Advanced Exposure: Finding Your Filter Factors (Camera Lesson 31)

Summary: Ryan shows you two methods for finding your filter factor, crucial if it wasn’t provided by the filter manufacture. This is important to get the correct and consistent exposures for your film.

Length: 1:54 minutes

Video Lesson

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Transcript

Introduction

So you have a filter, but the filter manufacture hasn’t told you what it’s filter factor is. In this video I’ll show you two ways that you can figure that out for yourself.

Option #1: Light meter

The first method for figuring out what the filter factor is is to use your light meter. You place your light meter in incident mode and make sure that you are using a flat disc or that the bulb has been retracted. Now you take a reading. Then you take your filter, place it over the light meter, and take a second reading. The difference between the two is what your filter factor is. As you take your reading, pay attention to the light–it needs to remain consistent–and watch your shadow. If the light changes, or your shadow ends up on the light meter, you’ll get an incorrect reading.