TacTZilla Posted February 11, 2010 Share #1 Posted February 11, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) If you wouldn't mind sharing, how do you go about getting the correct (whatever correct is) exposure in manual mode? Any tips would be most welcome. Regards Bob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 11, 2010 Posted February 11, 2010 Hi TacTZilla, Take a look here Tips on exposure please.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted February 11, 2010 Share #2 Posted February 11, 2010 I tend to make use of the semi-spot character of the meter by scanning the highlights and shadows of the scene and taking the exposure from there. Alternatively there is the option of finding a zone V area in the image and taking that for the basic exposure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted February 11, 2010 Share #3 Posted February 11, 2010 Since I'm not all that intuitive sometimes on a scene, I might start in A mode and take a reading at my preferred F stop from the area of the scene that is most important to me. So if I have selected f/4 and the camera in A shows me 1/250 at that point, I may then switch to M, knowing that my base exposure is f/4 at 1/250, and change F stops or shutter to suit the effect I am looking for (e.g. depth of field, etc). So I guess I am using the camera's built in meter as an exposure meter. Then with a bit of chimping I can see whether I want to deviate from the base. Maybe that is clumsy or simplistic but it is what works for me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwind Posted February 11, 2010 Share #4 Posted February 11, 2010 I've bene leaving it in A mode, setting the aperture then scanning around finding what I want to expose on, press the shutter 1/2 down, recompose and shoot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 11, 2010 Share #5 Posted February 11, 2010 Won't work if you set the camera to " soft release" which vastly improves the shutter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest trond Posted February 12, 2010 Share #6 Posted February 12, 2010 Won't work if you set the camera to " soft release" which vastly improves the shutter. I also have the M9 almost always in soft/discrete mode. I have found that setting a permanent +2/3 +1.0 exposure compensation on the M9 in A mode, gives me raw files with fully preserved highlights and maximum shadow detail. For critical exposures, I always watch the camera histogram to make sure that the exposure is aligned completely to the right of the histogram. On my sample of the M9 I have one more EV/f-stop to go, when the histogram is completely to the right, which gives maximum highlight preservation, while still giving most details and lowest possible noise in the dark areas. Tone curve and overall exposure can then be adjusted to taste in LightRoom, CameraRaw, CaptureOne or your favorite raw converter. Best regards Trond Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 12, 2010 Share #7 Posted February 12, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) You might find this thread useful (and she came from Nikon, too!)...http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m9-forum/113535-metering-exposure.html Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
footnoteblog Posted February 12, 2010 Share #8 Posted February 12, 2010 I think you give the M9 to me, and I give you my Canon S230 from 2001. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted February 12, 2010 Share #9 Posted February 12, 2010 If you wouldn't mind sharing, how do you go about getting the correct (whatever correct is) exposure in manual mode? Any tips would be most welcome. Regards Bob The light meter is strongly centered. Target whatever brightness level you want/like, lightly touch the button to turn on the meter, turn the time dial and >, o ,< leds will home you. From the o setting you can add exposure offset +/- as you want in half clicks Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted February 12, 2010 Share #10 Posted February 12, 2010 Or, play with Apertures if you want shutter speed priority... I forgot that, you photo many action shots Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanidel Posted February 12, 2010 Share #11 Posted February 12, 2010 Won't work if you set the camera to " soft release" which vastly improves the shutter. Strange but I am so used to the M8 shutter that I do not use the soft release except in very specific situations. I use mainly A mode, with 2/3 compensation on a grey day (like almost everyday currently ) and 0 or 1/3 on a sunny day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggits Posted February 12, 2010 Share #12 Posted February 12, 2010 Hi Try to read Fred Parkers suggestion on how to learn man exp: Ultimate Exposure Computer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted February 12, 2010 Share #13 Posted February 12, 2010 I don't get why you guys don't enjoy the trigger of the M8/9. I love the feeling each time I shoot. Granted, sometimes you just need a feather touch to go low speed, but other than that... Parkers made a great article there Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve70 Posted February 13, 2010 Share #14 Posted February 13, 2010 Hi Tac, If I may make a suggestion, this based on assuming that you are somewhat of a novice in this wonderful and mysterious world of photography. Locate a copy of Fred Picker's "The Zone VI Workshop". It is probably one the simplest, or at least one offering a clear explanation of the Zone System, and the Zone System will help clarify the use of exposure and allow you to learn to visualize your final print. Even though it was originally written and intended for film, it is quite applicable for the digital format; with some slight modifications. I also know that there are some great articles out there on the web on the use of the Zone System for the digital camera. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted February 14, 2010 Share #15 Posted February 14, 2010 It isn't really hard. Try to meter on something which is neutral grey (because your meter measures everything as if it is 13-18% grey), and in the same light as the items you are intending to incorporate in your photo and you will generally nail the overall exposure for the scene you are shooting. The zone system, mentioned earlier is worth learning, but perhaps even more so is the "Sunny 16 rule", where you think in terms of an exposure in bright sunlight which is the equivalent of the shutter speed being the reciprocal of the ISO, and your diaphragm is set to f16, you give one stop greater exposure if the lighting is overcast, two if cloudy, three if you can't see any shadows at all, four if it is really gloomy. If you can nail this concept you'll almost always know if you are metering correctly, except in very poor lighting situations. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted February 14, 2010 Share #16 Posted February 14, 2010 And when in doubt just take a look at the histograms Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Åmund Posted February 14, 2010 Share #17 Posted February 14, 2010 I tend to make use of the semi-spot character of the meter by scanning the highlights and shadows of the scene and taking the exposure from there. Alternatively there is the option of finding a zone V area in the image and taking that for the basic exposure. Probably a stupid question: What is a zone V area ? Åmund Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 14, 2010 Share #18 Posted February 14, 2010 That is the middle-grey in the zone system. 18%. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted February 15, 2010 Share #19 Posted February 15, 2010 Jaap, what you mean for "vastly improves the shutter". I might been off for a while, but I'd like to know where's the improvement with the soft release (which I tend not to use). Stupidly I've been in Oslo with Riccis (which was using the soft release) and I never asked him why too. ciao, M. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted February 15, 2010 Share #20 Posted February 15, 2010 Soft release on the M9 is not a thingy, Maurizio. it is a function where the shutter releases at the first pressure point instead of the second, turning it into a bit of a hair trigger. Obviously AE lock is disabled in that mode. I like hair triggers on cameras. Much more responsive. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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