Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/04/19
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]brougham3@yahoo.com wrote: > I question the value of AE if your only metering mode is center-weighted. > If light conditions aren't changing rapidly, it would be much easier to > meter once and forget about it. Since you can't do anything but that with an M6? You can do that with an AE camera, if you are so included. The nice thing about the Hexar (well, among others) is that in manual, the shutter readout shows you how many stops off of the meter reading your manual setting is. It also tells you how fast or slow the speed is, and by moving it around you can determine the contrast range. These are things that the M6 does not do, at least not without a Zone VI meter in your other hand. > When it comes time to print, it's easier to > print a series that look like they belong together if they were exposed the > same. If each differs by 1/3 stop, that's going to be a pain in the > darkroom. Or computer room. :) > Not true. I regularly print negs from my GA645 which differ by 1/3, 2/3 up to 3 stops in recorded exposure (which it prints below the frame) between different types of scenes and they all come out to within a very small margin in printing (like 1 second out of 7, maximum). Even smaller margin with the RF. When was the last time you could print 30 medium format negatives in one hour? I also regularly scan Hexar RF negatives (some of which have appeared in my PAW selections, and they never require any exposure or contrast adjustment at all after you make one calibration (film base). > If light conditions *are* changing rapidly, you'll probably want something > more sophisticated than center-weighted metering. AE center-weighted just > seems to be the worst of both worlds. Maybe to someone who doesn't use it. I think centerweighted manual with match-needles is far worse than using an AE camera with shutter readout. I thought that match-needle (diode) was bad on the Pentax K1000, and I found it not much better on my M6. And why would any more "sophisticated" system be any better than letting an AE system roll with the punches (rather than using the lock?) Dante