I'm new about photography. I want to learn how to use the aperture and shutter or exposure in general. I know the only way to learn it is by practice by keep taking pictures and remember the settings I used. Now this is the problem. It's hard to remember the settings I used specially if I don't develop the film right away. I read somewhere that Nikon F80S (Import version) print the aperture, shutter speed and exposure on the negative for every pictures taken. Is this really worth it if I trade in my N70QD for this? Is it worth to add around $200 after trading or selling my N70QD and order F80S thru B&H or Adorama? In that way I don't have to keep track my settings by writing it down on a piece of paper after every picture I take.

RD337

-- rd337 (rd337@attbi.com), January 17, 2002

Answers

If you write down the exposure data on film or on paper, you have nothing of high value. What you ought to keep track off, are the corrections and deviations from the measured A or P mode on the camera that you made, or though about making in the camera settings over what the camera or lightmeter told you. Otherwise, what is the worth to you of the actual data 250/f=8. If underexposed, you know that you should have used 250/5,6 instead ... So what?

Will you (on an underexposed pic) then conclude that whenever you are told by camera or lighmeter to use 250/f=8 to rather use 250/5.6?

Nonsense! You must simply recognize the misexposed types of shots and learn to meter those kind of shots (high contrast, dim light, flash , ... ) that your meter and/or camera are fooled by more correctly. The actual exposure data has no influence on this.

-- F Uhlig (uhligfd@auburn.edu), January 19, 2002.