Using 35mm Camera as a Meter

Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for medium
format landscape work?

I was thinking today that I could use my Eos 3 with a similar wide angle
lens, and red 091 filter to use as a meter for my soon arriving Mamiya
C330s. It's not a set-up I'd want to lug around in the field, but for close
to the car stuff it seems to me it should work pretty well.

I do own a Minolta IV meter. Will this work well for ambient light readings
for landscape? Or should I invest in a spotmeter?

While on the subject of spotmeters, I've heard that Zone VI spotmeters are
the way to go. Where can you buy a Zone VI meter?

Where can I get a spotmeter modified to a Zone VI meter?

So many questions. So little time. Thanks All. mj

Sure. I've used my 35mm camera like that. Use an equivalent focal length
(35mm vs the particular size of medium format you are shooting). A 35mm
camera makes a great spotmeter. Of course, you may eventually decide to just
use the 35mm camera to take the pictures, but that's another argument.
Pete


"Mike Jenkins" wrote in message
ink.net...
Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for
medium
format landscape work?

I was thinking today that I could use my Eos 3 with a similar wide angle
lens, and red 091 filter to use as a meter for my soon arriving Mamiya
C330s. It's not a set-up I'd want to lug around in the field, but for
close
to the car stuff it seems to me it should work pretty well.

I do own a Minolta IV meter. Will this work well for ambient light
readings
for landscape? Or should I invest in a spotmeter?

While on the subject of spotmeters, I've heard that Zone VI spotmeters are
the way to go. Where can you buy a Zone VI meter?

Where can I get a spotmeter modified to a Zone VI meter?

So many questions. So little time. Thanks All. mj

Pierre L wrote:

Sure. I've used my 35mm camera like that. Use an equivalent focal length
(35mm vs the particular size of medium format you are shooting). A 35mm
camera makes a great spotmeter. Of course, you may eventually decide to just
use the 35mm camera to take the pictures, but that's another argument.
Pete

A digitoy can be a good meter. If the limited range it captures is
exposed OK, you can use the same settings for the real picture. Needs a
model that either displays or stores in the EXIF tag what EV it used.
You can even keep the images as a log book.

-- Lassi

"Mike Jenkins" wrote in message
ink.net...

I do own a Minolta IV meter. Will this work well for ambient light
readings
for landscape? Or should I invest in a spotmeter?

I find the combination of a Minolta VF meter and the 5 degree spot
attachment to be a reasonable compromise. The only 35mm body I could
use for this purpose (an F100) is a bit heavy for the task.

As for the incident versus spot debate for landscapes, I'll watch from
the sidelines.

--
Michael Benveniste --
Spam and UCE professionally evaluated for $419. Use this email
address only to submit mail for evaluation.

Mike Jenkins wrote:

Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for
medium format landscape work?


Yep, works just fine.

I was thinking today that I could use my Eos 3 with a similar wide angle
lens, and red 091 filter to use as a meter for my soon arriving Mamiya
C330s. It's not a set-up I'd want to lug around in the field, but for
close to the car stuff it seems to me it should work pretty well.

I do own a Minolta IV meter. Will this work well for ambient light
readings
for landscape?

That would work fine as well. Personally I've never found a need to own a
spot meter, I've always been able to find "light" close to what I was
shooting to meter from.


--

Stacey

I do own a Minolta IV meter. Will this work well for ambient light readings
for landscape? Or should I invest in a spotmeter?

I think you'd be better with the Minolta meter. Using your 35mm camera won't
work any better IMHO and will be far more cumbersome to use.

--
Vincent Becker
Photographie et appareils anciens - Photography and classic cameras
URL:http://www.lumieresenboite.com
Merci de passer par mon site pour les réponses par courriel

Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for
medium format landscape work?


This is how I started with my unmetered YashicaMat. But it quickly turned
into a p.i.t.a. and I was reluctant to even bother with MF. But then I
purchased a $150 Gossen Digiflash (ambient, reflected, and flash) meter.
The convenience is well worth the modest price.

"Mike" wrote in message
...

Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for
medium format landscape work?

Quite cumbersome. Then I went the spot meter route. Too much time wasted. I
now use my Minolta flash meter in conjunction with common sense (aka sunny
16) and spend less time fudging with meters. It's amazing how well you can
do with just the sunny 16 and a little thought.

hmmph wrote:

It's amazing how well
you can do with just the sunny 16 and a little thought.

Yep, I use a meter to get a baseline and with some thought don't need to use
it much after that and always seem to get good exposures.

--

Stacey

Hi, have any of you ever used your 35 mm camera as a light meter for medium
format landscape work? BRBR


I've also used my Nikon Coolpix 950 for metering and actual exposure tests
before setting those Exposure values into my Superwide.

dan