Yashica Camera Problem. Urgent shooting in Turkey tomorrow.

[Brian Welsh]

Hi all

 

I am shooting my first scenes for a film on super 8 tommorow in Turkey. I have flown over with the camera, plenty of stock, equipment. I've spent time casting, finding stunning locations, spent a tonne of cash I don't have only to find out the film stocks I have aren't compatible with my camera.

 

Please excuse my ignorance as I now realise this is common knowledge:-

 

The camera I have is the Yashica Sound 50 XL Macro. The stock I have is 64T EKTACHROME and Vision2 200T.

 

With the 64T stock I now understand that many older cameras will expose it as if it is either 40ASA or 160ASA does anyone know what that figure is for this particular yashica model?

 

The camera has a switchable nuetral density filter on the side. Can I utilise this to correct the aperture? (It has 4, 2, 1X, 1/2)

 

Also will I have any difficulties with the 200T stock?

 

Is this the disaster movie it feels like or can I salvage something to take home with me?

 

Many thanks

 

P.S. the scenes will be shot in super bright sunlight.

[Andries Molenaar]

One option is to put the camera in manual exposure mode. Use your handheld exposure meter and set the aperture according to the reading. You can also use the internal meter. Adjust it a bit from the metered value.

 

The ND filters are there to reduce the incoming light and allow for a larger aperture to get less DOF

Edited June 6, 2009 by Andries Molenaar

[Richard Tuohy]

g'day brian,

you mean you have gone to Turkey with an untested camera?

Since you don't have a lot of choice, I think you will have to assume this camera rates 64t as 40 - this is by far the most common thing. I only know of two canon models that rate it as 160. so assume 40.

Now, this camera doesn't have a manual exposure control - just auto and 'ee lock'.

There is something you can do. Fortunately the camera has a nice 'sun' and 'bulb' switch on it. this trick will work if you are shooting outside.

Switch the 'sun/bulb' switch to 'bulb'. With the camera pointing at your scene, hold the ee lock leaver in place (with some blue tack or tape or whatever you can find as usually these levers are spring loaded meaning you have to hold them in place). Now switch the camera back to 'sun'. You are ready to film the scene. How did that work? The camera gives a reading based on a 40asa film stock when it is in the 'bulb' position (and there is an appropriate cartridge in the camera). You have held that 40asa exposure. In switching the switch back to sun you are putting the colour correction filter back in place. without the ee lock, the meter would now give a reading based on 25 asa (40 asa minus the 2/3rds of a stop lost by the filter). But since you are holding the ee lock down, the 40 asa reading remains unchanged. 40 asa is of course the correct rating for 64t with the colour correction filter in place.

But you are taking a risk using reversal film with an untested camera. A big risk. In preference, I'd use the 200t. The camera will rate this as 160 asa which is absolutely fine.

Don't use the x4, x2, x1, x1/2 switch. LEave it on x1. I say this because this looks like an exposure compensation switch, NOT a simple ND switch. Very few super 8 cameras have switchable ND filters built in. Most super 8 cameras have some kind of 'back light' and often also 'spot light' functions. This is I suspect what these switch positons are for. You would have to test them to determine just what they are (unless you have the manual). I suspect they are like the switch on the Canon 814: x4 = 2 stops over exposed, x2 = one stop over exposed - these would be two backlight options. The x1/2 would be for 1 stop under exposed - the spotlight option. So use them at your peril until you can confirm with a roll of film just what they do.

So, rely on the 200t - even outdoors. It can take a moderate amount of over exposure.

good luck,

richard

[Tom Law]

Well your camera reads: 25, 100 or 160 ASA (40, 160, 250 ASA tungsten) films, so therefore just keep the camera in automatic reading, you don't really need a lightmeter. Kodak made the vision2 200t film to be read by the cameras as 160asa, so that you automatically over-expose by one stop - which is a good thing when it comes to post.

 

Why are you using 64t ektachrome, isn't that quite hard to get developed professionally?

 

tom

[Richard Tuohy]

Kodak made the vision2 200t film to be read by the cameras as 160asa, so that you automatically over-expose by one stop - which is a good thing when it comes to post.

 

 

tom

 

Just a correction here: exposing 200 asa film as 160 asa is an over exposure of 1/3rd of a stop - not a whole stop. But I agree, its fine to do this with colour neg.

richard

[Jim Carlile]

VISION 200T will be read as ASA 100 in many cameras, by design. Others will read it at ASA 160. Either way works.