Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/03
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mark Rabiner wrote: > > ><Snip> > > Or even up at the sky? Seriously, a meter can't be "confused", only > > photographers can be. Like Mark pointed out, fill the frame with the > > ground and make exposure decisions based on that... Or better yet, > > ignore the meter altogether and shoot by eye. Once I started doing this > > I realized what a crutch the meter was. My meter gets "fooled" a lot > > less often now...:-) > > > > Isaac > > > > > > Mark Rabiner > > > > Thanks for quoteing me Isaac BUT!!: > In 36 years of darkroom backed shooting i never thought my "eye" could take a > better reading than my meter. This is just one school of thought that I just > don't agree with. And if you check the lug archives you can see those discussions. > Your meter gets fooled if you don't use it right. I am of the opinion that the photographer is fooled if they don't use it right... meters cannot be fooled, they only report what they measure. > If it's getting fooled by the sky point it down so it doesn't. I dont just ignor it! > Ok sure open up a stop but that's an educated guess based on a meter reading. > I'd rather first take the best reading i can. I don't think we're disagreeing, this to me is a "proper" use of a meter. You look and see if the reading makes sense, if it doesn't, meter on something else or make a correction on the fly and redo your settings... > Without a good meter I'd just forget it. I can't see how its a "crutch" at all. > Any more than a good lens, camera or tripod. Here's where I disagree. In many outdoor situations, a meter just isn't needed if you have some experience and confidence in your experience. Sure, a meter's handy, but I would never put its importance up there with a lens or even a tripod. I do use a meter, but I don't rely (i.e. either I have a meter or else I don't get the shot) on it exclusively, nor do I follow it blindly. When I mentioned it being a crutch, I was referring to the practice of doing whatever it says (why not have auto exposure if that's all you're going to do?) regardless of your experience otherwise. > IF all i did was shoot 400 films with no filters all the time I'd be in slightly > better shape when the battery goes out with no back up. As is i can make it back > home ok and still manage to make a few decently exposed shots. But id never > intentially forgo or overrule a meter. I "overrule" my meter every time I use it! I think that it's unavoidable with a reflective meter. In fact, I think that this is the problem that the original poster was having, they weren't overruling their meter and they got incorrectly exposed film...:-) Use the meter as a guide and you'll be fine, follow it blindly and you're doomed... > The force be with you but give me Gossen any day. I'm not a believer I'm a doer! > Or the meter in my Leica. > > high flare Kodachrome 25 shot right here!!!: > http://www.rabiner.cncoffice.com/ImagePages/Sunpoint.html Gawd, talk about light falloff... I thought retrofocus lenses were supposed to get rid of that, especially when stopped down?!? Nice shot BTW... Isaac > > I'm going out to play with my Hasselblad. It's 82 degees outside! > > Mark Rabiner > > Portland, Oregon > USA