what light meter do you use?

Ed, this is a perfect example of how reading up on just the exposure aspect
of the zone system can really help you out. There's not really much to it if
you think of it as a way of describing how to use a spotmeter. Once you know
how to get the level of shadow that you need for the photo you want while at
the same time having some idea of how the highlights will turn out,
everything else just naturally falls into place. That having been said, I
can't afford a fancy spotmeter, so I just use my old Weston Euro-Master. If
I want a spot reading, I just go up to what it is I want to meter (when
that's possible). There's isn't always something that is the equivalent of
medium grey around to meter on, so knowing a little bit about the zone
system allows you to meter on dark or on bright objects too. As a quick rule
of thumb, if there's some part of the subject that is really dark, and you
want just a touch of detail in it, spotmeter on it and reduce the indicated
exposure by two stops. To be honest, 99.9% of the time, I get buy with just
this or metering on something equivalent to grey. After a while, you start
to develop a second sense about it.
Pete



"Ed Margiewicz" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,
I have been in a bit of a slump lately and would like for your help. Many
of my slides are either over exposed or under exposed. I have been
shooting
with large format for about 4 years now (4x5 arca swiss with various
lenses
from 90mm to 400mm using color transparencies, velvia and kodak vs).
Initially I used a polaris meter measuring reflective light of the scene
( I
forgot to mention I photograph primarily nature and landscapes). Then I
bought a pentax spot meter because it seemed that many of the
professionals
used and liked it. This is when my problems started. Except for a
neutral
or medium green to meter off of for a 18% grey I find it difficult to
meter
off of other colors in a scene and how to determine the amount of exposure
compensation is required.

Now I use both meters and get two different readings. This leaves me to
bracketing my exposures but this is getting kind of expensive with 4x5. I
carry a grey card with me and often meter off this. But this too has given
some disappointing results. I even metered each color on the macbeth color
chart against a grey card to determine the exposure compensation for each
color but this does not work all the time. It's getting pretty
frustrating
especially after getting back from a distant photo trip and loosing some
nice opportunities because of my lack of skill in determining correct
exposure.

I would like to ask several questions. Which light meter you use? If it
is
a spot meter what is your technique? I guess if it is a reflective type
meter what is your technique (i.e., different readings and averaging?
etc).
Do you know of sources I can study up on? Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,
Ed Margiewicz
www.tranquilimages.com

Ed, this is a perfect example of how reading up on just the exposure aspect
of the zone system can really help you out. There's not really much to it if
you think of it as a way of describing how to use a spotmeter. Once you know
how to get the level of shadow that you need for the photo you want while at
the same time having some idea of how the highlights will turn out,
everything else just naturally falls into place. That having been said, I
can't afford a fancy spotmeter, so I just use my old Weston Euro-Master. If
I want a spot reading, I just go up to what it is I want to meter (when
that's possible). There's isn't always something that is the equivalent of
medium grey around to meter on, so knowing a little bit about the zone
system allows you to meter on dark or on bright objects too. As a quick rule
of thumb, if there's some part of the subject that is really dark, and you
want just a touch of detail in it, spotmeter on it and reduce the indicated
exposure by two stops. To be honest, 99.9% of the time, I get buy with just
this or metering on something equivalent to grey. After a while, you start
to develop a second sense about it.
Pete



"Ed Margiewicz" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,
I have been in a bit of a slump lately and would like for your help. Many
of my slides are either over exposed or under exposed. I have been
shooting
with large format for about 4 years now (4x5 arca swiss with various
lenses
from 90mm to 400mm using color transparencies, velvia and kodak vs).
Initially I used a polaris meter measuring reflective light of the scene
( I
forgot to mention I photograph primarily nature and landscapes). Then I
bought a pentax spot meter because it seemed that many of the
professionals
used and liked it. This is when my problems started. Except for a
neutral
or medium green to meter off of for a 18% grey I find it difficult to
meter
off of other colors in a scene and how to determine the amount of exposure
compensation is required.

Now I use both meters and get two different readings. This leaves me to
bracketing my exposures but this is getting kind of expensive with 4x5. I
carry a grey card with me and often meter off this. But this too has given
some disappointing results. I even metered each color on the macbeth color
chart against a grey card to determine the exposure compensation for each
color but this does not work all the time. It's getting pretty
frustrating
especially after getting back from a distant photo trip and loosing some
nice opportunities because of my lack of skill in determining correct
exposure.

I would like to ask several questions. Which light meter you use? If it
is
a spot meter what is your technique? I guess if it is a reflective type
meter what is your technique (i.e., different readings and averaging?
etc).
Do you know of sources I can study up on? Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,
Ed Margiewicz
www.tranquilimages.com

"Ed Margiewicz" wrote

large format ... color transparencies ... I used a polaris meter
measuring reflective light of the scene ... Then I
bought a pentax spot meter ... This is when my problems started.

