Meter reading on ground glass?

Hello,

This might be a silly question but here goes it. Is it possible

to take a hand held spot meter reading thru the ground glass and the

view camera?

Thanks

Skinny

Yes, but you've already lost light through the lense and whatever diffraction the ground glass throws out...

So - you'd have to experiment to determine exactly how the number you would get relates to your chosen film.

You could not simply take the meter reading you get and use it without some sort of conversion.

But why?

The short answer is....No. The longer answer is that some companies manufacture light meters with probe attachments that are inserted where the film holder goes to provide accurate digital spot meter readings. Take a look at Sinarsix digital exposure meter for example. It's an older product (made by Sinar/Broncolor) and you'll see what I mean. OR you can get a separate metering back The problem with the probes is that when you insert them, they raise the ground glass (as a film holder does) rendering the sharp image you previously had, unclear. The advantage is that the probes can be located anywhere in a scene to take a spot meter reading. As you might suspect, these items are pret-ty darn pricey, youbetcha. To read more on the subject, get a book called "Photo Know How. The Art of Large Format Photography" by Carl Koch and Jost Marchesi. It used to be available directly from Sinar Ltd. (The same guys who make the camera). You can probably score a used copy from BN.com or Powelsonline.com

My suggestion, though you may already have one, is to use a good incident / flash meter in conjunction with a Polaroid back, either for packs or sheets. For the cost of either the meter/probe system or metering back, you can buy a whole lot of Polaroid film.

Take it light.

Mark

Mark

Skinny

The simple answer is "No", but.. There needs to be a conversion factor applied as the area scanned is smaller and there are light losses through the GG.

Gossen makes a probe using fibre optics, and it needs a special calibration scale for the meter, such as a Lunasix 3.( I have one and it works. I also have a second one for sale- contact me off line).

Horseman also make a special meter that reads directly from the GG that I have seen in use- very handy.

Cheers

I have a Sekonic DigiMaster L-718 meter. One of its attachments was the L-717PP a Pin Point devise. It is used for taking readings from small areas of the ground glass.

I got this meter and the 5 degree attachment quite a few years ago when the price dropped like a stone. As I guessed, they were bringing out new models. But the new models did not have this pin point device.

Other meter systems have been set up for this purpose.

Thereare also spot meters that you can use with flash, either wired or not.

If you are interested in metering from the filmplane for other reasons (e.g. checking the

effect of filters or bellows extension on exposure) you can do it with the probes described

above as addons. They are available in one form or another from all the major meter

manufacturers. I used one wih both a Gossen and a Minolta meter years ago and found

them way less than satisfactory. Much better is the Sinarsiz probe or the Horseman meter

back. The Horseman is hideously expensive new bu tis often on the used market at very

reasonable prices. It is a very elegant solution. A metering panel that is 4x5 nd slides

into the camera jsut like a film holder. I seldom use mine but when I do I am very glad I

have it.