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Questions about prism finders
- Thread starter judit_langh
- Start date
Sara: Is it possible that your lens needs to be serviced? Could the shutter speeds be way off? Did you have the lens and body cleaned, lubricated, and adjusted?
Have you tried using a Polaroid back for testing exposures? Have you tried using chrome film and sending it to a different processor? Have you tried using black & white film and processing it yourself? You say you are not using the 80mm lens. How about trying that lens?
Scott
Have you tried using a Polaroid back for testing exposures? Have you tried using chrome film and sending it to a different processor? Have you tried using black & white film and processing it yourself? You say you are not using the 80mm lens. How about trying that lens?
Scott
Sara:
How about just ignore the meter for one roll, and in bright but hazy or reasonably full sun daylight, use the 'Sunny 16 rule', and also +/- a stop, with a colour negative roll - maybe 160iso - but any other will work the same. Green trees in sunlight, flowers in gardens, whatever, your back to sun, or obliquely. The colour negative has nice latitude. If you do have another lens, shoot with it, too. Make notes.
If you still have a problem with underexposure when you do that (and you are happy with your lab), then you do have a problem, and it isn't the meter.
If the roll result is good (we hope), then you just have to establish your meter's calibrated compensation as needed for any iso - as Michael says above.
(I assume you don't have any filters fitted to the lens which may have a filter factor, although the PME is TTL and will compensate if it is working.)
Cheers, Colin
www.camerareview.com/templates/sunny16.cfm
PS I know you know that meters will read as 18% grey a white object - snow, white cats, etc. unless you compensate for that 'standard' reading. But it sounds like you have a general underexposure problem, BW or Color. =:^)
How about just ignore the meter for one roll, and in bright but hazy or reasonably full sun daylight, use the 'Sunny 16 rule', and also +/- a stop, with a colour negative roll - maybe 160iso - but any other will work the same. Green trees in sunlight, flowers in gardens, whatever, your back to sun, or obliquely. The colour negative has nice latitude. If you do have another lens, shoot with it, too. Make notes.
If you still have a problem with underexposure when you do that (and you are happy with your lab), then you do have a problem, and it isn't the meter.
If the roll result is good (we hope), then you just have to establish your meter's calibrated compensation as needed for any iso - as Michael says above.
(I assume you don't have any filters fitted to the lens which may have a filter factor, although the PME is TTL and will compensate if it is working.)
Cheers, Colin
www.camerareview.com/templates/sunny16.cfm
PS I know you know that meters will read as 18% grey a white object - snow, white cats, etc. unless you compensate for that 'standard' reading. But it sounds like you have a general underexposure problem, BW or Color. =:^)
Sara:
Light meters are calibrated to read approximately 18% gray. So when metering especially with a spot meter find the middle gray in the scene or place a gray card in the scene and measure it. IF you meter a white plate and you use that reading you will get a gray plate. Generally snow, white water, and light sandy beaches you need to add 2 stops. For more check this site.
http://http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_2.asp
Regards:
Gilbert
Light meters are calibrated to read approximately 18% gray. So when metering especially with a spot meter find the middle gray in the scene or place a gray card in the scene and measure it. IF you meter a white plate and you use that reading you will get a gray plate. Generally snow, white water, and light sandy beaches you need to add 2 stops. For more check this site.
http://http://www.sekonic.com/classroom/classroom_2.asp
Regards:
Gilbert
Sara:
Welcome!
Colin's suggestion about using the sunny sixteen rule as an easy test is a good one. I use it as a down and dirty test, you don't even have to make an exposure. If you know the light value and your meter is showing something else, perhaps the film speed is incorrectly set in the meter or there is a problem. If you find a problem Marc's suggestion should get you well on your way. I know Marc knows how to make great exposures.
BTW- It is the same information as depicted inside the old Kodak film information sheets and later on the inside of the box.
Regards:
Gilbert
Welcome!