Gee this sounds familiar. Did this when I got a spot meter ...

Well, the obvious answer would seem to be to stop using the spot meter with
transparencies. (Patient: "It hurts when I put my arm up like this." Doctor:
"Well then, don't put your arm up like that.")

A spot meter is the wrong meter for transparencies. A spot meter is used
when taking negatives. It enables shoehorning the scene brightness into
the range of the negative film. The ideal negative is 18% grey, capturing
all the detail in the scene. The negative is turned into a black cat or
a white cat in the darkroom.

An incident meter is the correct meter for slides. If the scene brightness
doesn't fit slide film's range there is nothing one can do. A black cat needs
to be underexposed (black, not really under, but not 18% either) and a white
cat needs be overexposed (ditto) or you will have identical slides of a grey
cat (Don't teach granny to suck eggs, I know). A reflective meter is a good
help to check that highlights are not getting blown out. It is better to
adjust exposure so there is still some texture in the snow and let everything
else go dark than have completely clear film for snow.

With slides, if the brightness range is too great, then wait for (or make, if
possible) different lighting conditions. This is why slides work well on
hazy days and just before/after sunset with no direct light on the scene.
Don't bother shooting slides in bright sun at the beach or high in the
mountains unless you have a special low contrast film.

However, 99.99% of all slides have been made with a reflective/TTL meter.
Most of the time this works, but look out for snow fields and other subjects
that are mostly black or mostly white as they will both come out grey.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

"Ed Margiewicz" wrote

large format ... color transparencies ... I used a polaris meter
measuring reflective light of the scene ... Then I
bought a pentax spot meter ... This is when my problems started.

Gee this sounds familiar. Did this when I got a spot meter ...

Well, the obvious answer would seem to be to stop using the spot meter with
transparencies. (Patient: "It hurts when I put my arm up like this." Doctor:
"Well then, don't put your arm up like that.")

A spot meter is the wrong meter for transparencies. A spot meter is used
when taking negatives. It enables shoehorning the scene brightness into
the range of the negative film. The ideal negative is 18% grey, capturing
all the detail in the scene. The negative is turned into a black cat or
a white cat in the darkroom.

An incident meter is the correct meter for slides. If the scene brightness
doesn't fit slide film's range there is nothing one can do. A black cat needs
to be underexposed (black, not really under, but not 18% either) and a white
cat needs be overexposed (ditto) or you will have identical slides of a grey
cat (Don't teach granny to suck eggs, I know). A reflective meter is a good
help to check that highlights are not getting blown out. It is better to
adjust exposure so there is still some texture in the snow and let everything
else go dark than have completely clear film for snow.

With slides, if the brightness range is too great, then wait for (or make, if
possible) different lighting conditions. This is why slides work well on
hazy days and just before/after sunset with no direct light on the scene.
Don't bother shooting slides in bright sun at the beach or high in the
mountains unless you have a special low contrast film.

However, 99.99% of all slides have been made with a reflective/TTL meter.
Most of the time this works, but look out for snow fields and other subjects
that are mostly black or mostly white as they will both come out grey.

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Consulting Engineer: Electronics; Informatics; Photonics.
Remove spaces etc. to reply: n o lindan at net com dot com
psst.. want to buy an f-stop timer? nolindan.com/da/fstop/

On Monday 01 November 2004 20:47, Ed Margiewicz wrote:

Hello everyone,
I have been in a bit of a slump lately and would like for your
help. Many
of my slides are either over exposed or under exposed. I have been
shooting
with large format for about 4 years now (4x5 arca swiss with various
lenses from 90mm to 400mm using color transparencies, velvia and
kodak vs). Initially I used a polaris meter measuring reflective
light of the scene ( I
forgot to mention I photograph primarily nature and landscapes).
Then I bought a pentax spot meter because it seemed that many of the
professionals
used and liked it. This is when my problems started. Except for a
neutral or medium green to meter off of for a 18% grey I find it
difficult to meter off of other colors in a scene and how to
determine the amount of exposure compensation is required.

Now I use both meters and get two different readings. This leaves
me to bracketing my exposures but this is getting kind of expensive
with 4x5. I carry a grey card with me and often meter off this. But
this too has given some disappointing results. I even metered each
color on the macbeth color chart against a grey card to determine
the exposure compensation for each
color but this does not work all the time. It's getting pretty
frustrating especially after getting back from a distant photo trip
and loosing some nice opportunities because of my lack of skill in
determining correct exposure.

I would like to ask several questions. Which light meter you use?
If it is
a spot meter what is your technique? I guess if it is a reflective
type meter what is your technique (i.e., different readings and
averaging? etc).
Do you know of sources I can study up on? Thanks for your help.

Your problem is that you don't know the theory behind how light meters
work, and how to apply that theory. The following links are a good
primer:

http://www.sekonic.com/IncidentVsReflect.html
http://www.sekonic.com/BenefitsOfIncident.html
http://www.sekonic.com/Products/meter_book.html

You might also look for books on the Zone System and study the parts
about metering a scene and how it relates to exposure.

