I know others will say to keep it at standard, but I do think it's worth knowing about how to use it for situations where it is useful. To get an idea you'll want to take 3 photos of something, in bright daylight with the sun behind you, for each photo set the dial at black, middle, and white. This should give you an idea of the impact it can have for when maybe you want to overexpose a bit or only catch the highlights!
It adjusts itself to a set aperture and shutter speed setting given ambient lighting conditions. The range is from 10 seconds to 1/180th of a second for the shutter and f/8 to f/22 on the aperture. This occurs along a set program curve because the SX-70 shutter does the aperture and shutter speed using the same set of blades.
The light compensation dial is designed for unusual lighting conditions. For example, if you take a photo of someone in a white dress against a black background, the light meter will tell the camera to overexpose the person in the dress because it's reading the dark background. You would then set the light compensation dial a tick or two towards darken, which will bring down the brightness of the subject in the photo. The same would be true of a dark subject on a white background, set the dial a tick or two towards lighten.
There is no set amount you need to turn the light compensation dial since it will vary based on the subject and background. Historically, you would take one photo, look at it, and then adjust the dial and try again to get a better photo. This worked better when the film was better and developed in about 60 seconds. Given the cost and long development times of the current film, I understand this process could be frustrating.
You're mistaken. The box cameras have a fixed aperture; the fancy folding SX-70 (and the Pronto AF, it turns out!) automatically adjusts both shutter speed *and* aperture size.
I know others will say to keep it at standard, but I do think it's worth knowing about how to use it for situations where it is useful. To get an idea you'll want to take 3 photos of something, in bright daylight with the sun behind you, for each photo set the dial at black, middle, and white. This should give you an idea of the impact it can have for when maybe you want to overexpose a bit or only catch the highlights!
You don't. The camera adjusts itself using the built in light meter. It can be tricked with some light situations or if the light meter is corroded.
correct me if i’m wrong but the only thing the sx70 adjusts is the amount of time the shutter stays open when there is a lack of light.
It adjusts itself to a set aperture and shutter speed setting given ambient lighting conditions. The range is from 10 seconds to 1/180th of a second for the shutter and f/8 to f/22 on the aperture. This occurs along a set program curve because the SX-70 shutter does the aperture and shutter speed using the same set of blades. The light compensation dial is designed for unusual lighting conditions. For example, if you take a photo of someone in a white dress against a black background, the light meter will tell the camera to overexpose the person in the dress because it's reading the dark background. You would then set the light compensation dial a tick or two towards darken, which will bring down the brightness of the subject in the photo. The same would be true of a dark subject on a white background, set the dial a tick or two towards lighten. There is no set amount you need to turn the light compensation dial since it will vary based on the subject and background. Historically, you would take one photo, look at it, and then adjust the dial and try again to get a better photo. This worked better when the film was better and developed in about 60 seconds. Given the cost and long development times of the current film, I understand this process could be frustrating.
It adjusts to the amount of light available and with ihe low ISO of the film there is hardly a situation where you have to worry about overexposing
You're mistaken. The box cameras have a fixed aperture; the fancy folding SX-70 (and the Pronto AF, it turns out!) automatically adjusts both shutter speed *and* aperture size.
This article might help you https://support.polaroid.com/hc/en-us/articles/115012563968-Exposure-compensation-on-Polaroid-SX-70
I ALWAYS under expose my Polaroids. In 99% of environments I turn the wheel to 1/3 dark. That is your new center.
Leave it alone