Photography I / Film and the Characteristic Curve
Practice question · Estimate

On the straight-line portion of a film whose gamma is 1.0, a density difference of 0.30 corresponds to how many stops of exposure?

Estimate on a scale from 0 stops (0) to 5 stops (5).

Hints
  1. A gamma of 1.0 means density changes as fast as log exposure.
  2. One stop is 0.30 in log exposure.
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1 (answers within ±0.3 count)

Why

One stop. With a gamma of 1.0 the density difference equals the log exposure difference, and one stop is 0.30 in log exposure. Real black-and-white negatives are developed to a gamma nearer 0.55 to 0.65, so a stop of subject brightness produces only about 0.17 of density.

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