Film newb needs filter help

[Joe M]

I recently bought an Elmo 1012s-xl. I have yet to shoot some test footage with it but it seems like a nice camera. It has a few quirks though. The daylight filter switch is stuck on (I think its the daylight filter. It has a blueish tint to it) and the auto mode doesn't work. Thats not much of a problem because I have a light meter and I would really like to get good at manual exposure anyway. My question is about film/aperture. What type of film should I use to make up for the daylight filter being stuck on for shooting outdoors? Tungsten balanced film? And once I have the right film do I have to stop down the aperture to compensate for the filter at all? One last question; how will the daylight filter affect BW film?

 

Sorry to ask such simple questions but this can get confusing after a while. Thanks in advance.

 

-Joe

Edited January 10, 2006 by Joe M

[David Mullen ASC]

The internal filter is an 85 filter, which is orange.

 

Using tungsten-balanced film like K40:

 

If it's stuck "on" then day scenes would look normal but tungsten-lit interiors would be too orangey. If it's stuck "off" then day scenes would look blue-ish and tungsten-lit interiors would be normal.

 

If it's stuck "off", then you could just get a correction filter for the front of the lens to take its place.

[Joe M]

The internal filter is an 85 filter, which is orange.

 

Using tungsten-balanced film like K40:

 

If it's stuck "on" then day scenes would look normal but tungsten-lit interiors would be too orangey. If it's stuck "off" then day scenes would look blue-ish and tungsten-lit interiors would be normal.

 

If it's stuck "off", then you could just get a correction filter for the front of the lens to take its place.

 

Thanks for that info David. When I look through the viewfinder everything seems to have a blueish tint to it in artificial light. Can you notice the effects of the internal filter through the viewfinder or is it only evident once the film is processed? Maybe I should get a manual :unsure:

[Mark Dunn]

The viewfinder prism is in front of the 85 filter, so doesn't look through it at all. The only cameras that do are those with mirror shutters, and the Elmo isn't one of them, so your blue tint is just down to the finder optics and won't photograph.

You can check the filter operation by looking through the front of the lens whilst operating the filter lever; you should be able to see it moving in or out of the light path.

If the auto exposure is duff, you may need a test to see how much light is absorbed by the zoom lens, because you'll need a wider stop than that given by the meter to compensate.

The 85 doesn't really affect black and white, but you'd shoot without it for preference to avoid the loss of speed.