Fuji GA645 Professional: Metering

[pok_hon_wally_yu]

Dear all,

 

I am still playing with my Fuji GA645 (with nothing after the model

number, that means it comes with the Fujinon 60mm f4 lens). So far

the operation is quite smooth but metering is a bit of hit-and-

miss. Although I won't rule out electronic inaccuracy of the meter,

I would like to make sure I am operating the camera correctly.

First of all, the manauls says:

 

"When you take pictures against the light, caution is required

because your picture will be underexposed if direct light enters the

light receptor in the Finder." (p. 36)

 

What exactly does it mean?

 

Also, what's the approximate metering pattern of the camera? I am

pretty sure it's somehow certer-weighted averaging. Does it weigh

more towards the bottom? for those who actually use the camera, how

well does the meter handle low light condition and scenes with high

contrast?

 

Thanks in advance.

[bacsa]

it means, if you shoot against the sun or other bright light source, the average reading will be much higher than the illumination of your subject, so he will underexpose the subject. Unless your subject is the light source itself.

[mattb1]

It is center weighted, I don?t think there is a bias towards top or bottom. What I do in high contrast situations is to meter both high and low and make a decision on what exposure I want to do. The view finder shows the shutter speed and f-stop. It has exposure lock by pressing half way down on the shutter release, then you can recompose before you take the shot. I tend to get good consistent exposures from mine, but I use mostly the aperture priority mode and not the automatic.

 

Just remember that the focus and light meter are not through the lens, but on the camera body next to the lens.

[berniek]

To pick up on what Matt wrote -- because the camera is not TTL you have to accomidate for the light loss due to any filter you use as well. I typically have it set for aperature priority and the metering works well enough for me to shoot Provia and get well exposed slides.

[thomas_sullivan]

The Program mode is like most other Program modes........not that good. The only Program mode I have ever used that I liked was on the Konica Hexar AF (35mm), and I own Canon and Minolta SLRs......same deal. So, I always use the Aperture preferred mode, although that is also the first auto exposure camera type I used, so maybe its just that I understand it better than Program.

 

Anyhow, with backlit subjects, I will still let the A mode do it's thing like normal, but i set the over/under exposure compensation to apprx. +1...or there abouts....depending on how bright the background is (by eye). Seems to work for me............not just with the Fuji, but all cams I own..............and as a side note, I tend to half that much compensation with the Hexar in P mode.

 

But thats me.........you have to find your own way of eyeballing this..............unless of course you want to purposely measure background light and shadowed light and adjust accordingly. Works for static subjects just fine.......but if its moving, you'll lose the shot.