What film speed and exposure settings should I try on a Mansfield Skylark in overcast daylight?
Asked 9/17/2012
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My daughter bought an old Mansfield Skylark camera, and we’re trying to figure out a good starting point for shooting in overcast daylight. The shutter is marked only with B and numbers 2 through 6, with 6 being the fastest. What film speed would be a sensible choice, and what exposure setting should we start with outdoors on an overcast day?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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I started out in the 80s with a similar rangefinder by Olympus and regularly got great results with Kodak's black and white Tri-X. Now available as 400TX this is a fast yet fine grained film that can handle push-processing well. It captures nice high contrast which will help bring the best out of overcast conditions.
An old rule of thumb you can start with in choosing exposures is based on full sunlight: f16 at 1/film-speed. So in this case you would use use f16 at 1/400th second, which I am guessing may correspond closest to the "6" value (fastest shutter on these cameras was 1/500th or "6"). So, to open up a couple of stops for the overcast light, get the sweet-spot of the lens, and a mildly shallow depth-of-field - you should try F8 at shutter speed "6" with Tri-X.
I suspect that will work a treat.
Originally by user11799. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11799
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
A good starting point is ISO 400 film, such as Kodak Tri-X 400 if you want black-and-white. ISO 400 gives you some flexibility with an older camera and overcast light.
For exposure, use the Sunny 16 rule as a guide: in bright sun, ISO 400 would be about f/16 at 1/400 sec. Overcast daylight is typically about 2 stops dimmer, so a practical starting point would be around f/8 at the camera’s fastest shutter speed.
Since your Skylark’s fastest setting is “6,” and these older cameras often used simple number scales rather than modern shutter markings, the community answer suggests that “6” may be roughly in the 1/500 sec range. So try:
- ISO 400 film
- shutter at 6
- aperture around f/8 for overcast daylight
“B” does mean bulb, for long exposures while holding the shutter open. Because old shutter markings can be approximate, expect some trial and error. If possible, bracket a few shots to learn how the camera behaves.
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