In article <4d4aj5$jif@harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au>, johny@fangorn.cs.monash.edu.au says...

>TVulich (tvulich@aol.com) wrote: [deleted]
>: I also understand that the human eye can see about 11 stops of
>: brightness range, which explanes why it can be so hard to capture
>: scenes as you see them.

>There's a method to estimate roughly how a scene will
>appear on the film:
> Just half close your eyes.
>By doing this, the 'lattitude' of your eyes will drop
>down to a range similar to that of the slides.
>Your can *see* the detail of the shadow areas is lost.
(rest deleted)

Using the DOF button on the camera when selecting a small
aperture can do a similar thing, and do it with your photo
framed for shooting. BTW, I would guess that the 11 stop
range figure given is well short of what the ol' eye/brain
combo is capable of - the viewable brightness range in one
scene can be astonishingly large, maybe 20 stops or more.
Also BTW, I used to take B & W photos on negative material
that could usefully record nearly a 20 stop range. The prints
were low in contrast and brilliance, but the tones...! And
I could shoot on a sunny street and have the building interiors
show clearly without dodging and burning. Or, show the texture
in wet, dark, shaded bark, while also showing the tree tops and
sky tone, and even the sun.
Hope This Helps