[KellyL]

Mr. Michael,

I have been thinking about my experiment, as suggested by Brookes, I do believe, and now I really have a better understanding that my camera has a definite five stop range. Alhtough there is still some detail in the black, most detail is lost. Detail is found readily in the five stops N-2, N-1, N, N+1, and N+2.

Now if I am to apply what I have learned from this, if I meter a highlight, I have just assigned it N, which means if I keep that reading, my shadows have dropped to N-4, and I will be losing lots of details in the shadows. So, by underexposing my highlights by one stop, I bring my shadows up one stop. Darkest shadow is now at N-3, which still retains some detail, but now my midtones are being exposed at N-1.

So why is that useful?

Why not just use the meter to expose for the 18% gray and shoot?

I guess it is because every scene is greater than a five stop dynamic range and I have to make decisions as to where I want to lose the detail. But wouldn't exposing for the midtones just require that detail is lost on both ends of the spectrum?

Brookes...please tell me why this test was important!

Kirk...please chime in...you can even say "Brace yourself..." I'tll seem like old times.