Mamiya 6 Metering Frustration.

[BLKRCAT]

I recently swapped my beloved Mamiya7 for a Mamiya6 because I wanted to give the 6 a try and it also came with all of the lenses.

I really like a lot of the features of the 6 that the 7 really should have had. But the one feature I HATE is the metering on the 6. I wouldn't describe is bad or terrible. That's too good. I think "basically useless" is the best term I can come up with.

Has anyone got any tips or tricks or anything that can help out this scenario?Ive combed through countless threads of people complaining and suggesting things. From my understanding, the Mamiya6 likes to expose for the highlights so doing a 1 stop compensation should remedy this. Some people also suggest metering off of the ground because the meter gets confused with bright skies.

Here's an image that is my last straw to dealing with this camera alone. Ive gotta post about it because it's actually really starting to get on my nerves.

Shooting Tri-X @ 400, Lens is set to F11 and I get...

1/500th... Metering off of the ground, no bright sun. Dull day. Exposure should be 1/125th!!!!

Batteries are brand new in the camera, just swapped them. Maybe its possible the meter needs adjustment?

I LOVED the meter in the Mamiya7 I felt like a ninja evaluating my scenes. But this meter is straight up terrible. Is it possible to swap the meter over from the 7 to a 6?

 

[mani]

Maybe not what you want to hear, but I ignore the internal meter and use an external handheld. The only downside is that a couple times I've ignored the flashing LEDs only to find I've taken a picture with the lens cap still on. :bang:

 

[BLKRCAT]

Yeah not exactly. Even if the meter got me close that would be great.

I know how to expose outdoors no problem which is leading to the frustration that the camera and my head aren't agreeing. Its just those indoor situations that things get tricky. And for the most part the meter stays more correct.

It is a huge letdown that one would get a modernish camera with a built in meter to find out that the meter is actually useless.

 

[wafflecakee]

Put your hand like a hat brim on the top of the body and see what you get.

 

[BLKRCAT]

I tried this too. It made a difference on sunny days but made no difference in the example above.

I totally forgot that I had my trusty VCII meter not being used right now so I popped that on top. Looks pretty ok actually.

But if there's any other suggestions to making the built in meter usable that would be great

 

[rlouzan]

http://photo.net/medium-format-photography-forum/00HiQX

http://www.apug.org/forums/forum51/50748-mamiya-6-7-metering.html

 

[rlouzan]

DIY Built-in meter area pattern:

1) Attach camera to a tripod
2) Point camera to a ceiling tungsten light bulb approx. 8ft away
3) Set camera at ASA 100 and lens to f8
4) Take a meter reading, starting at the top left VF corner.
5) Write down shutter speed
6) Work your way to the bottom right VF corner, metering and writing down the shutter speeds as in example (center weight meter).
7) Circle same shutter speeds
8) Meter area pattern for your camera model

 

[brian steinberger]

The metering in the Mamiya 6 is not too tricky once you realize all it wants to do is under-expose. Most of the time I use an external meter as mentioned already. But I don't always. I do trust the metering for quick shooting. What I do is set the ISO one or even two stops slower than the film I'm shooting. So for HP5 I'll set the meter to 200 if it's cloudy and even 100 if it's sunny. Also, if you have a bright sky meter down towards the ground, hold the AE to lock in the meter reading, re-compose and shoot. Works great for me anytime I use the metering. I have two Mamiya 6 bodies and both cameras metering is exactly the same, but I'm sure it's possible that your metering could be out of whack. Try these few tips first and see if you get better exposures.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I have a Mamiya 6 and a 6MF. Use them extensively and both the meters are dead-on with each other. Yes, the meter is fooled by bright skies but I usually take a reading off of a neutral area then recompose. Heck, most of the time I'm using AEL with both bodies and I've gotten spectacular exposures in most cases, excepting those where I was the one making the mistake.

Phil Forrest

 

[ornate_wrasse]

I have completely given up on the meter in my Mamiya 6. I ALWAYS use an external meter and get good results this way. Bottom line is that I love the camera and the lenses (especially the 50) but don't like and don't use the meter.

 

[john_s]

The metering in the Mamiya 6 is not too tricky once you realize all it wants to do is under-expose. Most of the time I use an external meter as mentioned already. But I don't always. I do trust the metering for quick shooting. What I do is set the ISO one or even two stops slower than the film I'm shooting. So for HP5 I'll set the meter to 200 if it's cloudy and even 100 if it's sunny. Also, if you have a bright sky meter down towards the ground, hold the AE to lock in the meter reading, re-compose and shoot. Works great for me anytime I use the metering. I have two Mamiya 6 bodies and both cameras metering is exactly the same, but I'm sure it's possible that your metering could be out of whack. Try these few tips first and see if you get better exposures.

That's what I do. Once you get it, no problems.