a picture for it's content really gives a
stuff how it was produced so why not just use the most effective
production
means at your disposal?
I don't think it ever hurts to learn the theory behind what your equipment
is doing. I have a hunch that the people who learn by the old guard 4WD
method don't get stuck or rolled as often as those that take off in
something like my Titan 4x4 with no 4WD experience.
It is really easy to get stuck in the right conditions, traction control and
downhill assist tend to mask how bad the conditions are until you are in
real trouble.
I think that if you know more or less what the exposure should be, and how
to bias things if you figure the camera will blow it, you can trust your
automatic camera more than if you don't have a clue, and don't know if the
camera is in error or not.
I really think that people who don't know theory shouldn't be listening to
the advice given by people who do know theory, when that advice is that
knowing theory is useless.
William Robb
