digital camera as exposure meter

I want to take some good old-fashioned slides and am thinking about using a

digital camera to replace my spotmeter for measuring light levels. Which camera

would be best suited for this purposes? It should be small and light, doesn't

matter if it's 1 MPixel or 10 MPixel, but the LCD should be fairly accurate

representation and it should be able to display a histogram (ideally life

histogram!). Of course there should be manual override of exposure, so I can

try different settings. Which camera fills these specs? Thanks!

Pentax optio 750Z has a digital spot meter mode, plus the other features you mention. Also has LCD display of highlight (blinking red) and shadow (yellow) clipping. It is 7meg, and a very capable camera in its own right.

 

You'd have to find one used or NOS, however as they are no longer in production.

Lots of them would work, but I think you will want to "calibrate" any that you chose. Just because it says "ISO 100" or "f/5.6" doesn't mean it's accurate. Should be easy to work up a "bias setting" for the camera and its histogram though.

 

As far as an accurate LCD, you're on your own with that one. They might be accurate, but moving your eye up or down will certainly bring confusion for making a judgment. That's why the histogram is so important.

 

I would get a small superzoom to cover the range you might need, and at 400mm or so, it kind of acts like a spot meter. I use a Panasonic FZ5 and like it as a camera too. They're pretty cheap on eBay, as they are two generations behind the cutting edge right now and don't hold their resale value well. Still a nice camera for a walkabout.

I would suggest one where you can select shutter speed and aperture. I would look at the histogram after an exposure has been made.

I would echo Jim with regard to the FZ5, but any camera with preferably spot metering as well as centre weighted which displays the exposure the camera thinks is correct in the electronic viewfinder [ easier to see than a LCD ]. The FZ5 meets those specs. Though I would think an ordinary reflected light meter would be cheaper and easier to calibrate to the slide film you plan to use.

A DSLR can be used as an exposure meter, but is no substitute for a hand-held meter, particularly one with spot, incident and flash capability. Using a camera as a meter is particularly useful for cityscapes at night, taking advantage of its "fuzzy logic" to balance bright lights with general illumination.

 

During the day, it is kinda' dorky to carry a DSLR and use it mainly as a light meter. I tend to form a mindset for a certain format, and seldom mix small format, medium format and large format on a given shoot. I don't particularly trust reflected light measurements compared to spot or incident readings.

>>m thinking about using a digital camera to replace my spotmeter <<

 

Won't happen. they are NOT designed to do the SAME thing.

 

Use the SEARCH button, this has been discussed at lenght not long ago.

I agree with Edward and Giampi. What advantages will a DSLR offer over a specialist light meter?

 

Regards

 

Alan

Small point and shoots are pretty good for use as light meters, but allot of them come with lenses that are rate as F5.6 at best.