Leica LTM do you use a light meter?

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Most of the time (that's when I use the IIIf) I only use Fred Parkers tables. But my exposures with the F2/f3 are more consistent throughout a roll of film. It'll get better with time. Mostly I calculate stuff in my head such as f/stops and times and DoF, so why not make a decent stab at trying without a meter just to see if it works good enough in the long run? Okay, if I did this for a living, yes, I'd have my meter with me all the time!
 
Ronald M said:
I prefer knowing i got the pic than some macho thing.

Learn to read light for sure for when ther is no time, but use the a meter for something other than full sun when there is time.
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when did it become macho to not use a meter.

maybe some prefer to 'know' what they are doing - in their own way -.

i do both, use a meter and not use a meter. i also use ae on the zi.

not using a meter isn't really all that hard and no rocket science is required, just a bit of concentration and practice.
joe
 
Meters fail. Meters can be misleading. It helps a great deal to have some idea of the correct exposure, independent of all the hardware. Wonder if Margaret Bourke-White used a meter? She was pretty macho.
 
I try to use sunny f16, sometimes I fail because I took a photo without checking the settings, but most generally, the exposure conditions turn out to be perfect.
 
I use a handheld because it prevents me from worrying as often about exposure, and it also gives you a better sense of lighting conditions as you guesstimate before taking the reading. In camera readings are great for fast situations, but tends to make one sloppy and lazy about being observant of lighting conditions.
 
I didn't use a meter at all for the first few months I used my M3, and got away with it for the most part (I shoot b/w pretty exclusively). When I finally shelled out for a decent meter (holy crap! how is this tiny thing so freaking expensive?) I realized that I could do a lot better and I think my shots are much better exposed now. Perhaps after I've used the meter for a while it'll help train my eye and I'll go back to not metering most of the time. It only takes a second to meter and the thing fits in my palm so why not meter, i say.
 
Cheers for all your replies, its good to get everyones opinion on this. I think ill give this meterless idea a try. The freedom to do this, without a meter appeals to me

thanks
 
Outdoors, the "sunny-16" rule works quite well and indoors, with artificial light exposures are remarkably consistent, probably because people use generally use enough lighting to be comfortable for human vision (f2/(1/30th) with tungsten lighting, f2.8/(1/60th) for indoor commercial lighting, stores and public spaces, at ASA400.

The meter is valuable for less common situations such as deep shade outdoors, early evening, and deep shadow areas indoors. Even here an exposure table, or a good memory can substitute for a meter.
 
I don't use a meter at all with my M3 or IIIa. I used metered cameras for years, and it's amazing that my guessing is more accurate than the meters ever were. I agree that going meterless gives you much more freedom. Since I always use 400ASA film, I've become pretty good at consistenly getting a good exposure. Also, I find that I can shoot indoors consistently at 1/25 or lower without camera shake, thanks to the superb Leica shutter action.
 
Two things that helped me learn to shoot w/o a meter ~
(1) I shoot with old Zorkis and older Barnacks 95% of the time, and. . .
(2) I'm and old fart and forget stuff like meters, cameras, film, grandkids, where I live. . . So I've tried to learn Sunny16/11 at least well enough to get me by if I want to shoot quickly or . . . eh, hmmm . . . I forget something.:rolleyes:

I've got a couple of meters; a Weston that goes well in the pocket or a very small Sears selenium that hangs around the neck and can be read at a glance. Metering is a preference to me (when I don't leave the meter on the desk) so I can get the settings and concentrate on what I'm shooting without fiddling/putzing both mentally and physically with calculations. It makes my head hurt. I told you I'm an old fart, right? :cool:
 
Ecoleica, mastering meterless shooting is definitely a good idea. I find it quicker than playing chase the needle, as I used to on older 35mm SLR's and sometimes you camera's reflective meter is fooled by dark or bright backgrounds.

In response to Graybeard's post, I've pretty much memorize the light settings in a couple of rooms that I shoot in, but outside of those, I find a meter to be a valued accessory, though I have often guess and been lucky.


Graybeard said:
The meter is valuable for less common situations such as deep shade outdoors, early evening, and deep shadow areas indoors. Even here an exposure table, or a good memory can substitute for a meter.
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I use a meter or, more recently, AE. For the vast majority of my shots, however, not having a meter wouldn't make much of a difference, because (1) I find my prior guesstimation of exposure is pretty close to what the meter ends up telling me anyway, and (2) I shoot mostly with Tri-X, which is so forgiving that you can be off by a couple stops and not lose the shot. Frankly, I think most photographers on RFF could get by perfectly well without a meter. In my experience, a meter will matter in a small handful of photography situations at the margins.

Having said all that, I find a meter--or AE, really--useful for the kind of shooting I tend to do these days, which is lots of street shooting. Under those conditions, the light levels can change dramatically when I turn a corner or cross the street to grab a shot. I live in the Norheast, where perfectly sunny, cloudless days are not the rule, so the sun darting in and out of clouds can alter light levels unpredictably. A meter helps me salvage those small handful of shots that I might otherwise lose if I didn't use one.
 
jkelly said:
... it's amazing that my guessing is more accurate than the meters ever were ...
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If you're that good at guessing you should disconnect the speedometer on your car, throw away your bathroom scale, and dump your tape measure. :D
 
Oldprof said:
If you're that good at guessing you should disconnect the speedometer on your car, throw away your bathroom scale, and dump your tape measure. :D
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LOL, well, I've already thrown away the bathroom scale! Disconnecting the speedometer can be hazardous to your safety, and not measuring before cutting can be very expensive, so neither of those would be a good idea. However, messing up a photo only costs a few cents, and it's just more fun to not be dependent on a meter.

What fun is there in shooting with 50 or 70 year old cameras if you're going to be dependent on (relatively) modern technology? Why not just ditch the Barnack and use a digital AE?

I didn't meter this shot. Probably if I had, the atmosphere would have been totally different, because this is not a "correct" exposure. It's just one that my gut told me felt right. This is with the IIIa and uncoated Summar.
 

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jkelly said:
... I didn't meter this shot. Probably if I had, the atmosphere would have been totally different, because this is not a "correct" exposure. It's just one that my gut told me felt right. This is with the IIIa and uncoated Summar.
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Very nice landscape! Congrats. Where is the location?
 
I use a Pentax digital spotmeter 80% of the time,and I guess the remaining 20% of the time.

Raid
 
Joe,
I have an incident meter (Minolta Auto Meter III), but I am used to the spotmeter. I "think" reflective multiple spot metering. The same goes for my SLR use. I have always favored SLR cameras with built-in spotmeters.

Raid
 
As I allways had problems of misjudging light levels, I trusted in lightmeters, but with certain exceptions.
Of course the exceptions were the failed shoots, then I started to learn how to use decently a light meter.
If the question is of what do I prefer, I prefer spotmeters, with less than 10 deg. viewing angle.

Ernesto
 
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