Hi - I need some help and suggestions on how to get consistent exposure readings. I am shooting cars with an Aero Ektar Lens on a Speed Graphic. Mostly b&w film. The whole point of the Aero Ektar is to use it wide open for the shallow depth of field. Stopping it down defeats the whole purpose, obviously. I am shooting outdoors in bright sun for the most part. I have some solid ND filters as well as a variable. Very often I need a fraction of a stop or less than the next full stop up or down to maintain the 2.5 aperture. The Speed Graphic is limited on shutter speeds as well - 125, 250, 500, 1000. I have tried holding the ND filter over the incident meter, but as I move it closer and further away the readings jump up & down by at least a stop (sometimes more) I have tried using a wide cardboard tube behind the filter and sticking the meter under it only to get another set of readings (often wildly different from just the filter) Any incident reading with 2.5 as the aperture gives ridiculously high shutter speeds, obviously. The variable ND does not have marked stops, it rotates freely. But I am able to dial it in to where either of the above methods gives me a usable shutter speed.
What am I missing here? Without knowing exactly how many stops I am working with, it’s hard to calculate the compensation for the ND.
Should I get a spot meter and try one/both of the above methods on the highlights and then shadows and then go with the average?
I am open to experimentation and I am bracketing like hell as well. But some of my exposures are way off.
Thanks!
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