Ambient metering for D-70 using Seconic meter

[milan_moudgill]

I was using Seconic meter (set at 200ASA) and metering ambient light to

shoot with a D-70 (also set at 200ASA)

 

If it matters, the meter is a L-508 Zoom Master

 

I set the D-70 to manual and entered the aperture and shutter speed readings

on the meter, as i do with my film camera, and fired away.

 

Only the images were hugely over exposed. (No, the EV values were not to

blame). Do get a well exposed image, I was using a stop-and-a-half off the

values indicated by the meter.

 

What is up? Any pointers? Are the Digital ASA settings different from the film

ASA settings. Can I ever use a hand held meter with the D-70?

 

 

Completely at sea here. Would appreciate any guidance/tips here. Thanks in

advance.

 

Milan

[stephen_bay]

<p>When I use my light meter there are slight differences in exposure with different lenses, but the exposure is more or less on. Some things to check are:

 

<ul>

<li> does the meter agree with sunny f/16 rule

<li> is the meter in the same light as the subject

<li> does the camera meter agree with the light meter

<li> is aperture stopping down? it could be stuck and failing to close down

</ul>

[Ed_Ingold]

I use a Sekonic L-508 regularly with film (LF, MF) and Nikon DSLR's, without any problems. I use all modes of the L-508 with equal success - spot, incident and flash (incident). On occasion, I also use a DSLR as a meter for the film cameras (e.g., city lights).

 

How do you determine the quality of the exposure - the LCD (unreliable) or the Histogram? In the camera or in ACR or Photoshop (recommended)?

 

You might also compare readings of the camera and the meter using an high-quality grey card (e.g., Gretag-MacBeth), and the meter in incident mode. If everything checks out, you need to work on your metering technique.

[milan_moudgill]

Thanks Stephen.

 

I use the meter extensively with my F-100 and 8008-s. And bang on every

time. I am not using it incorrectly for sure.

 

Also the lens in question is a brand new 60 macro. the first few rolls off the F-

100 fired off correctly with the meter. The lens aperture is working properly.

 

Which brings me to your other two points... how do I test for the sunny f/16

rule? And what do you mean "does the camera meter agree with the light

meter"? How do i check this?

 

THanks

[milan_moudgill]

Hi Edward,

 

The overexposure was blatant. Very washed out... I did check on a monitor,

but the LCD (unreliable I agree) itself was white.

 

As I mentioned, the correct exposure was a stop-and-a-half off the meter

values.

 

So basically what you guys are saying is that the film and D ASA readings

should match. A correctly read ambient off the meter shouls expose correctly?

 

If so I will redo and check again.

 

Thanks

[alan_olander1664878205]

"Sunny 16" rule is as follows: On a sunny day the exposure for an average outdoor scene should be f/16 at 1/ISO for a shutter speed. Using a D70 at ISO 200 should give you f/16 at 1/200th second. To see if the camera meter agrees with the Sekonic, meter a scene with the camera on manual and see if the exposure (f/stop-shutter speed) are the same as your hand held meter.

 

When you said, "No, the EV values are not too blame" do you mean that you have checked to see that you don't have exposure compensation dialed in on the D70?

[jim_helleck1]

Did you check out the blades of the iris on the lens and make sure they are dry and free of oil? Sounds like what happened to me with my 35/2AF. Sticky blades weren't allowing the iris to stop down when the shutter opened. Just what came to mind first.

[jim_helleck1]

Sorry Milan, I missed part of you're response. Please disregard.

[milan_moudgill]

To try and focus (bad pun) on the larger issue:

Do the ASA values on digital camera and a light meter match? Is the co-

relation exact? Is the film ASA sensitivity exactly the same as D ASA

sensitivity?

 

Could you guys out there who are wiser on these issues please clarify

 

Thanks

[charcoal]

On my ist DS I get 1/250 @ f/16 for ISO 200 when using an Expodisc over the lens and pointing it at the sun. I get exactly the same results with three different film cameras.