dreilly
Chillin' in Geneva
Gossen Pilots rock! Tiny and cool. I has some Weston meters, I kept busting them. There's a thread on here somewhere where I shared an EV chart I adapted from an online source, i used to laminate those or tape them to the camera body. Worked very well, actually.
graywolf
Well-known
It is kind of nice seeing a big name author saying the basically same thing I have been telling people for the past 50 years. Sunny 11 puts the safety factor back into the film speed.
But, I have discovered that using Rodinal 1+100 stand developing seems to like using Sunny 16. Go figure.
graywolf
Well-known
I tend to use a combination of #3, I take an incident meter with me and intend to check it if I notice the light changing. And, #6, I usually wind up not looking at the meter, just going by what I feel is right. That usually winds up being within one stop of the incident metered reading.
What I like about this thread is the fact that I am seeing others who do not think you have to fiddle your exposure with every shot. Fiddling is fine for watching cities burn, but not for quick and unobtrusive photography. The fact is that lots of people who think they are great photographers, simply do not have the skills any good photographer has. The primary two being the ability to estimate light levels, and being able to snap focus their camera.
My Photographer's Prayer, "Lord, save me from autoexposure/autofocus cameras. For the first gives you a different density on every negative. And, the second guarantees 20 to 25 percent of your photos not being focused where you want them to be."
It IS nice to find a forum where, "technology is smarter than me" is not the norm.
What I like about this thread is the fact that I am seeing others who do not think you have to fiddle your exposure with every shot. Fiddling is fine for watching cities burn, but not for quick and unobtrusive photography. The fact is that lots of people who think they are great photographers, simply do not have the skills any good photographer has. The primary two being the ability to estimate light levels, and being able to snap focus their camera.
My Photographer's Prayer, "Lord, save me from autoexposure/autofocus cameras. For the first gives you a different density on every negative. And, the second guarantees 20 to 25 percent of your photos not being focused where you want them to be."
It IS nice to find a forum where, "technology is smarter than me" is not the norm.
cooltouch
Established
None of the choices really fit the way I meter scenes with my meterless cameras. My Canon IIIa is not my only meterless tool.
I have a Pentax Spotmeter V, an oldie but a goodie, but I seldom use it with my IIIa because most of the time I'm shooting B&W with that camera and I just don't need the exacting readings I get with the spotmeter.
For me it's a toss-up between incident and reflected light metering, and I use either my Gossen Luna Pro F or my Luna Pro SBC for the tasks. I have the 7.5/15 degree attachment for it if I need to get a bit more exacting, but I usually don't.
Anyway, it depends entirely upon the scene as to whether I do incident or reflected metering. If the subject is lit with the same light that I am, then I'll use incident. If the subject isn't, then I go the reflected route. Just that simple. And no, I don't meter every shot. If it looks like the light's changed, then I'll check it again. I'd like to be able to brag and say that I can accurately estimate a scene's EV, but my estimates are often one or two stops off. Not so bad for negatives, I guess, but unacceptable for slides. And since I shoot probably 80% slides with my other meterless cameras, I tend to check exposure often.
I have a Pentax Spotmeter V, an oldie but a goodie, but I seldom use it with my IIIa because most of the time I'm shooting B&W with that camera and I just don't need the exacting readings I get with the spotmeter.
For me it's a toss-up between incident and reflected light metering, and I use either my Gossen Luna Pro F or my Luna Pro SBC for the tasks. I have the 7.5/15 degree attachment for it if I need to get a bit more exacting, but I usually don't.
Anyway, it depends entirely upon the scene as to whether I do incident or reflected metering. If the subject is lit with the same light that I am, then I'll use incident. If the subject isn't, then I go the reflected route. Just that simple. And no, I don't meter every shot. If it looks like the light's changed, then I'll check it again. I'd like to be able to brag and say that I can accurately estimate a scene's EV, but my estimates are often one or two stops off. Not so bad for negatives, I guess, but unacceptable for slides. And since I shoot probably 80% slides with my other meterless cameras, I tend to check exposure often.
Last edited:
divewizard
perspicaz
I take mostly landscape shots with my Fuji 6X9s. I use a Pentax spot meter and set the exposure based on both the darkest and brightest parts of the scene.
Moriturii
Well-known
Sunny-11, would that be that you use f/11 @ Your film iso, instead of f16?
