Metering on vacation - iPhone app or Seiconic

When I go on vacation I alway’s took my Fujifilm GA645Zi or the 4x5, except for last year when I whent to the French Pyrenees. The Fujifilm is not reliable anymore and I had no idea if I could carry the 4x5 into the mountains.
So I took my Bronica SQ-A with Portra 160 for metering I have used the Light Meter App (ISO 100) on my iPhone or the Sunny 16 rule, result a lot of underexposed shadows because of the harsh light :-(

I ‘m going back this year and if the conditions are the same about 33° or more the 4x5 stays probably at home, there are not a lot of places in a short walking distance that are interesting enough to carry 12kg around in those conditions. Yes I’m getting older a few hours on flat terrain in normal temperatures is no problem.

With hiking of about 8 to 12 hours in hot temperatures I’ll like to keep my gear to the minimum, and with several people taking your time to do a proper meeting is not always appreciated.

So I’m thinking about options: use a default exposure of f8 and 125”, meter with ISO 80 and use the Seiconic on shorter walks when I’m alone….
If anyone has beter/other ideas

And now hunt for 15 rolls of Portra 160 as almost every store is out of stock here

Based on my comparisons/observations, some of the exposure apps on a phone are quite accurate and provide very close readings to what a Sekonic does. Plus Portra has quite good exposure latitude, so I would agree that you do not need to carry your Sekonic on long hikes.

I'd get a medium format camera with a good built-in meter.

I use the MyLightMeter app on my phone and it is as accurate as my Sekonic and my Reveni Labs meters. Maybe you should consider the Reveni Labs accessory shoe meter? Its tiny and its very capable. If you have an accessory shoe on the camera, just slip it on and you're all set.

Unless you've already experimented with a particular film under analogous lighting conditions, and in effect have memorized settings in relation to actual metering beforehand, any generic approach sounds risky to me. Portra 160 is a low-contrast film with some latitude forgiveness, but rounding that off a whole stop of overexposure is going to lead to some kind of qualitative compromise in hue reproduction. It's basically a soft portrait film. I use Ektar color neg film in our mountains, but it's quite a bit fussier and far less forgiving of either metering error or color balance (color temp) errors. But once mastered, it has a clean saturated look much like chrome films. An accessory handheld meter really doesn't add that much extra weight. I'm now into my 70's myself; but the weight of a meter is barely more than a couple of energy or candy bars.

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Originally Posted by ic-racer

I'd get a medium format camera with a good built-in meter.

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I like my Bronica, I have it for several years and I like the square format.
Forgot almost that the Bronica has a Prism finder with a build-in lichtmeter. It must been somewhere in a desk because I have never used it.
It's easier to see from above on the groundglass, then to hold the Bronica high up.

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Originally Posted by paulbarden

I use the MyLightMeter app on my phone and it is as accurate as my Sekonic and my Reveni Labs meters. Maybe you should consider the Reveni Labs accessory shoe meter? Its tiny and its very capable. If you have an accessory shoe on the camera, just slip it on and you're all set.

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Perhaps something to try, but it's a bit to short before the vacation.

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Originally Posted by Drew Wiley

Unless you've already experimented with a particular film under analogous lighting conditions, and in effect have memorized settings in relation to actual metering beforehand, any generic approach sounds risky to me. Portra 160 is a low-contrast film with some latitude forgiveness, but rounding that off a whole stop of overexposure is going to lead to some kind of qualitative compromise in hue reproduction. It's basically a soft portrait film. I use Ektar color neg film in our mountains, but it's quite a bit fussier and far less forgiving of either metering error or color balance (color temp) errors. But once mastered, it has a clean saturated look much like chrome films. An accessory handheld meter really doesn't add that much extra weight. I'm now into my 70's myself; but the weight of a meter is barely more than a couple of energy or candy bars.

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Portra schould handle a two stop over exposure. I agree that this is a soft film but thats why I use this.
Ektar is a bit to colorfull to me, as Some color reverse film. But there is a film for every taste and interpretation of an composition.
Over the years I have ended up with Ilford Delta or Kodak Portra for most of my images. I'm into my 60's and always been a tall thin person.

Attachment 216810
Here is why I like Portra

I have carried a Sekonic meter, but now find a simple digital camera, especially with a histogram display, does a better job for metering a whole scene. I carry a Leica CL, but others would do, and they are little bigger and heavier than a decent meter.
NB Digital sensors are prone to blown highlights so the EVF displays often display 'blinkies' for over exposed areas, but not under exposed areas, which would be more useful for negative film.

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Originally Posted by jamgolf

Based on my comparisons/observations, some of the exposure apps on a phone are quite accurate and provide very close readings to what a Sekonic does. Plus Portra has quite good exposure latitude, so I would agree that you do not need to carry your Sekonic on long hikes.

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Except for an SLR camera I have always used A lichtmeter over the last 30 years. The app was mainly for logging GPS and other values to store in my DAM, So when I saw the results of last year I have my doubts about using a phone for meeting.