M3 Shooting w/o Meter

[landryrk]

I remember how great it was when I first started shooting with my M3 before I got my meter. It was so simple, I just looked at the film instructions, and set my aperture & shutter speed to 'bright sun', 'cloudy bright', 'overcast', or whatever. Most of my shots came out pretty good, although I missed a few with slide film.

When I finally got my MR meter, shooting became harder, because I was metering every shot and the results weren't that much better, IMO.

 

[FrankS]

There's a simple solution to that problem.

 

[landryrk]

Yeah, my black MR meter looks awful on my silver M3.

 

[dadsm3]

I'm with Roland...I have 2 MR's and an MC, but just go with a handheld. The M3 is just easier to use without that bulky MR in your face, and my Sekonic L-308s takes about half a second to meter and repocket. Nice big LED readout, and you always get something to work with even in really low-light....no more needle bounce or wondering if it moved at all.

 

[Steve Litt]

I once bought a Voigtlander meter for my M2 and ended up keeping it in my pocket so I sold it.I always use 400 ISO B/W film and it doesnt take long to learn to judge the exposure just using the pocket meter every now and then.Its surprising how forgiving film is.my first "proper camera"was a (new in the 1970s) Zenith B with a hand held meter and in those days we all used slide film and I dont think anybody worried that much about exposure till TTL metering became widespread.
Regards
Steve

 

[bmicklea]

"Stop chasing the meter" was something I learned from RFFers and I'm supremely grateful. It's hard to get used to but it's very freeing, like scale focusing my wides!

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[ywenz]

I'd like to start shooting meter-less. Where do I start? Are there some useful online rsources with meterless pointers?

 

[MikeL]

ywenz, I haven't had a chance to look this over, but this looks like sunny 16 with more details:

Exposure computer

I'm working on decreasing my reliance on a meter as well.

 

[David Murphy]

Please help me: What's a "meter"?

 

[dpetrzelka]

An easy way to start, is start predicting the exposure- then meter.

Some people have a favored f-stop, others a favored shutter speed-- start by always thinking of what the exposure would be at your favorite setting, then transpose from there... if you want to go one stop faster exposure, then open your f stop one step.

Its amazing how quickly you can learn to approximate exposure, once you stop relying on the meter. Go shoot a roll where you guess the exposure, then check yourself with the meter before shooting.

At work I know its about 1/60 @ F2.8, on the bus home at night 1 sec @ f2.8.

Just go out an shoot.

 

[dreilly]

I'll post this again, even though I've done so before. I'm sorta proud of it...FYI, the info is mostly from Fred Parker's charts and some other online sources, and also some handwritten ones I made for myself in Slovakia to shoot with a Flexaret TLR.

I like to print these out, shrink them on a copier, and tape them to the back of my cameras (or put them in plastic pockets and slip them between the camera and case, whatever.)

Using your brain works well most of the time, but for many, myself included, indoor shots with varying light get pretty tricky.

 

[ray_g]

It is relatively easy to shoot outdoors with the sunny 16 rule. The problem comes with high contrast situations, and indoors. I think the increased lattitude of modern black and white film helps a lot.

I recall reading how HCB's printer had to work on a lot of his prints since many of HCB's photos were not correctly exposed. So I guess practice at "guesstimating" exposure only helps to a certain point.

 

[rover]

It was so simple, I just looked at the film instructions, and set my aperture & shutter speed to 'bright sun', 'cloudy bright', 'overcast', or whatever.

The M3 was so ahead of its time.

The first camera with AE.

Or, was it just like most of the cameras of that era, before meters got in the way?

 

[rover]

I'd like to start shooting meter-less. Where do I start? Are there some useful online rsources with meterless pointers?

Take the batteries out of your camera.

 

[Artorius]

If you have a Windows PPC/PDA

If you have a Windows PPC/PDA

I am a gadget junkie. I carry my phone/ppc everywhere. It is the same size as my L308s, and as I normally have only two pockets on my shirt, one has the cigs in it, the PDA wins. With this program, and the DOF program from the same author, I am able to set exposure and hyper focal distance with pretty consistence results.
The programs are FREE and you can get them here;
http://home.comcast.net/~jonsachs/

 

[FPjohn]

Film box

Film box

Hello:

The little guide on the inside of the film box is good! So is the sunny 16 rule.

A DigiSix can be used as a back up.

'Best of light in the New Year
Frank

 

[George Bonanno]

Page 4

Page 4

Page 4 is all you need... and it's right on target !!!

Best,
George

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/consumer/products/techInfo/ac61/ac61.pdf

 

[Dougg]

Amazing how useful the film instructions are, regarding exposure. Kodak used to put out a Pocket Photo Guide that had an exposure calculator wheel. Early in my photo interest, I recall intensively studying that exposure calculator until I grasped the concept of reciprocity. It doesn't bother me to forget the meter when I head out with a meterless camera... 🙂

 

[davidbivins]

I use a VCII as a pocket meter and will often check an area first and figure out 3 or 4 lighting situations.
But when I've left it at home and shot with a meterless camera, I'm always surprised at how consistently well-exposed they are. I think that by calculating it in your mind you take more care to consider what's actually in the shot - something a meter can't do.
I haven't completely cut the cord yet, but it will happen soon. I do have the lighting in my favorite bar memorized...