how to use Leica M without meter?

J

Jun Yan

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May 9, 2005
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Hi all,

Just bided a M4-P on ebay, my first Leica M.
I used to use Konica RF, however Leica M4-p comes wothout meter.
Could any one give me some advice?

How to shot photos without meter???
 
luck?! :D
well, you'll need to figure out by yourself the right combination in function of the light present, it's not easy but...our ancestors have created masterpieces in this way

in alternative you could find an external meter I think
 
find a good used handheld meter or new if you can afford it.
i buy used myself.

once you try a handheld, even for fast paced street shooting you will wonder how you ever photographed without one.
by taking a few readings before hand you are freed up to just shoot and not worry about metering every little thing in the scene.
that has been my experience with b&w film anyway.

joe
 
A good rule of the thumb is "sunny f16" which means that in sunny conditions the shutter speed = iso value @ f16. So with ISO 200 film the exposure is f16-1/200 or f11-1/400 etc.Approximate the mathematical value (1/400=1/500 and open up 1/4 of a stop)
for cloudy weather halve the aperture, f.i. f8-1/200 (two stops open) at five o'clock go one stop open etc. You'll soon develop a feel for it. Some films come with an exposure guide printed on the inside of the box.
 
for outdoor work, small size and good price- the pilot/pilot 2 meters are good.
i'm using a metrastar now, kinda old, but it seems ok. i just had it repaired so i'm still playing with it.

i used to have a nice flash meter, a sekonic 308, i think it was and that was a very nice, accurate meter, good size for walking around.

joe
 
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I use the VC Meter II but nearly always as handheld and not on top of my camera. It's small, does not weight a ton and it fits every pocket. Only drawback: Sometimes it is hard to find :D

Thomas-Michael
 
Are you going to shoot neg or chrome? The sunny 16 exposure works great with neg film. Once you get the hang of it, being without a meter, it's easy.
 
I find shooting without a built in meter to be refreshing and quicker than with one. As Joe says above, you take a few readings prior to shooting, set your camera and just concentrate on composition and your subject. If you measure the highlights and shadows ahead of time you can adjust your camera's settings on the fly prior to bringing the camera to your eye, and shoot away.
 
I use a VCII with my M4-P (both as a handheld and on the camera). Most of the time I meter for some different types of light (sunny areas, shadows etc.) as soon as I begin shooting and then keep those values in memory until the light changes. If I don't have time to take new readings I just guess with those values in mind, it works surprisingly well after some practice.
 
I think if you just start with a simple exposure chart or sunny 16 rule and work without a meter, you will be suprised how quickly you'll learn to judge the exposure on your own.


Gary
 
Sometimes I wonder if I started with a camera without a meter I should be by now an expert on estimating exposure ... relying on meter really makes me feel like a cripple.
 
ttom,

start now. it really doesn't take long to get used to it.

if you go for a walk with a handheld meter and take a reading and then start guestimating with an occasional glance at the meter, you'd be surprised at how quickly you would be very close to the meter's reading.

i started with built-ins and actually sold a leica m4-p cause i thought not having the meter built in was too hard. now, it seems so easy.

try it...
joe
 
I believe working without a meter could also help make one more aware of the quality of light and that can't hurt your pictures.

I used M's for years and did not own a meter. Didn't lose that many pictures to bad exposure.
I admit though, when I switched to a camera (Plaubel-Makina) that had a built-in meter, I did use it frequently to check myself. So??
 
I have CLE with a built in TTL meter and (gasp!) auto-exposure. I'd say that I hardly ever use either. Instead, I prefer a Sekonic 308B which fits perfectly in my pocket, and gives me consistent results.

Incidentally (no pun intended), I find metering this way much faster than using the built-in meter, and more reliable than AE.
 
What I do with my M6 is I guesstimate the exposure that will be needed. Whenever I'm ready or think I'm ready, I wind the film, and then meter either the floor or my hand, and eyeball the viewfinder. I have trained myself to look at the triangles this way. I must say I'm within 2 stops. I like doing this because it trains me for really candid photography. As I do this I also guesstimate the focusing distance. If I can I confirm; or rather, when I can't I don't, still.

You can use a meter to your advantage to learn how not to use it in the future.
 
Jun Yan: I've never used an MR-4 but my guess is that it works fine handheld too. The biggest problem will probably be the batteries, unless it has been modified in someway it needs mercury batteries that are quite hard to find. There are a few threads about replacements for those batteries if you search the forum.
 
I like the gossen digisix. An olympus XA in the pocket works well, too.
 
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