Do you use the M6 meter or a hand held meter?

[Assaf]

Coming from the world of evil SLRs and dSLR with sophisticated (but not always useful) light metering mechanisms, I'm having trouble using the M6 built in light meter.

It's more like a spot meter, which means I should know exactly on what to measure light, how to compenste etc.
I'm not yet skilled in this, hoping to improve (a reference or some tips would be nice).

Last week I was on a trip and borrowed a compact Gossen light meter from a friend. I found it very useful and easy to use for most cases, just measuring incident light.

I wonder if other M6 users use its meter or a hand held one

 

[gertf]

Hand held incident usually, but still have battery in M in case I need it

I like the incident metering quite a lot, makes me stop worrying about it too much!

 

[Lance]

Build in with a little brain compensation.

Life is too short for handheld meters. They belong in the studio or if you are shooting landscape on picky positive.

The M6 meter is actually quite good and not too spotty, depending on your lens of course. Just put a little thought in it. Maybe just measure against your hand if you are in doubt in tricky situations.

Just my thoughts.

 

[kipkeston]

I measure off my hand 90% of the time unless my subject is for some reason in a different light than my hand can offer. My results have been good. But just to clarify once more, metering off my hand means that my hand skin tone will be 18% grey and everything else will fall around that right?

 

[Kim Coxon]

It depends what I am shooting. For about 80% of the time, I use the meter in the M6 and this covers most situations and nearly all with negative film. In tricky light situations especially with E6, I uase a Gossen meter.

Kim

 

[oscroft]

Coming from the world of evil SLRs and dSLR with sophisticated (but not always useful) light metering mechanisms, I'm having trouble using the M6 built in light meter

That's interesting, because I had the opposite reaction. Coming from decades of SLR use (but not DSLR, which might be the difference - I've never used "sophisticated metering"), I immediately took to the M6 because its meter works just like the SLR meters that I've used (although I'd have preferred a match-needle rather than the LEDs).

 

[monster]

i use sekonic L308b it's so useful when i'm in situtation that hard to grab a camera for take a photo, i'll read a light value and compensate in my head.

 

[OurManInTangier]

I used to use a hand held meter for incident readings but it was stolen sometime ago. Now I must admit, I just use the built in meter of my M6. I find it a slightly bizarre mix somewhere between what I'd expect a Centre weighted meter and a spot meter to be. As such, and once you get used to it, I actually find it very useful.

I tend to switch between spot and centre-weighted on all my Nikon gear (from my F5 to my D2Xs) and I reckon if the Nikons had a meter like the M6 I'd probably never have to switch between them again!

Having said all of that, I did like being able to get a 'sneaky' reading without having to bring the camera to my eye. If I found a decent, cheapish meter and had a spare bit of cash I'd buy another one but it really isn't a priority.

 

[rover]

I use the on board meter and a little common sense in more difficult lighting situations. I find the M6 meter to be very accurate and have been very happy with results using it.

 

[Jonathan R]

The metered spot in the M6 is actually quite hard-edged (check with a pen light on a blank wall if you don't believe me). I like it, but using it distracts me from taking the photo. So most of the time I rely on a hand-held incident meter (Gossen Digisix). In each new environment I read the incident meter, and set the aperture and speed accordingly. I keep these settings for most shots, but if the subject allows I may check the on-board meter. If there's a discrepancy, it's usually informative and worth thinking about.

 

[Skeletor]

I use a combination of the built in meter and my on board brain.

 

[OurManInTangier]

I use a combination of the built in meter and my on board brain.

I'd like to think we all use the onboard brain, without that we'll get 18% grey all the time🙂

 

[JNewell]

It's more like a spot meter, which means I should know exactly on what to measure light, how to compenste etc.

It's actually more like centerweighted, according to Modern Photography and Popular Photography tests at the time the M6 was introduced. Use a little judgment and you will always be there. Or, as noted above, palm of hand + 1 stop is approximately 18% gray - a gray card you can't lose!

 

[like2fiddle]

(although I'd have preferred a match-needle rather than the LEDs).

I agree with the match-needle statement oscroft.

I was so used to "sunny 16/11" using my M2 before acquiring a VC II and later an M6, that I have a little trouble paying much attention to the meter in the M6 after I've decided on an exposure for the given situation. Usually I set it and forget it unless the light changes. One of these days I'm going to run a roll through on f8 and 250 just to see how it all shakes down - I'm guessing there will be just as many "keepers" on that roll as any other.

 

[payasam]

You might do what kipkeston says: measure off the palm of a hand in the same light as your subject, then open up one stop. This amounts to the same thing as an incident light reading.

 

[FrankS]

M6 meter. I use it like the large spot meter that it is and often take substitute readings from other areas in the same light.

You can see the size of the white reflecting spot on the first curtain with the lens removed.

 

[waileong]

If you shoot negs, set your exposure compensation to +1. With the exposure lattitude of negs, you aren't likely to get any unprintable negs. And you won't have to carry a handheld meter.

 

[fotografr]

I've always liked the M6 meter and found it to be very accurate. I just try to be careful about what I am are metering so as not to get too much light or dark area in the viewfinder.

 

[Jonathan R]

18% grey matter sounds quite good for an on-board brain.