Need a quick light meter tutorial...

[Stephen S. Mack]

I'm still a little bit confused about how to operate the light meter on my Bessa R. I know that it stays on for about 10 seconds. Do I use that time to adjust the aperture or shutter speed (my choice) while looking through the viewfinder and observing the arrowheads and dot make their recommendations? Or do I just tap the shutter release to turn the meter on and then watch and see where the signal settles?

If I just wait, the signal seems to vary from one side to the other, and I can't seem to make a clear call. I know that I'm probably making it sound more complicated and confusing than it really is, but I could use some pointers on technique while using this feature. The other options are (1) a hand-held meter or (2) an experienced guess.😀

Anyway, thanks for all replies.

With best regards.

Stephen

 

[Borghesia]

I have a Bessa-T, which I think has the same meter installed. This camera doesn't has a viewfinder.
I use the meter lights to "pre-meter" the subject. After the green light is on (aproximately), I look through the external VF and take a picture.
For me it's almost the same as using a handheld meter, but this one is build into the camera, very conveniently.
The Bessa meter is a very good meter !

 

[wgerrard]

Stephen, you can take all the time you want to adjust aperture and shutter speed. If you change something while the light meter is on, it should reflect that change. After the 10 seconds, the change will be reflected when you lightly tap the shutter release.

My R4M meter uses a pair of red lights. I usually set the aperture at something I think is appropriate for the photo I want, then guess at a shutter speed. Then, I bring the camera up to my eye to see if the meter agrees. If not, and if I want to follow its recommendation, I pull the camera away from my eye and make the adjustment.

I know a lot of people adjust things with the camera at eye level, but I seldom do that.

Have you looked at your camera's manual to see what the meter is trying to tell you when it is bouncing back and forth? You can also deliberately change shutter speed and/or aperture through a wide range of settings to see how the meter responds.

 

[ferider]

When the camera points at the same point, and you do not touch aperture/speed, the meter should not change. If the LEDs flickr back and forth, something is wrong.

During the 10 s that the meter stays on, you can change speed and aperture and the meter will adjust to the correct reading. If the 10 s are too short, you can just tip the shutter release again and extend the metering time.

Best,

Roland.