[rollei_list] Re: Meter Testing
- From: Mark Rabiner <mark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:12:43 -0400
> Hi All,
>
> My hand held meters, a Gossen Luna Pro, and Sekonic Auto Lumi L-158
> (selenium), read more or less the same, but they are often off by as
> much as a stop from my TTL meters in my SLRs, and don't always match
> what my Rollei 35 reads. I consider the meter in my Rollei 35 to be
> one of the most reliable (and it's still running a mercury battery
> that came with the camera, my guess is the battery is about 15 years
> old). Any thoughts on meter testing, battery life, the difference
> between types of meters? Not a new topic, I know, but it's something
> I've been bogged down with recently since my Gossen started to give me
> some strange readings over vacation.
>
> Elias
> ---
My thoughts are that when ever I'm feeling overly even handed and confident
that I have my photographic life in control I just pull my meters out and
see how they match up.
This works particularly well right before I'd do an important shoot.
Its important to work yourself into a panic when you are trying to
concentrate and be efficient and creative..
I have thoughts on meters which are not all that logical and I'd not care to
write on paper which does not self destruct like the beginning of Mission
impossible movie. Nitrate paper perhaps.
But hand held meters agree with each other more than they will agree with in
camera meters which tend to be a stop hot.
While hand held meters are calibrated to something resembling middle gray in
camera meters want you to over expose about a stop. A reason I've heard
might be it assumes your shooting color negs.
My Nikons and Leicas all agree with each other. And they are one stop more
than my Gossen meters of which I have threee.
I have a Minolta spot meter which I have matched up to my Nikons and Leicas
as there is a thing in there so you can adjust it. So it may well be its set
a stop "hot" as I say. A good way I used to test by shooting a roll of
slides. So my Hassy slides match my Leica and nikon slides. And I'll use
that meter with my Rolleiflex for critical stuff when I'm using my
Rolleiflex.
My illogical thing I'll admit now.
When I have an odd camera with a built in meter in it I don't drive myself
crazy by seeing what other meters it may agree with. I just put a roll in
and go out and shoot it, around the block and in my back yard.
If the slides or negs come out right then the meter which has been living
with the camera since birth has got the camera doing the right thing. And
visa versa. I'd not get between them they've got it all worked out. They are
friends. Machines get along with each other better then they get along with
humans. We feed them. Take them for walks. Play with them. Press the on
button.
If your going to drive yourself crazy pulling all your meters out make sure
you have time to test a roll first to make sure its really off. They often
know stuff we don't. About measuring light.
Mark William Rabiner
---
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