How To Meter ISO 1600 With A Yashica Lynx 14 / 14e

[ruben]

I assume that the trick is known to death and I may be just embarrasing myself. But perhaps, out there in the hills there is a lonely and new RFF member, who may have not read it already. So here it goes.

As you know there are two kinds of Yashica Lynx 14, the "14", and the "14e IC". Both cameras have a maximum metering limit of ISO 800. Yet sice their lens are officially specially designed for low light conditions, whatever it means besides the max aperture of f/1.4 - it only makes sense the day will come in which the desire for using the Lynx with Fuji Neopan 1600 will come.

So the trick varies according to the type of Lynx 14 you have. If you, unlike me, have the luck to own the "Lynx 14", which displays in the upper part of the viewfinder an arrow moving across a green background with a central white spot in the middle - you know that when the arrow is over the white spot... BINGO !, you are ready to shoot.

With these types of Lynxes 14, in order to meter iso 1600, after you set at the camera dial Iso 800, all you have to do is to study how much to the left of the white spot the arrow should be to signal one f/stop under exposure. You can do it either by moving the aperture ring or the speeds ring.

With the more sophysticated Lynx 14e IC, you will have to do something else, much slower and less straightforward, leaving you only the option to adjust the aperture ring, but after deciding beforehand your speed. And this means that you will be violating one of the fundamentals of RFF, "aperture priority". Beware.

If you, like me, own the Lynx 14e IC, you will have to manipulate your metering for iso 1600 working in speed priority, which socks. Further combinations will be possible but you will starting to mess it, unless you have a bright mind, unlike me.

So this is how it goes. First you turn the dial to Iso 800. Then you decide what your speed will be, let's assume 1/60 for example. Then you move the speed ring to one stop slower, 1/30, and meter your subject with the traffic lights. The you start to move the aperture ring for the Lynx 14e IC Bingo for ISO 800, all you need to do is to move the speed ring one stop faster, to the 1/60 you decided beforehand.

Cheers,
Ruben

 

[b1bmsgt]

or, you could get a hand held light meter...

 

[btgc]

or, you could get a hand held light meter...

especially when they are widely available, cheap and probably in most cases more precise than camera meter.

If camera meter is a must, why not expose 1600 film at 800? I know, this isn't sign of good exposure, but generally I overexpose negatives by 1 stop.

 

[NickTrop]

Thanks for the advice - there are always new owners to whom this is a revelation. I always use the Lynx with 1600 Neopan. I usually just shoot for 800 but I have cheated the lights and the needle a little. Modern fast black and white film and the fast lens on the Lynx is a great combo. Sure, you can use a handheld meter but sometimes you just don't want to carry other "stuff" and handheld meters can slow you down.

 

[Eugen Mezei]

Why not complicate things when they could be done easy and without a ton of philosophy? :bang:
Meter for 800 ASA and shut one stop. Or take the next shorter speed. Or a combination of two. (1 step shorter speed + half stop = 1,5 stops)

I would understand your philosophical thoughts for an automatic or semiautomatic camera, but on any camera where you can change both speed and stop (like on the Lynx) things are simple.

Eugen