New M4 - Now I need a meter

[jackbaty]

I just received a beautiful M4 from another RFF'er. This is my first meterless camera, and I expect to be terrible at judging exposure for a while. In the meantime I'm looking for a nice handheld meter to, at the very least, help confirm my guesstimates.

I do have a Sekonic L-358 but it seems both too big and somehow inappropriate, what with all of it's modern LCD-ness. Any suggestions for something smaller, and possible a bit more analog?

The L-208 Twinmate looks close, but it appears to be designed as a shoe mount. I think if I were to want shoe mount I'd try the VC II.

Interested to hear what people like. Thanks.

 

[thetooth]

you don't need a meter . i just bought a m2 for the convenience of no meter and i rarely have a bad exposure .

if you are using normal black and white or color film you will be fine . chrome's are a different story not as much slop in exposure .

try a roll with no meter and you will be surprised how well you do .

also if you are that nervous inside the little box of film will tell you the proper exposure for the scene .

 

[payasam]

I've no idea how big your meter is, but I cannot see what makes it "inappropriate". This is the 21st century, after all, not the 1960s.

 

[fbf]

I just received a beautiful M4 from another RFF'er. This is my first meterless camera, and I expect to be terrible at judging exposure for a while. In the meantime I'm looking for a nice handheld meter to, at the very least, help confirm my guesstimates.

I do have a Sekonic L-358 but it seems both too big and somehow inappropriate, what with all of it's modern LCD-ness. Any suggestions for something smaller, and possible a bit more analog?

The L-208 Twinmate looks close, but it appears to be designed as a shoe mount. I think if I were to want shoe mount I'd try the VC II.

Interested to hear what people like. Thanks.

L-208 twinmate is perfect. The shoe mount is optional which I never use (don't have to install the hotshoe mount if you don't want to). I carry it on my neck or shoulder and it works 100% flawlessly.
You will love it. Period. 😀

 

[kbg32]

The exposure guide included with film is a wonderful starting place for exposure control. As you gain more experience, you will feel much more comfortable judging exposure without the use of a meter.

Have fun!

 

[dfoo]

The Sekonic will work very nicely. In the daylight you don't need to use it much anyway. Take a reading, and watch the shadows. If you go from full sunlight to shadow you'll lose around 3 stops of light.

 

[jackbaty]

thetooth: I think payasam was referring to my suggesting that the larger, digital Sekonic was inappropriate. It's not of course, but I am looking for something smaller, and while I'm at it, I like the idea of something a bit more analog. Nothing wrong with that, regardless of the century 🙂

I did shoot most of a roll this afternoon, mostly indoors, and guessing. Suppose I'll see how I did.

 

[thetooth]

my mistake . it's late and i should not be typing and reading forums that i only half pay attention too .

 

[dfoo]

I frequently shoot inside at night without a meter. Typical house lighting will be somewhere around 1/30-1/15 F2 at 400 ISO.

 

[thetooth]

thetooth: I think payasam was referring to my suggesting that the larger, digital Sekonic was inappropriate. It's not of course, but I am looking for something smaller, and while I'm at it, I like the idea of something a bit more analog. Nothing wrong with that, regardless of the century 🙂

I did shoot most of a roll this afternoon, mostly indoors, and guessing. Suppose I'll see how I did.

no there is nothing wrong with analog i own a small gossen scout 3 . i use it only for large format because the film is more expensive . i find though i have a more relaxed time not checking the meter for every picture .

if it's over cast during the day i use 1/125 at f4 ( tri-x at 200asa )and adjust from there depending on the picture . for every drop in shutter speed i close the aperture i stop and vice versa for a increase in shutter speed .

it's a good practice to get into , though the educated guessing . it will allow you to visualize the picture on how it will record on the type of fllm you are using .

i do limit my self to 2 films though and i feel comfortable on how they will react to lighting conditions .tri-x is great for this because it has a wide latitude .

 

[Al Kaplan]

Something like a Weston Master IV, V, or VI, or the Weston Euromaster. If you buy used have George at Qualtiy Light-Metric fine tune it. Make sure that you get the Invercone incident light adapter, and USE it! A few quick incident readings will tell you what the lighting is like at the scene, then put the meter away.

 

[jackbaty]

Al, the Weston looks like it's right up my alley, thanks. Do the older meters become inaccurate? By "fine tune" do you mean they can be adjusted to be accurate?

 

[maddoc]

The older (very old) selenium-cell equipped meter might be very well off, especially in low light conditions (say, below EV8). The selenium-cell gets exhausted with time (and exposure to light), since they work like a light-powered battery, once it is exhausted it has to be replaced.

I use and would also recommend either the Sekonic L208 twin-mate or the Gossen Digisix. Both are very small, pocketable, have integrated small cones for incident metering, and as dfoo has mentioned, meter the scene once or twice and then forget about the meter for the next two hours... 🙂

Cheers,

Gabor

 

[Melvin]

Sekonic Studio Deluxe II---very small, very analog, never get a bad exposure. No batteries!

 

[Nokton48]

I use the Minolta Autometer II. Kinda big, but gets me in the ballpark every time.

 

[photogdave]

Gossen Digisix! Gives you a scale that shows all the possible aperture/shutter combinations for the correct exposure at a glance.
I've had mine for more than two years and no exposure problems shooting slide film with my M4!

 

[SolaresLarrave]

Jack, go with fbf's suggestion of the Sekonic L-208. It's a small, accurate meter, easy to carry.

When I got my M4-2, I decided to go meterless... In any case, I took a small Leica MR meter with. First, I memorized three different light conditions, using always ISO 400 film. Then, I shot a roll (practice) and had it developed. Most of the exposures were fine. I kept the meter just to take one reading when I leave the house, and then, I make exposure changes as I wish, according to light changes. You'll learn quickly.

Of course, you want the meter for those moments in which you want to make sure you're nailing the exposure.

Congratulations and have fun shooting meterless! 🙂

 

[hiromu]

I use Digisix as well. It is digital, but works well. I use it for my MF and old RF without meter. It's small enough to keep in my pocket, and got many features such as clock, timer, alarm clock, etc. One thing I don't like, though, is that it does not have a switch, so it is always ON.

Hiromu

 

[ivansanzana]

The Voigtlander shoe mount VC II Meter is the best, I use it with my Fuji 670, Leica II, IIIG, M3, IIIF, IC. even my Leica Standard with a shoe riser attachment, Hasselblad 500C, 500C/M, Hasselblad SWC, Voigtlander Bessa I folding type, Etc.... never a bad exposure, compact, for $170 +or- try it and you will not be dissapointed.

 

[Artorius]

I think of four conditions, front light, side light, back light, and shadows. Unlike my carpenter training, I only measure once, unless the light makes a VERY definite change.
IOW, if you are shooting on the shadow side, you only need to check your initial meter reading and keep shooting until the situation or light changes. I am to the point that I don't even bother metering anymore as I my "not so intelligent brain" gets me close to what I should be shooting(B&W & C41. not slides.) If you know the difference between sunny bright and cloudy shadows, you will get it very soon.
My dad shot with an Argus C3 in the '50s and he never had a meter. 99% of his photos were watched by my family and our friends as slide shows for many years. All he did was follow the Argus and film instructions. Like I said, NO light meter, the instructions said it all, and still do. You just need to learn the differences in light.
Good luck, learn to see the light, and practice.