Re: [Leica] Consistent underexposure problem

["Anthony Atkielski" <anthony@atkielski.com>]

From: Godfrey DiGiorgi <ramarren@bayarea.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 18, 1999 02:42
Subject: Re: [Leica] Consistent underexposure problem


> First, I'd do a little testing with a gray card and a
> known-reliable incident meter to determine if the M6
> meter was accurately calibrated.

Uh... this worries me.  Are you saying that after spending $3000 on a camera
body, I have to check it to see if the factory spent the few minutes necessary
to calibrate the meter??  Does Leica routinely defraud its customers of their
money in this way?  If so, maybe my foray into the Leica system was not a good
idea.

> I don't expect it to be wrong, but it's always the first
> thing to check.

I take for granted that anything that costs this much will not be wrong.
Indeed, if I bought an incident meter (any recommendations?) and checked it
against the camera, I'd probably trust the camera first if they disagreed,
unless the meter was of comparable overall quality.

> I never trust anything without some testing. If the meter
> is found to be off, well, the camera's on warranty so it
> should be exchanged or repaired free of charge.

If the camera is defective, I should just throw it away.  I only get shafted
like that once, and then I write off the vendor as a crook.

> In the meanwhile, you can adjust the ASA setting to
> compensate for the error and go take some more pictures
> to see if that solves your problem.

I considered that, but I felt that changing the ISO rating would be cheating.  I
should be able to get things right with the meter set correctly.

> Presuming that the M6 meter is properly calibrated ...

Is this not a safe presumption?  Do M6 cameras often have meter problems?

> Take a light reading with the incident meter, then try
> metering the scene with the M6.

Looks like I'm going to have to buy a meter.  Which brand is a good brand?  Why
an incident meter and not a spot meter?  I usually take pictures of things that
are relatively far away (landscapes, buildings) and an incident meter might not
be very practical, unless it can be both incident and spot, somehow.

  -- Anthony