BOOYAH! - I beat a meter.

[_larky]

Since getting the X100 and more recently the M6 I've been learning to gauge light in my head rather than from any internal meter. This came about because it's fun and I didn't trust the X100.

Yesterday I shot three rolls of film, ISO 25, ISO 100 and ISO 400. Last week in the same sunny conditions I shot three films, ISO 25, ISO 100 and ISO 400. This was a test. Last week I used a meter, yesterday I did not.

I souped all rolls this morning.

Seems my practice has paid off, the negs from yesterdays rolls blow last weeks away. Not scientific in practice but close enough to know a practiced eye is metter than any multi-point metering fanangles.

I'm happy.

Big thanks to the folks on here and other places, and people I've met that gave advice. Saved me spending £200 on a meter 🙂 That's half way to a 50mm. 🙂

For note: last week I metered from the X100 and the M6 and they compared very closely. I tried the settings from both on all three rolls. Films used were CHS Adoc 25, Neopan 400 and Legacy Pro 100.

One further point. I also souped a 4 year old CHS25 this morning shot in Cuba, in the G1. That camera never messed up metering but the negs look way off. Could it be the delay is processing?

 

[Roger Hicks]

Seems my practice has paid off, the negs from yesterdays rolls blow last weeks away. Not scientific in practice but close enough to know a practiced eye is metter than any multi-point metering fanangles.

Not always, but surprisingly often.

There used to be someone on the forum who got really bent out of shape at this. "The human eye can't measure light," he'd say. He was quite right, of course. But it's amazing how well the human brain can remember similar lighting, and analyze the differences.

Most of the time, I set the aperture and speed without really thinking too hard, then check the exposure with the meter. If we disagree it's about 60/40 whether I'm right and the meter reading needs to be 'interpreted', or the meter's right and I'm more than half a stop out.

Mind you, I'm guessing 'fanangles' from context, 'cos it's a new word to me, and I assume 'metter' is a mistype for 'better'... As I always say, I spell much better than my keyboard does.

Cheers,

R.

 

[_larky]

I was in a rush, so my typing got all broken.

I've just completed my second day of testing, this time digital. It's impossible to tell what's metered and what's guessed. But I think that's the RAW latitude. I think on the X100 you could shoot however you want and recover perfectly well.