Bob on auto exposure

I am still not sure what Bob is trying to get at here. The picture he shows as an example of 'automatic' exposure is actually a simulation. I don't quite know how the D50 (and by extension the F100) would cope in the situation he demonstrates. Certainly the N90 would probably overexpose without compensation. But compensation is one of those things you just get into the habit of doing.

Provided that the negative is not overexposed or underexposed to start with it is still possible to post process to create any print that you might want.

I still believe that telling people to turn auto exposure off is not a good idea even if it does improve the pictures they take. The world has too many intrusive photographers as it is who think nothing of interrupting every event to dither over taking a photograph.