Light Meter question.

[tidelands]

Having never learned to take a decent picture, at least by intention, I've recently gone back to film to get educated from scratch. That's what I'm doing here. One thing I've acquired is a light meter (Sekonic L-308s). It offers shutter priority, and surprisingly (to me) Ev rather than aperture. Sekonic kindly offers a table from which I can calculate the aperture, but this feels like an exercise from the 'fifties. If
the first order of electricity in a camera is to offer aperture priority, why doesn't the light meter? What have I missed? (If this question makes you feel smart and smug, it's a reflection on me, not you. I feel stupid asking it but in the end, that's the price of the question.) Many thanks.

 

[Kim Coxon]

Welcome to the forum. Someone once said there were no silly questions but rather silly answers!

There are some cameras, especially MF ones that use EV. You set the EV on the camera and then if you change the speed the aperture also changes to compensate to maintain the same exposure.It is also somewhat logical. Any meter is actually measuring the EV, it is just that many meters have a "mechanical" dial which does what some cameras do when you set EV.

Kim

 

[kaiyen]

It is a good question, but as Kim says, it's because technically what a light meter is measuring is EV. That's the correct term. Of course, it is useful to have it auto-converted into an aperture, but for some reason many manufacturers prefer to keep it as EV, then give you a dial, usually on the meter, to do the conversion. I had a 398, and got pretty quick with it.

Then I broke it :-(.

allan

 

[MadMan2k]

If it just has shutter priority and you want a specific aperture, why not just take a guess, dial that shutter speed in and see what aperture it says, then go from there?

Like if you guessed 1/500th at 2.0 and it turned out to be 1.4, make it 1/250th and it'll be correct.

 

[tidelands]

Thanks to everyone for your comments and squaring me up. I realize I can go backwards to get to aperture but it seemed a peculiar enough solution that I thought I was missing something. I followed it a little further and Sekonic's next step up meterwise allows one to peg off of aperture. I think I'm parked on the wrong end of some product differentiation, as the cost of adding the feature is zero. That model for anyone interested it the L-358 which can operate with shutter, ev or aperture priority. Now, on to the camera.

 

[FPjohn]

EV and dial

EV and dial

Hello:

An inexpensive, one hand in use, meter which gives EV and a shutter speed and F conversion dial is the Gossen DigiSix.

yours
Frank

 

[tidelands]

I neglected to also thank you for your warm welcome. I've enljoyed my visits. To a man those I've met are knowledgeable, considerate and friendly. I'm very appreciative.