Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/08/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Elliot wrote: <<<Took a picture of my wife under an umbrella, bright background outside the awning, about 15 feet away. . Of course you already know that the subject was too dark. I had thought that simply using the P setting with matrix metering would work...the system would ignore the brightness outside the shade. No such luck. Is this a situation that demands the spot feature of the metering?>>> Hi Elliot, Your description of scene and if I were shooting it, I would have just gone right to the "spot meter" without any thought of multi pattern or intregal It sounds like the sunlight--shadow ratio would be too great a range for any camera to make a balancing act out of and give you a good exposure for both light conditions. <<<Incidentally Ted, on the beach or snow, would the matrix feature work, or again would one need to work a la M6 with metering the face, step back, then using that exposure go to work, or does the matrix feature " know " what to do in such a situation.>>>>> My first reaction is yes! Now the proviso! Obviously even in such brilliant scenes as beach and snow the camera innards can't create something correctly exposed if you are trying to shoot in a light situation where the shadow--sunlight ratio are too great. But in a general scene there isn't any reason that it wouldn't make a correct exposure for the overall scene. The camera seems to be about as perfect as you can get for metering that I have ever come across. However it is still only as good as the photographer holding it and if we try to make it go beyond what is reasonable ( I pushed mine a few times where I didn't think it would work and of course it blew my socks off with a perfect exposure) :) We still have to analyze the scene and make our own judgment call for the settings of what is truly important in the scene. I don't think you would have to step in close and do the "reading in your face thing" then back out and shoot, unless you were on a wide angle and even the spot meter was reading too much of the surrounding light area within the spot circle. So far I have found the intregal (center weighted setting) the best for the transparencies I prefer with a bit more saturation, than the Multi-pattern (matrix) setting providing a proper exposure, however lighter than I prefer. I use the two settings as a form of quick bracket, providing when I switch I see a different shutter speed indicating there will be two different exposures. Under some light conditions the exposure speeds do not change due to the light conditions and scene basically being flat no contrast. If that occurs I obviously do not shoot another "bracketing frame". <<I am enjoying my new R8 you devil you...>>>>> Hey what can I say, but thank you for making me a believer of my feelings being right. In the beginning there sure where a bunch of Leica folks going "negative" :) about the camera before they even saw a real one, let alone taking it out and shooting with it. Now each week there is another new R8 owner/user coming online with the same kind of feelings I have and extolling the virtues of the camera. Sure there are always going to be nay sayers, but I believe they are falling behind, simply because the R8 is one of the finest produced by Leica! Hope this helps. <<<And, I enjoy the book very much. But Ted, when are you going to do a feature on Dermatologists?>>>>>> I gotta tell you that I never thought because of my human medical book that it would trigger doing similar material about veterinarians! :) Due to the Sir William Osler book, I have been commissioned by the Canadian Veterinarian Association to produce material on vets as "medical doctors" per say, as that is what they are in reality, only it's animals and critters instead of humans. It is all B&W and in many locations across Canada, so I guess the dermatologists will have to wait. :) regards, ted