Colin's suggestion about using the sunny sixteen rule as an easy test is a good one. I use it as a down and dirty test, you don't even have to make an exposure. If you know the light value and your meter is showing something else, perhaps the film speed is incorrectly set in the meter or there is a problem. If you find a problem Marc's suggestion should get you well on your way. I know Marc knows how to make great exposures.
BTW- It is the same information as depicted inside the old Kodak film information sheets and later on the inside of the box.
Regards:
Gilbert
"I would not recommend shooting .... even a gray card, at this point, since you have nothing to compare it with."
Sorry, I don't quite understand this advice. 18% reflectance is the standard that all meters are based on, so you have the actual grey card to compare your results to.
There is a c& that argues meters are based on 12% reflectance, but I've not seen 12% grey cards, nor have I needed one since the commonly available 18% works fine in every case so far.
The idea of checking a meter by shooting scenes introduces variables with no way to sort out which is which.
I use 3 different Hasselblad prism meters to shoot weddings, including "one chance" shots where exposure is critical even with neg film, and all three are dead on the money ... to the point that my Hasselblad CFV digital exposures produce almost perfect histograms in need of very little post work.
But why debate, just google "Photographic Grey Card" ... as one author states " it's one of the most useful, inexpensive tools a photographer can own"
Sorry, I don't quite understand this advice. 18% reflectance is the standard that all meters are based on, so you have the actual grey card to compare your results to.
There is a c& that argues meters are based on 12% reflectance, but I've not seen 12% grey cards, nor have I needed one since the commonly available 18% works fine in every case so far.
The idea of checking a meter by shooting scenes introduces variables with no way to sort out which is which.
I use 3 different Hasselblad prism meters to shoot weddings, including "one chance" shots where exposure is critical even with neg film, and all three are dead on the money ... to the point that my Hasselblad CFV digital exposures produce almost perfect histograms in need of very little post work.
But why debate, just google "Photographic Grey Card" ... as one author states " it's one of the most useful, inexpensive tools a photographer can own"
Even old 'blad prisms are accurate, I believe, so 2 EV seems well out of the range of tolerance. Perhaps it is out of calibration and needs a service. Or as suggested, the lens shutter is too slow and needs a service too. I would use both lenses, for sure.
Meters do assume everything to be a mid grey, and if you are consistently metering on a bright (close to white) surface, then -2 EV underexposure would be about right. Or with a lot of backlighting.
Testing needs an 'average' scene. So I'm with Marc on the grey card, at least initially, as people generally get a good idea of what is 'average' in terms of reflectance in a scene and use that. Or use something else...I did have a grey camera bag that was c. 18% reflectance, which was much more handy than a card. I use an incident meter mostly myself now.
I think Colin's suggestion of the sunny 16 rule (or other independent means of setting the exposure, like another meter/camera) is good. The principle of independently testing each component (meter and lens in this case) is the way to go!
An 'average' scene outside evenly lit should be c. 18% reflectance, hence that figure was used in meters.
Meters do assume everything to be a mid grey, and if you are consistently metering on a bright (close to white) surface, then -2 EV underexposure would be about right. Or with a lot of backlighting.
Testing needs an 'average' scene. So I'm with Marc on the grey card, at least initially, as people generally get a good idea of what is 'average' in terms of reflectance in a scene and use that. Or use something else...I did have a grey camera bag that was c. 18% reflectance, which was much more handy than a card. I use an incident meter mostly myself now.
I think Colin's suggestion of the sunny 16 rule (or other independent means of setting the exposure, like another meter/camera) is good. The principle of independently testing each component (meter and lens in this case) is the way to go!
An 'average' scene outside evenly lit should be c. 18% reflectance, hence that figure was used in meters.
Gray Card & some more information
You might like this download!
http://www.photo-software.com/pdf/GreyCard_Bklt_web.pdf
Before is gets to gray around here it is Friday night for some of us!
Regards:
Gilbert
You might like this download!
http://www.photo-software.com/pdf/GreyCard_Bklt_web.pdf
Before is gets to gray around here it is Friday night for some of us!
Regards:
Gilbert