Most Common EV Value

Not long ago, I asked myself a simple question: what exposure value (EV) am I using most often with a film camera?

This question is related to one I asked myself around this time last year, namely whether slower- or faster-speed film stocks better suited my shooting habits. But rather than compare my choice of aperture settings relative to whether I was shooting film rated at ASA 125 or 400 like I did last year, I wanted to know the answer to a simpler question: what lighting scenarios am I encountering most often when I shoot film?

Since I am rather diligent with recording my exposure settings and transcribing that data into a database—it’s actually quite rare that I take a shot and don’t note my choice of shutter speed and aperture—it didn’t take me long to find my answer by way of a quick SQL query.

When I ran my query, I applied no other filter other than (1) the exposure had to be made on film and (2) each value of the exposure triangle (film speed, shutter speed, and aperture) had to be known and recorded. I also made the assumption that I always chose the correct exposure settings for every given lighting scenario, which of course isn’t true. But for the purpose of this exercise, let’s set that aside.

Long story short, here are the results (for more on EV, refer to this Wikipedia article):

Here’s the same data in a bar chart I quickly whipped up in Microsoft Excel:

When I introduce myself to other photographers, I’ll typically say that I practice street photography more than any other genre. Naturally this takes place mostly (although not always) outdoors. With this in mind, it’s no surprise that I do the bulk of my shooting between EV 10 and 14. Using the language of the Sunny 16 rule, this range is the equivalent of shooting between f/2.8 and f/11 with whatever shutter speed is closest to the inverse of the film’s ASA rating. For example, if shooting ASA 125-speed film, my shutter speed would be 1/125 sec. For 400-speed film, it would be 1/500 sec.

In all my time shooting film and recording my exposure settings, I’ve taken the greatest number of shots at EV 12, or 1/ASA sec. at f/5.6. In second place is EV 13, or 1/ASA sec. at f/8. And more or less tied for third are EV 11 and 14, or 1/ASA sec. at f/4 and f/11, respectively.

Although there is a steep drop off in the number of exposures I’ve made at EV 15 or higher—I don’t find myself on beaches or sunny snowscapes too often—there is a much more gradual decline in the numbers on the other end of the scale. The data confirmed a gut feeling I already had: although I don’t encounter situations where I need more exposure too often, the number of times I do encounter them is still significant. In other words, I don’t often shoot indoors or under dim lighting, but I do on more than a handful of occasions nonetheless.

Besides saying “huh” to myself, why does this all matter? At the end of the day, I suppose it goes back to the question of which type of film I should be stocking the most in my closet.

I often hear that 400-speed film offers the most versatility. For my shooting habits, the data bears this out. If my most-encountered lighting scenario calls for exposure settings at EV 12, I can shoot at 1/500 sec. at f/5.6. If I want to put more emphasis on my subject, I can go for 1/2000 sec. at f/2.8. If I want a deeper area of sharpness between foreground and background, I can go for 1/125 sec. at f/11. And I can accomplish this all without needing a tripod.

If I’m shooting in environments with brighter light, ASA 400 still allows for enough shutter speed and aperture wiggle room to accommodate them. And if I find myself in a dimly-lit area, I have enough exposure leeway on the other end of the EV range while still keeping my camera handheld.

It so happens that I’ve been preferring a grittier aesthetic in my recent photography, which is another tick in the favor of 400-speed film. Push-processing gives me more of that, and I have been finding more success with pushing film whose box rating is 400 compared to other speeds. Along these lines, I’ve been finding particular success with Kentmere Pan 400. For what it’s worth, I have to confess that I’ve been a little down on Kodak Tri-X 400 lately.

But I’m not done with slower film stocks. I often gravitate toward Ilford FP4 Plus, which is rated at ASA 125. I love its wonderfully rich grey tones in both scanned images and physical prints. Given the fact that I do most of my shooting under brighter conditions, this slower film type suits that usage quite well. Although it limits what I can do indoors, I find that I simply don’t shoot indoors terribly often.