First test roll, checklist?

Captain Kidd said:
The reason I am considering in mid roll to move from 400 to 800 asa is because i have a concern that the light meter is overexposing a little. For instance today, which is bright sunny, no clouds, I would expect f16 at 500 set at 400 asa, but instead the camera is insisting on f8 at 500 at 400 asa, that might be normal but when i switch the camera to 800 asa its telling me what i was expecting ie. f16 at 500.

Its the reason im doing a test roll, just to see how accurate the light meter reading is. Though if I have 400 asa film in the camera, and take a picture with the camera set to 800 asa, using the light meter for exposure, and the picture comes out perfectly exposed, would that be telling me that the cameras light meter, when set to the correct asa that matches the film, is actually over exposing? or underexposing? it gets confusing.

It gets confusing
Click to expand...

Use camera to take test shots to determine how shutter and rangefinder works.
Use external, tested and trusted light meter to check camera light meter, not S16.
You don't need to test it on film, because camera light meter is not linked to the shutter.
BUT. If you will find out what camera light meter and external light meter are disagree, take different ISO shots to have it proved on film. This might help with return, repair, adjustment.
And before all of this, make sure what battery is OK.
 
leicapixie said:
Leica NJ and Solms (at the time) did NOT recommend shooting empty.
Suggested using a blank film..
Luckily Leica M3 world's best camera doesn't suffer these things 😀
Click to expand...

Any reason for that? just curious, because I got a M6 and somethings I do that just to check on speed or just for fun 🙂. Would it damage anything? get something worn? Also, why dows M3 doent suffer from that? different construction? materials?


Would appreciate any comments.
 
mpaniagua said:
Any reason for that? just curious, because I got a M6 and somethings I do that just to check on speed or just for fun 🙂. Would it damage anything? get something worn? Also, why dows M3 doent suffer from that? different construction? materials?


Would appreciate any comments.
Click to expand...

LeicaPixie is wrong.

This is from page 120 of Leica's owners' manual for the M7

Leica%20Tips_zpsqnifzzof.jpg
 
Get a tape measure and set your shutter speed to as high as it will go with the aperture opened up wide. Lay the tape measure out on the ground with a pencil point at the mark you want to focus on. Start at say 4 feet, then at seven, twelve and eighteen feet. Make sure you are a high enough angle that you can see the tape, but not so high that you move the plain of focus. It's not a perfect test, but it will give you an idea.

For exposure use an 18% grey card in the scene. Think zone system to help you decide if you're on target or not. I always used slide film as I haven't had access to a darkroom in years. Mass printing machines adjust to give you the best they can.

B2 (;->
 
I would highly recommend a shot of a good single malt after each shot you take. For me, the photographer, just as the recommendation from Leica, doesn't like shooting dry.
 
When I serviced mechanical watches,
one read very different data about maintaining a precision time piece,
than warranty booklet!
We have seen a major problem for some, a few with the M-A and film winding.
It's no big deal to load a blank film for exercise..
A good Malt whiskey for the evening work a superb idea.
 
I usually just shoot what I regularly shoot, that's the best test for me. I know what it should look like, and if it doesn't I troubleshoot. Usually it would involve a variety of apertures and away/into sun type of stuff.
 
Hope someone can help, I'm making my way through the test roll and want. To take a picture at 1 second exposure, I'm indoors and trying lots of different lighting situations but cants get the light meter to give me the 2 red arrows when set at 1 second.

Let's say I find a correct exposure at f4 4th of a second, I'd imagine then that the exposure would be correct if I reset to f8 at 1 second but nothing lights up, I'm guessing this means not enough light is hitting the meter?
 
Page 23 of the owner's manual addresses this. You may be beyond the threshold of the meter being able to give a reading. When that happens, no leds will light.
 
Yeah I figure this was the case, thanks. I'm. Using 400 ISO film, probably not the best for low light interiors, ie at night in a room with a small lamp and some candles, I'd describe it as cosy. I think sunny 16 has a different idea of what interior cosy looks like. It's telling me @400 ISO its ev4, which seems very dark.
 
Thanks B2, the settings i got from my light meter were f5.6 @ 1/8th second, so in order to test the 1 second, I figured f5.6 @ 1/8th is the same as f16 @ 1 sec.

The concern im having is that EV charts seem to point to this setting crresponding to EV +6. Which is described as 'Interior night bright / Day Interior with window (no sunbeams) / Fairs & Amusements', thats not really how I would of described the setting. If I was guessing, I would have chosen EV+4 'Interior night cosy'. It was night interior with two very small lamps in either corner of the room. It wasnt bright, it wasn't average (to me) it was cosy. I guess ill have to wait for the prints to see.
 
It would actually be nice to see actual photos of scenes that correspond to the EV chart. I know what a sunny cloudless day looks like but regarding some other EV values its difficult to know.
 
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