As for what meter(s) I use... I use almost exclusive incident type
meters, and have for over 30 years. Quick, accurate, and painless
exposure determination (When you use them correctly.). Currently, I
own a Gossen Luna-Star F. Previously, I owned a Sekonic Studio
Deluxe L-28C (predessor to the L-398M) and two Minolta IIIF's. Still
use one of the Minoltas as a backup. I do own a 1 degree spot. A 30
year old Soligor that's still dead on accurate. But I only use it
for Zone System work.

I suggest that you get a Sekonic L-398M, new or used. They are small,
accurate, and built like a tank. And they don't need a battery. It
will also read reflected, if you need to.

http://www.sekonic.com/Products/L-398M.html

--
Stefan Patric

On Monday 01 November 2004 20:47, Ed Margiewicz wrote:

Hello everyone,
I have been in a bit of a slump lately and would like for your
help. Many
of my slides are either over exposed or under exposed. I have been
shooting
with large format for about 4 years now (4x5 arca swiss with various
lenses from 90mm to 400mm using color transparencies, velvia and
kodak vs). Initially I used a polaris meter measuring reflective
light of the scene ( I
forgot to mention I photograph primarily nature and landscapes).
Then I bought a pentax spot meter because it seemed that many of the
professionals
used and liked it. This is when my problems started. Except for a
neutral or medium green to meter off of for a 18% grey I find it
difficult to meter off of other colors in a scene and how to
determine the amount of exposure compensation is required.

Now I use both meters and get two different readings. This leaves
me to bracketing my exposures but this is getting kind of expensive
with 4x5. I carry a grey card with me and often meter off this. But
this too has given some disappointing results. I even metered each
color on the macbeth color chart against a grey card to determine
the exposure compensation for each
color but this does not work all the time. It's getting pretty
frustrating especially after getting back from a distant photo trip
and loosing some nice opportunities because of my lack of skill in
determining correct exposure.

I would like to ask several questions. Which light meter you use?
If it is
a spot meter what is your technique? I guess if it is a reflective
type meter what is your technique (i.e., different readings and
averaging? etc).
Do you know of sources I can study up on? Thanks for your help.

Your problem is that you don't know the theory behind how light meters
work, and how to apply that theory. The following links are a good
primer:

http://www.sekonic.com/IncidentVsReflect.html
http://www.sekonic.com/BenefitsOfIncident.html
http://www.sekonic.com/Products/meter_book.html

You might also look for books on the Zone System and study the parts
about metering a scene and how it relates to exposure.

As for what meter(s) I use... I use almost exclusive incident type
meters, and have for over 30 years. Quick, accurate, and painless
exposure determination (When you use them correctly.). Currently, I
own a Gossen Luna-Star F. Previously, I owned a Sekonic Studio
Deluxe L-28C (predessor to the L-398M) and two Minolta IIIF's. Still
use one of the Minoltas as a backup. I do own a 1 degree spot. A 30
year old Soligor that's still dead on accurate. But I only use it
for Zone System work.

I suggest that you get a Sekonic L-398M, new or used. They are small,
accurate, and built like a tank. And they don't need a battery. It
will also read reflected, if you need to.

http://www.sekonic.com/Products/L-398M.html

--
Stefan Patric

Thanks all for you advice and time!
Ed M
"Ed Margiewicz" wrote in message
...
Hello everyone,
I have been in a bit of a slump lately and would like for your help. Many
of my slides are either over exposed or under exposed. I have been
shooting
with large format for about 4 years now (4x5 arca swiss with various
lenses
from 90mm to 400mm using color transparencies, velvia and kodak vs).
Initially I used a polaris meter measuring reflective light of the scene
( I
forgot to mention I photograph primarily nature and landscapes). Then I
bought a pentax spot meter because it seemed that many of the
professionals
used and liked it. This is when my problems started. Except for a
neutral
or medium green to meter off of for a 18% grey I find it difficult to
meter
off of other colors in a scene and how to determine the amount of exposure
compensation is required.

Now I use both meters and get two different readings. This leaves me to
bracketing my exposures but this is getting kind of expensive with 4x5. I
carry a grey card with me and often meter off this. But this too has given
some disappointing results. I even metered each color on the macbeth color
chart against a grey card to determine the exposure compensation for each
color but this does not work all the time. It's getting pretty
frustrating
especially after getting back from a distant photo trip and loosing some
nice opportunities because of my lack of skill in determining correct
exposure.

I would like to ask several questions. Which light meter you use? If it
is
a spot meter what is your technique? I guess if it is a reflective type
meter what is your technique (i.e., different readings and averaging?
etc).
Do you know of sources I can study up on? Thanks for your help.

Best Regards,
Ed Margiewicz
www.tranquilimages.com