new light meter

[FrankS]

Here's my new light meter, to the right of the camera. A bit longer and wider than the VC2 meter, but much thinner and it doesn't need batteries.

EV ASA 400
15 bright, hazy sun 1/1000, f11
14 weak, hazy sun 1/500 f11
13 cloudy, bright 1/500 f8
no shadows
12 heavy overcast 1/500 f5.6
11 open shade 1/250 f5.6
10 im.after sunset 1/125 f5.6
9 10min after sunset 1/60 f5.6
8 institutional bright 1/60 f4
fluorescent light
7 stage shows 1/60 f2
6 home int.nighttime 1/30 f2
5 dim home interior 1/15 f2
4 candlelight 1/8 f2

[JoeFriday]

hmm... that gave me a great idea (altho I'm not sure how)... you know those sunglasses that are photo-sensitive? they change from light to dark depending on the light.. well, why don't we use that same technology to develop photographer's glasses.. instead of changing shades, they display a shutter/aperture combination much like an RF viewfinder might

hang on while I patent that!

[FrankS]

Much the same as I prefer manual cameras, I wish those photosensitive glasses had a manual dial to control the degree of shadiness.

[Frank Granovski]

Why didn't you just get a rangefinger with a built-in light metre? That's like having a titanium Leica with a cloth shutter----gotta get a G2 to have both (and the built-in light metre). :cool:

[FrankS]

I really like the Ms that I have. For whatever reason I prefer manual and mechanical cameras over electronic ones. I love photogrphy so much, I want to do all the manipulations and not have a camera do what it thinks I want done. I want to take full credit for the end result, which is why I also develop and print.

[Sean Chan]

Frank,

Very nice new light-meter !

Try this link for the thinnest rangefinder on the market:

http://www.tomchuk.com/rf_hfd/index.php

[FrankS]

That's cool, thanks! Now if only we could find a scale-focussing camera with no light meter that thin as well! :)

[Sean Chan]

May be only a digtal one is possible. Ha Ha

[Hektor]

Why didn't you just get a rangefinger with a built-in light metre? That's like having a titanium Leica with a cloth shutter----gotta get a G2 to have both (and the built-in light metre). :cool:


In difficult circumstances, - backlight, stage lighting, light sources in view -, experience teaches that Franks chart is much more accurate and useful than a rangefinder with a built in lightmeter.

Less experienced photographers often place too much faith in a simple lightmeter reading. Quite often the reading needs to be interpreted properly according to the prevailing lighting conditions.

And if you can do that reasonably well, then you didn't need the meter in the first place.

The proper use of lightmeters is to check that you estimated correctly. Even then I personally wouldn't always trust the meter.

[juggler]

I really like the Ms that I have. For whatever reason I prefer manual and mechanical cameras over electronic ones. I love photogrphy so much, I want to do all the manipulations and not have a camera do what it thinks I want done. I want to take full credit for the end result, which is why I also develop and print.

Frank: I like what you said. :)

[hugivza]

Given Frank's new paper light meter and Sean's paper rangefinder, I guess the paper pinhole camera will be next to accompany them both! Very interesting nevertheless.

[schmoozit]

Are these available on Ebay? How much do they run? What is the best year of production?

[Pherdinand]

I think the real use of a light meter is indoors. After some guessing experience, outdoors (daytime) one can figure out the correct exposure pretty well, but not in a dimly lit room.

[dreilly]

Indoors is tougher. But I think in most cases practice and bracketing can make up for it. We'll see how my slides turn out according to that theory...

Frank, how's your experience been in indoor guestexposuring?

I've starting using a "meter" like Frank's--though yesterday I got tired of looking at it on the back of my IIIF...and reformatted it to go on the bottom of the camera, where the tape holding it on also doubles to protect the bottom (a nice sentiment, though my IIIF is a bit scuffed up already down there). Anyway we'll see if the ergonomics of it work out.

BTW, Frank, I like your descriptions for indoor lighting...I may revise mine in a similar way.

Thanks for sharing!
doug

[dreilly]

Frank,
Interesting. You've got different ratios for the lower EV readings than on my chart.

You've got:

6 home int.nighttime 1/30 f2
5 dim home interior 1/15 f2
4 candlelight 1/8 f2

While I have:

6 1/30 f2.8
5 1/30 f2
4 1/15 f2

Any explanation for this? I think I took my exposure combinations from Parker's online charts. Did you tweak yours or are mine incorrect?

[Pherdinand]

maybe he uses smaller candles?

[FrankS]

dreilly, that's where I got my info too. Beginning with EV15 sunny 16, I just increased exposure 1 stop for each drop in EV until I got to EV 6 home interior night time 1/30 f2. Perhaps I skipped a stop?

[SteveM(PA)]

I've been using Doug's charts taped to my FSU's. Now these new cavalier low-EV ratios are thrown into the mix... :D

[Nick R.]

That's an interesting idea except my camera's not big enough to hold a chart that I could read without my glasses and I don't like to wear glasses when I'm shooting. Instead, I've taken to using a handheld meter and metering the area before I start snapping away. It works very well and is much better than "chasing the needle".

[dreilly]

Hmmm. No, I took mine right from the chart.

I think you skipped a stop between EV 8 and 7. They are all one stop apart except for there, I think it should be 60 f2.8 (while you have 60 f2) Then the rest fall into line with mine/Fred's.

Are 2 and 2.8 a full stop apart however?

doug

[FrankS]

Damn! My new light meter is defective! I'll have to take it back.

I went from EV8: 1/60 @f4, to EV7: 1/60@f2 instead of f2.8
My mistake, I'll redo it.
Thanks for pointing that out!

[jtzordon]

Frank it looks like you skipped a stop between EVs 8 and 7. From 1/60 f4 to 1/60 f2.

[dreilly]

I hear George at QLM does a nice job recalibrating paper light meters...

[FrankS]

Any idea how much THAT will cost? I've heard of a Russian guy who works cheaper, but who wants to wait so long on the mail? :)

[ray_g]

As a side note, these charts based on EV's are particularly useful if you are shooting with old konica rangefinders or an Oly SP (with a broken meter), as the exposure settings are in EV's.

[Doug]

Are 2 and 2.8 a full stop apart however?Yes, they are

[FrankS]

Fixed it myself!

EV ASA 400
15 bright, hazy sun 1/1000 f11
14 weak, hazy sun 1/500 f11
13 cloudy,bright 1/500 f8
12 heavy overcast 1/250 f8
11 open shade 1/250 f5.6
10 im. after sunset 1/125 f5.6
9 10min after sunset 1/125 f4
8 bright flourescents 1/60 f4
7 stage shows 1/60 f2.8
6 bright homeinterior 1/30 f2.8
5 dim home interior 1/30 f2
4 candlelight closeup 1/15 f2

[Trius]

What with all this discussion and different paper meters, I happened to notice some exposure calculators on evilBay. So I put in a bid I thought might win, but problably wouldn't. But, I did, so they're on their way. If nothing else, they look pretty cool! Auction 7563899992.

Earl