F5/F100 flash meter reading

Hi everyone,

I have found a strange difference between the F100's and F5's light

meters when reading exposures with a strobe light attached.

To verify, I placed both cameras on the same tripod with a dual head

so that both were adjacent and focusing the same object, both were

using the same lenses, and I set both meters on manual. I then read

the meter exposure values and both gave me the same readings in all 3

methods (spot, semi-spot and matrix).

I now hooked up the (same) SB80DX on both cameras (one first, then

the other, being careful not to move the setup).

While the F5's meter did NOT alter its readings, the F100's meter DID

alter them by 1/3 or 2/3 of a stop (faster).

I then had all the equipment veryfied at the Nikon Main Customer

Support Centre in Tokyo (where I live). It was all in perfect working

conditions. So I asked the Nikon guys for some feedback, but after 10

days I still have no reply yet.

Any idea of why this happens? Why this difference? I know the meters

are slightly different since the F5's meter is supposedly also

balances for colours, but I was focusing on a Kodak Gray scale tablet

which had a neutral grey background (18%).

Any ideas? Thanks in advance anyone who will spare some time to

answer me!

Tommaso.

shoot some slide film of your test target, this time from the same point of view.

make notes of eveerything: camera. lens (use same lens on both bodies), film

(make sure the two rolls are from the same emulsion batch and are processed

in the same batch), bracketing pattern & sequence (usethe built in uto

bracketing. metering mode (matrix, cw, spot), camera control method

(Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual and (Eww!) Program), any filtration,

aperture settings, and make sure you use fresh batteries in the flash and let

the flash recycle for a full 10 seconds between shots, & etc.

Thanks, to all for the contribution: but "different camera different story" does not convince me.

Please explain how once a camera meter has measured an exposure, then adding a flash light can vary its reading in one camera and not in the other. One of the two would produce incorrect exposure, surely!

Tommaso.