Spot meter advice, No.2

[mark beaumont]

Thanks to all who replied to my previous request for knowledge in using a spot meter, all very helpful, thanks.

Next question, is my meter broken?

I'm in my office taking a picture of my camera bag, I take an incident reading, get exposure, it's bang on, then I put up grey card next to my bag and take spot reading, it says 1 stop less exposure needed. Does that mean something is wrong? I thought it should read the same.

[steve simmons]

If you are going to compare incident light meter readings and reflected light meter readings you will make your self crazy. They are two completly different things. One measures light reflected from an object and one measures all of the light falling onto the scene.

Pick one and learn how to use it.

steve simmons

[Ron Marshall]

To save your sanity, and some film, you should calibrate your entire workflow, from metering to development. Take a few test sheets and develop them to find the EI for the film you use under your particular conditions.

[Bruce Watson]

Next question, is my meter broken?

I'm in my office taking a picture of my camera bag, I take an incident reading, get exposure, it's bang on, then I put up grey card next to my bag and take spot reading, it says 1 stop less exposure needed. Does that mean something is wrong? I thought it should read the same.

Nope, your meter is not broken. It's reporting what it sees.

As Steve indicates you are comparing apples to concrete blocks. "That way madness lies" -- Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 3 scene 4

[Bruce Watson]

To save your sanity, and some film, you should calibrate your entire workflow, from metering to development. Take a few test sheets and develop them to find the EI for the film you use under your particular conditions.

What Ron said.

[jb7]

As Steve indicates you are comparing apples to concrete blocks. "That way madness lies" -- Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 3 scene 4

Which reminded me of
"Blow, winds, blow- crack your cheeks-"

which inturn, reminded me of
"Break, break, break,
On thy cold gray stones, (18%) O Sea!
And I would that my tongue could utter
The thoughts that arise in me.

Tennyson, of course-

Can't imagine this helps-

joseph

[mark beaumont]

It's all coming back to me now, why i never got involved in LF before!

I've been shooting film on 35mm and medium format for the past 25 years, mostly using incident light readings and everything has been just fine, and for 24 of those years I pretty much thought I had exposure sussed. Then I decide to have ago at landscapes in LF with a spot meter, I'm starting to regret it.

I think the madness has already started to creep in, I didn't sleep much last night.

Steve, I ordered your book last week, should be here soon. I'm relying on you to make the voices stop.

P.s I read the thread on grey cards, started yesterday, it offered a glimmer of hope, that someone else is as confused as me!

[Vaughn]

No two light meters seem to read the same...even if both are incident or both are spots. I thought about getting my spot meter cleaned and calibrated, but decided against it -- I am too use to the way it reads...does not matter that it is not "correct"...as long as it is precise, I don't care if it is accurate.

BTW...I have never taken a gray card out into the landscape...never have seen a reason to...that highlight on the rock in the middle of the river and that shadow area on the opposite bank are never middle gray...and since I don't want them middle gray, the gray card would not be of much use. If I wanted an average reading I'd just use a non-spot meter.

I have found gray cards handy for metering large paintings using hot lights.

Vaughn

[vonstauren]

snip
BTW...I have never taken a gray card out into the landscape...never have seen a reason to...that highlight on the rock in the middle of the river and that shadow area on the opposite bank are never middle gray...and since I don't want them middle gray, the gray card would not be of much use. snip
I have found gray cards handy for metering large paintings using hot lights.

Vaughn

Why? Because the paintings are middle gray? Sorry, but the logic is flawed in both of the statements.

[Vaughn]

Makes perfect sense to me, though.

large paintings -- one is concerned with even lighting across the painting -- metering lighter or darker areas of the painting won't do that for you. How can one meter a sky area (highly reflective) in a painting and tell if that part of the painting is receiving the same amount of light as a less reflective area of the painting? I would take incident readings if I was using my Luna Pro instead of my spot meter. (the topic is spot meters)

As far as landscapes...why use a gray card? I find it easier just to meter the darkest area I want detail in and subtract a couple stops of light to keep it dark (Zone III). Putting a gray card in that shadow area is a waste of time...and usually impossible (due to distance, the size of the gray card, and often the accessibility).

I then meter the brightest area, to see where it will fall relative to the dark area -- simple Zoney stuff. Seems to me that metering a gray card in the landscape would be about as useful as applying the sunny-16 rule (which is useful in an average sort of way.)

Vaughn

Edited to ask...In what way is my logic "flawed"?