Using small digicam as a light meter?

[nhabedi]

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When I'm out shooting with my M4-P I usually try to estimate the exposure with the sunny-16 rule and use a Gossen Digisix to check. This works fine in many cases, but there are of course situations (indoors, different light sources, shades, etc.) where it can be a bit tricky. I sometimes wish I had the convenience of digital in these cases, i.e. the ability to do a test shot and chimp just to see if the exposure is right.

 

I'm wondering if it would make sense to use a very small and inexpensive digicam for this task. I searched Google, but couldn't find much enlightenment except for the inevitable Ken Rockwell proposing to use a dSLR as a light meter for a film SLR. (Sigh...)

 

Any experiences with this approach? Ideas why this might or might not be a good idea? Things to watch out for?

 

Of course, as I said, the camera had to be as small as possible (although the Digisix is hard to beat in terms of price) and preferably super-cheap (getting one used via Ebay would be fine). It should also offer the option to have some kind of manual control over aperture and ISO (no matter how fiddly) and go up to at least ISO 1600 (no matter how noisy). I briefly tried my wife's old C-Lux 1 which would be OK size-wise but simply doesn't have the manual controls I'd need.

[bill]

Yes, I have done it. Effectively you are carrying a lightmeter that acts as a backup camera. I have used one of the small Panasonics for the purpose - it is not much bigger than a small lightmeter anyway. 99.9% of the time I use Sunny-12 (in my part of the world, anyway) but it is a useful "backup" to my eye.

 

Practicalities - set it to spot, if possible, and set the ISO to the same as you have in the camera. Zoom the lens to approximately the same focal length as the lens on your real camera. Make sure no Auto or Intelligent ISO is set, or any exposure compensation, or anything else that could skew the reading. Pick a camera that displays aperture and shutter speed clearly - you don't want to have to squint, or faff about. You don't have to compose accurately with the digital compact, just point it in the right direction. If you go the whole hog and take a picture with it, you also have a record of the aperture and shutterspeed that you are/will use with your film camera.

 

In short, it works.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[Nikkor AIS]

I almost always use my Nikon D3 as a light meter for my Lecia M3. I do the same thing when I shoot with my Nikon F3T/F4. Since doing this, I never , repeat never bracket and by and large always have perfect exposer. It make's shooting chrome far more affordable. Even when shooting B+W. I will often shoot a frame and "chimp" to see where Im at. I don't chimp every frame once the "flow has begun" . I just get a really good idea about exposer with the D3 and from there really watch the light and make adjustments by eye for the most part. I know I could carry a hand held meter, but I really have bought into the idea that seeing is believing:p. And the 3 inch screen on the D3 is second to none. Sometimes in bright light, I may revert to the histogram or pull a coat over my head to "chimp", but for the most part, I trust my eye's and judgement from what I see on the D3 LCD. . For me it's a great and very workable system. I realize that many want to carry the M system to go light weight and discrete and sometimes, Im down with that. But in truth, most times I have at least couple of bodies and bag of lenses with me at any given time.

 

Gregory

[earleygallery]

I sometimes use my Pana Clux2 as a meter, its smaller than my proper light meter but doesn't do incident readings of course (which I prefer). In fact I often carry both as the C lux is my 'carry everywhere' camera.

 

The C lux does show the aperture/speed so will work - you don't need manual controls, just for the camera display to show the data.

 

Much of the time I use the sunny 16 rule anyway, and the meter and C lux stay in the bag.

[bsmukler]

I would really suggest getting one of the better light meters, such as the Sekonic models that include the ability to set two ISO values and that have variable zoom on the reflective side. In tricky lighting situations, you can sight through the viewfinder of the meter and set the variable zoom to cover as much or as little of the scene as you want. You can also use the memory and/or averaging functions to judge complex scenes. The meters are expensive when new, but you could probably find one used.

[pop]

... doesn't do incident readings of course (which I prefer). .

 

Can't you improvise a "dome" , e.g. out of a ping pong ball?

[freebs]

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As someone who just got his first Leica a few weeks ago, and who had to listen to many disparaging jokes about how big and ugly the M5 would be, I am 100% sure I got the right camera when I read this thread.

 

The meter in the M5 does very well all the way down to f/1.4. No extra gear to turn a smaller camera into a clunky affair with stick-ons (Don't get me wrong, I still want an M3! )

 

Practically speaking I tried this camera-as-external-lightmeter trick with my Lumix LX-3, to check the new M5's meter. I immediately realized that carrying another camera to make my rangefinder camera more useful sort of obviated the point of having a smaller rangefinder camera in the first place (as opposed to my D300).

 

I recommend getting a slide-on, like the voigtlander or a hand-held meter, so it can live in a pocket when not needed.