alokppatel Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 i read within one of the answers to a question that someone used their minolta 5 as a lightmeter to expose some 8x10 film. can this be done, and if so how is this done, or translated to the large format. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guytal Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 You aim the camera, take a meter reading, dial aperture and speed into the LF shutter, and expose. Pretty simple really.<br> I think the main reason most people don't do it is because they don't want to carry a bulky 35mm around.<br> <br> Guy<br> <a href="http://scenicwild.com">http://scenicwild.com</a> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richard_cochran Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 There's no translation needed. If the meter says 1/15 at f/16 for ISO 400, that's what you shoot at, regardless of the film size. <p> A 35mm camera makes an inconvenient light meter, IMO. It's too big and heavy, most of them require you to look through the viewfinder to read the meter, and it's too delicate, particularly the front element of the lens. You ought to keep a lens cap on the camera lens when not in use, yet you must remove the lens cap to use it. <p> A handheld light meter is much more convenient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_eastman Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Don't forget bellows factor. If your 35mm has a longish lens and spot metering it could be an alternative to a "proper" spot meter. If you have film in your camera you could record camera movements, quick moving wildlife or that funny thing the dog did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alokppatel Posted October 8, 2003 Author Share Posted October 8, 2003 If I was going to buy a lightmeter, which one on a budget? Oh, and thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_curry Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 If you are going to buy a light meter, it would be helpful if you know what type of photography you plan on doing. Color or black & white? Landscapes or people? Studio or architecture? The reason I ask is that there are many types available, but a less expensive one will work well if you use it with a gray card. Almost all of them meter from an 18% gray scale value (or zone 5), even if you are shooting color. If you buy a simple reflective meter, the Gossen Scout meter and a gray card will work well and give good results in most cases. B&H sells a Scout 3 model for $67, but there are less expensive ones available. If you need to use a 35mm camera, it will be fine until you can get the meter you want. As was stated before, set the film speed, meter from a gray card or the scene, set your shutter speed and aperture and take the shot. If you have done this correctly, you will have a good picture. Remember, not that many years ago there weren't any light meters to use. Photographers had to learn from experience what worked and just do what they found to be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd_morgan Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 In the studio I use a Sekonic flash meter/incident meter. When I get back in the field, I'm planning on using my F5's Matrix RGB brain. But I will be using the F5 with the correct perspective -- lens conversion to 35mm so I can rest the F5 on the Speed and duplicate the composition then add any bellows extension to the F5's calculation. By duplicating the perspective, composition, and any filters (including ND), aperture priority (for selected DOF) with the F5's matrix RGB will give me the right shutter sans any bellows comp. or ISO conversion. Since I'm primarily a wildlife (bird) photographer, I travel with F5 and F100 plus big glass and tripod etc. anyway -- the Speed is the tag along for when I run into a nice scene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan_bucknam Posted October 8, 2003 Share Posted October 8, 2003 Using a 35mm camera as a light meter is good in a pinch (say, your light meter rus out of batteries/falls from your hands and breaks, etc.), but if you use it as such, ou should know WHAT exactly, is the light meter inside the 35mm camera reading? Is more of a general meter, reading and averaging all light input in th emiddle third of the viewfinder, or is it more of a spot meter, metering only within the middle 32nd of the frame? Your 35mm camera's manual should be able to tell you how the camera's meter functions, so check it out of yuo want to use it accurately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norris_lam Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 I use a small Nikon Coolpix 5000 along with me. I can check the meter information and also the result immediately! I use this mainly in difficult lighting situation cause most of the time, I use a Sekonic 508. I think any small digital camera which shows the f-value and shutter speed will do the same job, e.g. the old Panasonic 2M digital camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_mensik Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 I did use it for a while, set as a spotmeter.<br> But an F100 even with the lightest one of my lens set was too bulky to carry around. And I was afraid I could damage it. <br> Bought Minolta IV recently. I'm happy and walking light. Michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_ito Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 I was thinking of using my Canon 10D as an instant "polaroid". It shows a histogram and is roughly the same latitude as transparency film. Any reasons why this might not work? It seems like it would be a good instant way to "see" what my exposures might look like and where my highlights might blow out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew_ito Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 Oh yeah, since I'm shooting with a 2x3 view camera the proportions would be the same as well. The 2x3 system is relatively light and I would probably be taking the 10D with me anyways so it seems like it would work. Any thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_collins Posted October 9, 2003 Share Posted October 9, 2003 Well, a word of caution. I spent an afternoon looking for my best Polaroid Type 55 PRINT exposing a subject using my Nikon N70's lightmeter. I set it on 'spot meter' setting (1 of 3 ways to meter) and found that an EI of 200 gave the best result!!! Go figure; this camera takes excellent color pictures using color print film. I can't figure it out, but that was the scoop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn McCreery Posted October 11, 2003 Share Posted October 11, 2003 Recently, I purchased a Fuji GS645S 120 rangefinder camera to suppliment my 4x5. On hikes, I now carry my 4x5 in a backpack and the Fuji in a fanny pack and use it's center-weighted meter rather than a spot meter. This combination works out quite well since I usually find compositions in places that are too damn difficult to set up the 4x5 on a tripod. And the Fuji works quite well hand-held. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidv1 Posted October 13, 2003 Share Posted October 13, 2003 A 35mm camera works great as a light meter, if you understand what the internal meter is metering. Also, a digital camera can make a very useful light meter. Many of them have a histogram function. See Michael Reichmann's discussion at: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/understanding-series/understanding-histograms.shtml Regards, David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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