M2users : how you guys meter ?

[proenca]

Hi there,

Been taking pictures for a few years but even when I started ( Canon T70 days ) , my cameras had light meter built in.

I quickly learnt how to compensate but all my next SLRs and then DSLRs had lightmeters...

Then one day I got into a store and played with a leica.. the beggining of the end : got a M6 , one year later a M7 and then another year later a MP. MP was a joy to use although was stolen. Insurance paid and since I was in Singapore, got a spanking new M8 which I have for the last two years or so.

But I miss the MP. Can't afford one now.. but I was thinking about the M2.

Would prefer it to the M3 since I would like the 35mm frame and I dont like the google thing.

How do you M2 ( and M3 ) guys meter ? Gut ? Do you carry a meter all the time ? doesnt it seems tiring to meter the light every now and then ?

 

[Mongo Park]

Use a Gossen Digipro F. Its quite light and would have it hanging round my neck from cord - you forget its there. Alternatively, if also carrying my R7, I use its light meter.

 

[ruby.monkey]

Estimated exposure levels, backed up by a Sekonic Twinmate that travels everywhere with me. There's no real effort involved in popping it out of one's pocket to take a reading every now and then.

 

[helen.HH]

As rubymonkey says" Estimated exposure"
Good old Sunny 16 / and a CV II meter in the pocket just in case...🙂

Best to You -H

 

[John Lawrence]

These days I always use incident metering with a Sekonic or Weston Master V meter.

 

[SimonSawSunlight]

I have a Gossen Variosix F2 and an MC leicameter which I use sometimes, but I usually just take them out every 10 shots or so, if at all. it's pretty comfortable to meter once in order to get a more or less precise idea of the lighting situation and then just guess for the rest of the shots.

 

[Lilserenity]

I have been using the Leica MR meter, but also the Sunny 16 rule with a great deal of success. I tend to use the MR meter when in low light but outdoors I generally don't need to meter especially as I mostly shoot print film (b+w at that) which has a wide exposure latitude which is forgiving if you make an error (and quite big errors at that!)

 

[lic4]

my small sekonic meter works for me - I used to think I need to meter every shot, but it's easier to work, I think, by metering sparsely (for light and shadow) and figuring out the lighting changes mentally in between.

 

[hans voralberg]

Educated guess, when I can't guess I take out my Gossen Digisix

 

[januaryman]

As rubymonkey says" Estimated exposure"
Good old Sunny 16 / and a CV II meter in the pocket just in case...🙂

Best to You -H

Ha! Same here. I have now taken to carrying the CVII with me all the time and testing myself. It's turned into a game I like to play and has me correctly guessing within +/-1 stop 95% of the time.

 

[funkaoshi]

I just guess based on the sunny-16 rule. I don't have a light meter at all. Usually it works out. It's trickier guessing indoors rather as light isn't as even.

 

[thirteen]

In daylight I have learned to estimate accurately enough. I just keep a CVII meter on the camera to check if I'm not sure.
Low light I'm not good at so I meter.

 

[cwatgo1970]

I have a shoemount Voigtlander VC meter which matches nicely on top of my M2. Outdoors it is generally right on target, but indoors I always fare better to set the camera a stop below what the meter suggest. It also matches nicely with my other classic cameras as well.

 

[Erik L]

if im outside i can just eye it. indoors i use a minolta flashmeter III, it was the cheapest digital meter KEH had 😱

 

[cjm]

I guess based on memory or sunny-16.

 

[Melvin]

Sekonic Studio Deluxe II, never needs batteries, small, ergonomic, and looks cool. Not cheap, though. Also not usable for really low light.

 

[Yammerman]

Start out with a Sekonic 308 and then after a while I just wing it......or rather use my experience to judge when the light changes.

 

[Al Kaplan]

I mostly just "guess" based on experience but I always carry a Weston Master V with the incident light thing, "Invercone" Weston calls it, in a belt pouch. I almost never take a reflected reading. Incident is the way to go.

 

[aniMal]

my small sekonic meter works for me - I used to think I need to meter every shot, but it's easier to work, I think, by metering sparsely (for light and shadow) and figuring out the lighting changes mentally in between.

I agree - this is the best way to really get a good eye for light. I used to do it for years, and I noticed that when something really happened too fast for metering, I was still able to catch up. Obviously this was because I was doing a lot of metering in all conditions - you really get to know what types of weather gives what lightning conditions and so on.

 

[Bingley]

As rubymonkey says" Estimated exposure"
Good old Sunny 16 / and a CV II meter in the pocket just in case...🙂

Best to You -H

Exactly. Generally, not a problem.