Mamiya RB 67 Pro-S and Lightmeters

[andrew_buckley1]

Hello

 

I have a question about metering for transparencies using a Gossen

Lunasix 3 for night and low light shooting. I should mention that I

have burnt no film at this point.

 

I am a new to medium format user, having extensive experience of 35mm

with Canon EOS 1nHS/1vHS setups. I was comparing readings from the

Gossen against the 1vHS in spotmeter mode last night in darkness

under street light conditions and noticed that the Gossen appeared to

overexpose by between 1.5-2.5 stops in comparison to the reflected

spotmeter of the 1v.

 

My question is a simple one, if I were to apply either reading to the

RB67, which is likely to provide me with the correct exposure bearing

in mind the limited latitute of Provia F or Fuji Tungsten

transparency film and shooting in similar conditions?

 

Many thanks for all responses!

 

Andrew

[rdkirk]

There are a host of ways such a variance could have occurred between the readings from those two meters--primarily different ways they were simply measuring different sources.

 

However, if you have been successful in the past with the meter of the Canon, then that's the tool you've learned to use properly. Use those settings on the Mamiya (f-stops are f-stops, shutter speeds are shutter speeds) until you learn the proper technique with the Gossen.

 

In the long run, I believe you will learn that a spotmeter has the potential of giving you more accurate night exposures than an incident meter or wide-view reflected light meter.

 

You already realize that with night photography, you have to be selective of which tones you will capture. With the spot meter, you can be as selective as necessary.