M6 at night - how to meter?

[Knipsknecht]

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Hey everybody,

just a quick question: Do you have any advice for using a M6 at night? Can I rely on the built in meter? And have you any recommendations on how to meter at night (depending on the scene/the light)? Ah, and I don‘t want to use a tripod, so I will use some faster film and a fast lens (probably either my 50mm or my 35mm Summilux).

Thanks for your advice!!!

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[earleygallery]

The M6 meter will work up to a point where it runs out of range (I'm not sure what that level is). However metering at night really depends on the scene, what you want to exposre for and  requires you to bracket exposure IMHO. Using a tripod may not be a choice!

Experiment with some various scenes and keep notes of exposures/ISO for future reference.

[spydrxx]

The jiffy Exposure Calculator with its scene descriptions and calculator is a good starting place - you just print it out and assemble the pieces so the left hand piece slides in the windows you cut out of the "wrapper". Been using it for over 30 years in low light with better results than metering.

jiffy exposure calculator.pdf

[TomB_tx]

Night scenes? A Pentax LX will do auto exposures to 20 minutes or more, metering off the film. However focusing an SLR in such light is iffy.

But I agree - my M6 meter does not range as low as I would like for dim scenes - but I can focus it!

[250swb]

No the M6 meter is not good enough, so look for a hand held meter like the Gossen Lunarsix. On the other hand just shoot a film with guesswork and some notes and shoot your next film exposure based on that. 

I've been a theatre photographer (often dark and moody) and other than knowing what your film does it's knowing how to process it, so exposure is only one part of the equation.

[ckuwajima]

After a suitable exposure is found, you will need to compensate exposure for reciprocity failure characteristics for the film being used.

[pgk]

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No centre-weighted meter will give you a valid meter reading for night scenes. To meter them you need to know what you are trying to achieve. And scenes vary depending on the lighting in them. You either need to use a handheld meter and take numerous readings to determine what it is that should be a mid-tone, if that is there is one, or experiment by taking images of the scenes you see and take notes to learn what works for your requirements. Digital is a far, far quicker way to determine a 'correct' exposure in such circumstances.

[Knipsknecht]

Hey folks,

thanks a lot for your answers! Think, I will use a "test" film and take some notes while shooting😉

[Chuck Albertson]

For starters, when photographing a "cityscape" at night, try an exposure 10 stops less than the basic daylight exposure (i.e., using the "sunny 16" rule).

[colint544]

I used to have an M6, and beyond a certain point of low light the meter simply wouldn't work. In that situation you can't really go wrong by guessing, and erring on the side of caution (widest aperture, exposure time as slow as you dare)

[Dennis]

Of course depending on the light situation, the film you are using, and how fast is your lens. But if you want to guess, try with these settings as starting point.

1/125 - f/2.8 - ASA 3200

1/30 - f/2.8 - ASA 800

1/30 - f/2 - ASA 400

1/30 - f/1.4 - ASA 100

They are all equivalent exposures. They work for me

[pippy]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:23 PM, 250swb said:

...look for a hand held meter...

This is the best advice if you expect to be shooting night-time scenes often. If you have a friendly camera dealership I suggest you go in and have a chat with someone who knows their stuff. Tell them you will be using it in low light-levels because some are fine during daylight times but not so useful when it gets gloomy.

As others have already mentioned depending on what, exactly, you are shooting and how, exactly, you want it to look in the final print you will probably need to adjust your approach but having a decent idea of the basic exposure is always going to be a good starting point.

Philip.

[Knipsknecht]

Again, thanks a lot for your advice, guys! This helps a lot!!!

[giannis]

On 5/18/2020 at 9:14 PM, Knipsknecht said:

Can I rely on the built in meter?

Absolutely. If the light is too low for the meter to measure it accurately, it's definitely too low to shoot handheld in the first place. Also, in artificial lights, our eyes are fooled even more easily than daylight (rods and cones in our eyes, rods are more sensitive to luminosity but less to colour), i.e. film sees the scene much closer to how the meter sees it than your eyes.

As for *how* to meter, well, pick your subject and prioritise that, let the highlights fall where they may. Lightsources and specular highlights will be blocked anyway, no point metering them. Point the rf patch at what your subject is (a face? a street? a car?) and expose for that. If in doubt, overexpose (with negative film).

[Knipsknecht]

@giannis, thanks a lot for your advice😎👍! In general, I want to shoot in more or less well lit urban surroundings. But, as I know already from shooting at night with digital cameras, the rapid fall-off between bright areas with (artificial) light and much darker areas can be pretty challenging. But I think/ hope, that film could be a little more forgiving than a digital sensor.

Anyway, thanks a lot😉👋!!!

[giannis]

2 hours ago, Knipsknecht said:

@giannis, thanks a lot for your advice😎👍! In general, I want to shoot in more or less well lit urban surroundings. But, as I know already from shooting at night with digital cameras, the rapid fall-off between bright areas with (artificial) light and much darker areas can be pretty challenging. But I think/ hope, that film could be a little more forgiving than a digital sensor.

Anyway, thanks a lot😉👋!!!

No worries mate.

To expand a bit more on the meter, the M6 has a meter that can go down to LV-1, that means a correct exposure at a light level that requires f/1.4 and 1second shutter speed using ISO400 film. Or f/1.4 at 1/8 of a second using ISO3200. Those are not handholdable exposures and also reciprocity failure doesn't apply yet (it usually applies to exposures above 1-4 seconds). 1/8 is right on the verge of handholdable, if you have very steady hands and/or a wideangle lens. Anything darker than that is not handholdable at all. So in the situations where the light is too dark to meter, the exposure time will be too slow to handhold anyway. In such cases, set the aperture wide open, shutter speed as slow as you can handhold, and see what you can save in post. Or use a tripod of course  

In practical terms, a distant cityscape is about LV1, i.e. two stops higher than the minimum your lightmeter can do, so the meter is perfectly serviceable. For closer ups of buildings, floodlit or under strong streetlamps, it can be two stops lighter or even more. Hence you're definitely safe in any case.

So if you want to maintain detail, meter in a shadow area. Avoid pointing the meter at highlights. The highlights like lightsources will be "blown" anyway, so no need to make the whole picture too dark in trying to save them. Negative film handles blown highlights (streetlamps etc.) gracefully, so it's a nice look anyway. Of course the best way personally is to use a tripod, aperture stopped down for good sharpness, overexpose at least 1 stop (also taking reciprocity into account), then maybe pull 1 stop in development (i.e. develop for 15% less time than normal), to tame contrast.

Here's an (extreme) example like that, on tripod of course, of a very dimly lit scene (mostly moonlight) and of high contrast. That was around 30mins of exposure (you can see the moon travelling on the upper right), at around f/8-f/11, using Acros.

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[Knipsknecht]

Thanks mate! Very helpful advise and beautiful photo👍! I will see what I can achieve😅.