Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/25

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

Subject: [Leica] 28mm Summicron + M8 on Auto = Overexposure?
From: red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)
Date: Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:56:23 -0700
References: <30db39f20910241948h67e11661g33fdbbdf2acb6bc5@mail.gmail.com> <30db39f20910250840r3cc5c8degb63bb8baac38b10e@mail.gmail.com>

The M7, M6, M5, M8, M9 and all the other M variants know nothing about the
FL of the lens you have attached.  They are all pretty dumb metering systems
that have a fixed area of the "negative" that they meter.  On all  but the
M8 and M9, that is a circle of diameter  2/3 the height of the frame......
always 2/3 of the height.....  Use a 18mm and it is 2/3 of that height, use
a 135, and it is 2/3 of that height.  So the metering "pattern" never
changes, but the covered area of the meter does change because you have
lenses that cover different angles of view.  Clear?

BTW, all M's before the M8 were spot metering ...... but the spot was pretty
big!

The M8 and M9 have slightly more complicated metering "zones" but the same
theory goes here too.... change lenses and the meter sees different
things....but the same pattern and  the same relative size compared to the
negative/sensor. 

As you might guess, this is about 1975 metering  technology, but it still
works, as long as you keep your head about you and meter the important parts
of a scene appropriately.....don't expect the camera to figure out your
scene is 99% bright sky, but you want the cute girl's head to be metered
appropriately... it won't be.  As a paraphrase to the Wizard of Oz.....
This is not Nikon M3 land .....

Frank Filippone
red735i at earthlink.net





In reply to: Message from rbaron at concentric.net (Robert D. Baron) ([Leica] 28mm Summicron + M8 on Auto = Overexposure?)
Message from rbaron at concentric.net (Robert D. Baron) ([Leica] 28mm Summicron + M8 on Auto = Overexposure?)