New M4 - Now I need a meter

[bean_counter]

I have the Sekonic L-208 and L-308.

L-208 is great for Barnacks, it has markings for the old shutter speeds and f-stops. Incident capability is iffy. Not great in low light.

L-308 is a perfect Leica M companion for me - fits in a shirt pocket, small and flat enough in the hand I can take quick incident readings without anybody noticing. Since I got it, my chromes are MUCH better - incident metering is the way to go, for me. AA battery available everywhere.

 

[clayne]

For me, part of the beauty of using the M4 is freeing yourself from all of the measurements, distractions, and technology in photography.

I feel a meter is wholly unnecessary and just slows you down in the long run. Once you get in tune with light you'll also end up with better photos.

 

[hans voralberg]

Gossen Digisix, this is the 1xth time I recommend this I think

 

[jackbaty]

Well, I just processed my first meterless roll (Tri-X) from the M4. Other than one frame shot with the lens cap on, everything was perfectly usable, from an exposure standpoint anyway.

I'll still pick up a meter for when I want to make sure I get it right, but I'm feeling pretty good about this whole non-metered shooting thing. The surprising thing was that it actually felt like _less_ fuss without the diodes of the M6 blinking at me in the viewfinder. I just guessed, set it, and shot.

We'll see how I feel once the novelty wears off. Thanks for all the great information.

 

[Jim Evidon]

Contact KEH like I did after purchasing my M4P. He has a nice selection of used shutter coupled M4 clip-on Leica meters. Mine wasn't all that expensive , arrived on time and very clean and when I calibrated it against my Gossen Luna Lux, it was right on accurate.

 

[clayne]

Well, I just processed my first meterless roll (Tri-X) from the M4. Other than one frame shot with the lens cap on, everything was perfectly usable, from an exposure standpoint anyway.

Yep, not surprising. Things are usually in the ballpark enough unless you come up against unfamiliar light.

The surprising thing was that it actually felt like _less_ fuss without the diodes of the M6 blinking at me in the viewfinder. I just guessed, set it, and shot.

Congrats, this is how it should feel. The end goal being to get it to the point where it's almost a motor function.