Manually calculating exposure

[TrueWill]

I have my father's Kodak Signet 35 rangefinder camera, which is 100% manual with no electronics. Exposure is calculated with a metal "slide rule" on the back of the camera, with settings for Kodachrome, Plus-X, and Super-XX film. I want to shoot Fujifilm Neopan 1600 Professional B&W film instead. Short of shooting a roll and developing it, is there a way to ballpark exposures close enough to bracket them? Or is my best bet to use a separate exposure meter? Thanks!

[mbrager]

I looked up that camera. The information I read says it has an f stop of 3.5 and the fastest shutter speed is 1/300. You can check an exposure calculator like at Photographic Exposure Calculator for Available Light (http://www.calculator.org/calculate-online/photography/exposure.aspx)
I think you will run into trouble mostly outdoors and in bright light, but perhaps indoors or at night you can get proper exposures using the calculator to guesstimate your shutter speed. I think you can hold it by hand even at 1/25. Good luck.
Mike

[JAS_Photo]

Here is a PDF file of an extensive chart for calculating exposure. Found at this url as well:
Ultimate Exposure Computer (http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm)

9440



Good luck!

[TrueWill]

Thanks for the suggestions!

[Marko]

This is a classic.
Just use the sunny 16 rule which says that on a bright Sunny day your exposure with ISO 100 will be F16 an 1/100. Simple as that, no meter necessary.

Then it's just basic math to use higher Isos or different apertures. Sooo the above exposure is equal to ISO 400 F16 1/400 It is also equal to ISO 100 F8 1/400.

Now if the sun is out but not bright, open up by a stop (meaning INCREASE The exposure), If it's cloudy, maybe open up 2 stops.

But now that you know the sunny 16 rule, it's difficult to be completely in the dark :) You'll always have a starting point.
Sunny 16 rule - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunny_16_rule)

Hope that helps - Marko

Use that as your starting point. It has worked for over 50 years.