I have another reason why I sometimes choose to bracket, and sometimes do so in
a "thoughtless" manner.
Even the best slide film can capture dynamic picture information in the range
of only about 3.2 to 3.5 F-stops total (i.e., 1.6 to 1.75 F-stops on either
side of centre). Compare this to the human eye/brain, which can do about 3.5
F-stops on either side of the average for any scene, *and* can re-adjust the
average on a sliding scale, pretty much in real time. Sometimes, you just want
to compress the dynamic range so that you can capture enormous detail in the
highlights *and* the shadows. The way I do that is by bracketing and then
extracting the images to a digital form, where a composite can be
created/manipulated with much more information than any single frame could have
hoped to hold. Obviously, this only works for particular types of subjects
(landscapes in early morning and late evening is where I've applied this
technique -- sometimes I've bracketed three stops on either side of average,
and still haven't managed to capture all the details I wanted!).
On a related note: people, unlax. Bracketing is a technique which works for
some people and makes others feel they're being "wasteful." Both arguments
have merit, and both are relative to your situation -- when I was a poor
student, every shot was precious 'cause it ate my lunch money. Now that I'm a
"rich" consultant (HAH!), film price is negligible compared to my other life
expenses, and I take multiple frames of almost every subject I encounter, with
or without bracketing depending on whether my spidey-sense tingles when I see
the dynamic range of the subject. The "holy war" going on at the moment over
this subject is *not* worth it, and several of you haven't apparently learned
the rules for communicating via e-mail (a medium where your intent and tone can
be easily misconstrued). Step back, relax, and before you hit the "reply"
function, think. To engage in a moment of Oly arrogance, I always thought
Olympus owners/users were a thoughtful lot.
Cheers, and have fun!
Garth
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