Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/03/06
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Felix, yes I have used advanced metering systems and they do give accurate exposures. As does my old Contaflex with external cells in most situations. The point is that film exposure does not require a mega processor to be accurate. Let's say you are shooting a photo of a crowd of people. That shot will have a wide variation in light intensity from dark shadows to bright shiny faces etc. ANY metering system will have to come up with some kind of AVERAGE of the scene. That average will give you highlights with more exposure, shadows with less. Only the rare "18% grey" parts will actually be exposed "correctly". Where the "correct" part of the exposure lies is variable. Luckily the latitude of film allows us to produce an image that replicates some of the dynamics of the original scene. That said, no matter how advanced your meter and how many times you meter the shot, SOME parts will be overexposed, and some parts under. In 35mm photography we develope multiple shots together, which means that the flexibility of controlling contrast/negative density is extremely limited (from shot to shot). Unless you are just AWFUL at judging light intensity and miss the correct exposure by more than 1 stop your negatives will be FINE as long as you don't blow the development. Finally, no matter how much metering you do you still have to deal with the actual contrast variation in the scene. Advanced metering will not give you any cures for a scene that is flat or to punchy. Only proper development can do that, and as I mentioned before that is a tough nut to crack when you plan to process 36 shots in one tank. Try this experiment: Try GUESSING the proper exposure before metering. See how far off you are. If it is by a lot, keep on metering. If you are close (within a half stop), or dead on (which is not that hard) you know that all that metering brain power is just a crutch. Best wishes Dan States > > > > >Nikon/Canon etc are making a small fortune on the fallacy that light >needs > >to be 'interpreted'. That tasty F5 with it's mega processor super light > >do-jangy still tells me F6.3 at 500 in the sun...F4 at 125 in the shade. > >Hey, what gives? With all that great technology I was hoping for some >new > >kind of readings! F22 at 1000 indoors! F1.4 at 60 in the sun! > > > > I cannot get it. I am using a Nikon F5 from its launching and every pic >was >well exposed. Well some were wrong when I pased to manual metering. Of >course you need to know how it works, but it is absolutely usefull to have >a >good meter and trust it when you take photographs in a hurry! And Nikon and >Canon and ...Leica have one. Have you ever tested a camera with a modern >metering ( matrix or other similar) or your opinion is not based in a large >experience? Technology never replace skill but helps a lot and in itself >is >not a thing to be rejected. > >Kind regards > >Félix > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com