Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/04/05

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Getting exposure readings
From: Herbert & Lee Kanner <kanner@acm.org>
Date: Fri, 5 Apr 2002 00:55:21 -0800

Well, Ted, is it luck, skill, or just film latitude?  I suspect only slide
film is so tight that "reckless abandon" could really hurt.

When I first got my M6, I couldn't resist comparing the exposure readings
to those of my (center weighted) Nikon FM2.  To my dismay, there was
generally a disagreement of more than one stop; more like two stops.  For a
brief period of panic, I thought the Leica was kaput, because the FM2
agreed spot on with my other body, an FE2.  Then, I thought that it might
just be the difference in scene interpretation of center weighting and a
precise, albeit large, spot.  So, I repeated the comparison, this time
making measurements off of large uniform walls.  The FM2 and M6 then agreed
perfectly!

Herb

Original Message below------------------------------------------------

Dan old buddy be that as it may.

I've never fiddled with what you're saying. I've always looked through the
M6 viewfinder, set the arrowheads red with the camera pointed at what I'm
photographing and shoot at what I'm taking a picture of. That's it period!
And I swear it's 99.99999999999% correct since 1985 when the first M6's were
in my hands.

So take a wild guesstimation at the numbers of frames I've shot in that time
till today as a working photojournalist simply by making the red lights
light evenly and ....shoot! :-) And I swear that's the way I've done it and
every frame in the Dr. Osler book where an M6 was used, the metering was in
exactly that manner.

There's never been any idea that I was doing it wrong in the manner you
explained being selective for a meter reading.

>It is *selective* metering, which means in general you must be selective in
what you meter.<<

Gee Dan maybe you should forget that system and "light the lights and
shoot!" I suppose I'm doing it "selectively" as the meter is reading the
"selected picture area" and that's all that one needs to worry about. ;-)
Isn't it? :-)

The meter may supposed to be used in a selective manner, but the way I shot
a the M7 roll in complete reckless abandon with every exposure right on the
mark says something about the accuracy of just forgetting all the "written
stuff" and doing it real-time and just look through the viewfinder and if
it's exciting....... shoot! Isn't it worth a try in this manner and never
mind the book stuff.?

ted

Ted Grant Photography Limited
www.islandnet.com/~tedgrant

- -- 
Herbert Kanner
kanner@acm.org
650-326-8204

Do not meddle in the affairs of cats,
for they are subtle and will pee
on your computer!
- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html