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Sorry, I don't quite understand. 'Based on' in what sense?
When you're spot metering for B+W, the shadow reading gives you the exposure and the highlight reading suggests the dev time.
Of course with transparency or digital, all you need is the highlight reading -- which is more easily done via an incident reading. Incident readings for negative must necessarily involve luck, fudge (preferably experience-based) or relying on latitude, or any combination thereof.
Cheers,
R.
Last edited:
Gerry M
Gerry
Hi Roger,
A question on your statement" the highlight reading suggests the dev time". I don't have an actual spot meter (mine is a LunaPro SBC w/7.5 & 15' acc), so I am wondering if a true spot meter actually has a readout suggesting dev times? Or is this highlight reading for the user to interpret? Hope you can make some sense from my questions.
Thanks,
Gerry
deirdre
Well-known
I use Pocket Light Meter if I'm in doubt about something in a scene. When I've used its suggestions, it's been spot on (no pun intended). It's not a full meter, but it works.
For this test shot, I metered for the clouds. I have another where I blew out the clouds and got the foreground. (That was taken with a battery-less Nikonos.)
For this test shot, I metered for the clouds. I have another where I blew out the clouds and got the foreground. (That was taken with a battery-less Nikonos.)
SixFlags
Member
This thread is very helpful! I'm planning on purchasing a Leica M2 in the near future, but had a bit of doubt since I've only used Aperture Priority Cameras. After browsing through the posts it doesn't seem to be that big deal when you develop B/W film yourself.
I guess I'll just take the exposure chart with me all the time.. and learn how to develop B/W, I've been itching to do that too anyway!
I guess I'll just take the exposure chart with me all the time.. and learn how to develop B/W, I've been itching to do that too anyway!
wakarimasen
Well-known
Has anyone switched to using the Pocket Light Meter app, in preference to carrying an additional light meter?
Best regards,
RoyM
Roger Hicks
Veteran
Dear Gerry,
Interpret only, I'm afraid. Though the 15/50 rule of thumb is amazingly useful. If the brightness range is over 7 stops, cut dev time 15%. If the brightness range is under 4 stops, increase dev time by 50%. For 5-7 stops, stick with normal dev time.
All of these figures can be modified to suit your own experience. You might find 'under 5 stops' or 'over 8 stops'. or that -10% or -20% works better than -15% (or +25% or +75% better than +50%, of course). But 15/50 is a good start.
Cheers,
R.
Roger Hicks
Veteran
It really is easy, and as long as you err on the side of overexposure whenever you're in doubt, you should get excellent results. Worry about things like 'expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights' later, if at all.
Cheers,
R.
Gerry M
Gerry
softshock
Established
What's a light meter?? 
SixFlags
Member
Thanks for your advice Roger!
Its really good to know that when shooting B/W, it's the same as with C41 film then.
intense
Member
Just in case anyone forgets ... I can still email the files if you ask!
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34642
Thank you, Keith. That was helpful. I printed the table on sheet of paper and I take it with me when I go to shoot.
TXForester
Well-known
Mostly sunny 16 when outside, but I bought a old GE meter for indoors.
Is it me, or do others feel the "ultimate exposure computer" is overly complicated? Seems to me that finding EV first, then linking it to ISO and finally finding the shutter speed/aperture combination adds an extra step.
Doesn't Sunny 16 do the same thing without coming up with a numeric value for the ambient light? And if you have a chart with one ISO (lets say one with a middle value like 400), all you have to do with other ISO values is alter the shutter speed/aperture combination by the appropriate number of stops. With practice you should be able to do this fairly quickly. Unless you are math-challenged. Doing this way you can carry one small chart that fits in shirt pocket.
Is it me, or do others feel the "ultimate exposure computer" is overly complicated? Seems to me that finding EV first, then linking it to ISO and finally finding the shutter speed/aperture combination adds an extra step.
Doesn't Sunny 16 do the same thing without coming up with a numeric value for the ambient light? And if you have a chart with one ISO (lets say one with a middle value like 400), all you have to do with other ISO values is alter the shutter speed/aperture combination by the appropriate number of stops. With practice you should be able to do this fairly quickly. Unless you are math-challenged.
Doing this way you can carry one small chart that fits in shirt pocket.tekst
Established
I use an iphone app, make an educated guess sometimes, and very rarely i might take an incident reading or two