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Inconsistent light metering


hyper67

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I have a question regarding the new M 240 that some of you may have noticed or better explain: When I meter in the classic mode (center weighted) and lock the exposure on a certain subject I get an x reading. Now by holding the same position and turning on LV (which I programmed in center weight) I am consistently getting a slower speed (1 -2 stops)...I have tried with spot too but also get other readings....so it seems to me that the light metering in the SAME mode is NOT the same in LV vs normal rangefinder viewing....this is puzzling me because it makes the whole process more of a guesswork if I want to switch between the two...it makes the interchanging of one mode into another very unreliable. Has anyone noticed this...

 

Thx

 

 

Alexandros Demetriades - Photographer

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The standard measurement method in RF mode is centreweighed. Spot metering is not the same as centreweighed metering. It is quite normal to find different values by the different methods. Each system needs its own technique to get the correct result.

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As I said....I used center weighted metering and found inconsistency with using LV and normal shooting (not spot, I mentioned spot as a side note that I also tried that too!)...and the two systems should yield the same result...so please if anyone can try this and see if this is the case Leica should address this issue as it is a an inconstancy that is a problem...and NO they are not two different systems...Center weight should be the same for both ways of shooting....

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LV measures directly off the sensor, RF reflected off the shutter. Certainly the areas are different; the whole system is different.

Exactly. So in fact, small variations are to be expected. After all, even using a light meter, be it built-in or hand-held, is guesswork—less guesswork than using no meter at all but guesswork nonetheless. So it's impossible to say, this method's result is "the correct one," and that method's result is off by X stops. Even after taking shots with each method's metering result and evaluating them, it still might be difficult to assess which one is "correct."

 

That said, a consistent difference of 1 - 2 f-stops between regular TTL metering (off the shutter blades) and center-weighted live-view metering (off the sensor) clearly is too much. If there is no user error involved then I'd say there's something wrong with the camera. I just tried with my M; I'm getting results that are equal or differ by half an f-stop maximum, depending on the distribution of brightness across the frame. Greater differences are possible when the brightness is very uneven, like, a dark subject with a few small but bright highlights interspersed. An off-center highlight will throw off different metering methods by different amounts.

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I have a question regarding the new M 240 that some of you may have noticed or better explain: When I meter in the classic mode (center weighted) and lock the exposure on a certain subject I get an x reading. Now by holding the same position and turning on LV (which I programmed in center weight) I am consistently getting a slower speed (1 -2 stops)...I have tried with spot too but also get other readings....so it seems to me that the light metering in the SAME mode is NOT the same in LV vs normal rangefinder viewing....this is puzzling me because it makes the whole process more of a guesswork if I want to switch between the two...it makes the interchanging of one mode into another very unreliable. Has anyone noticed this...

 

Thx

 

 

Alexandros Demetriades - Photographer

 

Which lens do you use?

 

A lens with considerable vignetting (28mm Summicron for example) might regularly show results as you describe: the traditional light meter for the M only measures a limited area in the middle of the scene and does not "see" that the outer areas are much darker due to vignetting - so if you follow the metering, your results are often too dark. The LV metering - even center weight - may give you a better idea with slower speeds.

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I am using a summilux 35mm...I'm not debating which system gives a 'better' result as this is up to each photographer to decide...in fact I have enjoyed the "normal"center weight metering I've been getting ever since I have been using the M8, M9... However it would have been nice if Leica mentioned this discrepancy in their manual or (not being a technical guy) if they could have made the two systems consistent so people could traverse between the two seamlessly...now its like having two systems....which could be useful for certain occasions but more confusing imho...

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Well, there are several versions of a 35mm Summilux - the older with strong vignetting the newer with less.

 

I am not sure why one should need a new way of light metering, if it just gave the same results than the old one. The "suggestion" or "guessing" of a light meter limited to a small part in the center of the scene must differ from one which also takes into account the outer parts of the frame.

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...the point is that using the advanced metering in LV allows u to have 3 options...so u already have 3 ways of metering (spot, center, multi)...it would have been nice if the center weight metering in LV was the same as in normal view..instead u have 3 'NEW' metering measurements plus the normal one (bringing the total to 4)...as I said I am no technical person and from what someone said above they are two different systems...but aligning the two metering systems to measure the same way under the same name (center weight) would have made more sense from a user interface perspective...same name means it does the same thing...otherwise name it something else for starters..(or state it in your brochure that it may not give the same result)...

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...it would have been nice if the center-weight metering in LV was the same as in normal view.

Well—it is, basically. It's not exactly the same but close enough to not make any difference in real life. If your camera is different then maybe it's time for a visit at Customer Care.

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