Calibration target for monochrome camera

[marcg]

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I'm really not too sure where to post this question.

I'm talking about a monochrome camera so it's digital. On the other hand, if you are shooting black and white film – then it's film.

Anyway the question is that if one is thinking about calibrating a light meter – a Sekonic L 758 then you need a colour checker target. Colour if you are calibrating for colour film/digital camera – but what about for monochrome?
Can you still calibrate the light meter using a colour colour-checker chart (try saying that quickly!) or do you need a greyscale -colour-checker-chart?

 

Edited October 21, 2020 by marcg

[Steve Ricoh]

All you need is a standard reference grey card. 
I have the same light meter as you and use the Sekonic Reference Profile Target, although I didn’t pay anywhere near the price shown below.

https://www.parkcameras.com/shop/sekonic-exposure-profile-target-ii_j350813c?source=aw&awc=6241_1603300132_3f8f985344ccab641e3fe6bcfe8dd7aa&utm_source=AWIN&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=330163

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[marcg]

Yes. That is a shocking price. I've seen them for half of that.

Does this mean that you couldn't use an ex-right colour colour checker to calibrate a light meter for black and white photography?

[Steve Ricoh]

The Sekonic meter does not ‘see’ in colour, only in grey scales. The benefit of the profile target is that you an create a calibration profile, using the free Sekonic software, and download to the 758.
If you wish to use the colour checker choose green as the target, since green approximates to 18% reflectance, similar to the standard grey reference target.

Leica M’s, for example, meter from a reflective grey / silver target on the shutter curtain. The photodiode does not see in colour, it only ‘sees’ in grey scales. What Leica camera are you using?

 

Edited October 21, 2020 by Steve Ricoh

[marcg]

The xrite has a grey square - 18%.

I have an M9M.  I've been looking at this guy

 

 

[Chuck Albertson]

33 minutes ago, Steve Ricoh said:

The Sekonic meter does not ‘see’ in colour, only in grey scales. The benefit of the profile target is that you an create a calibration profile, using the free Sekonic software, and download to the 758.
If you wish to use the colour checker choose green as the target, since green approximates to 18% reflectance, similar to the standard grey reference target.

Leica M’s, for example, meter from a reflective grey / silver target on the shutter curtain. The photodiode does not see in colour, it only ‘sees’ in grey scales. What Leica camera are you using?

 

Thanks, Steve, I have a 478 and used the Sekonic chip chart to create a profile for my SL, but it never occurred to me to do the same for the M9M. I should probably do that today, except that we're currently experiencing a downpour.

[jaapv]

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2 hours ago, marcg said:

I'm really not too sure where to post this question.

I'm talking about a monochrome camera so it's digital. On the other hand, if you are shooting black and white film – then it's film.

Anyway the question is that if one is thinking about calibrating a light meter – a Sekonic L 758 then you need a colour checker target. Colour if you are calibrating for colour film/digital camera – but what about for monochrome?
Can you still calibrate the light meter using a colour colour-checker chart (try saying that quickly!) or do you need a greyscale -colour-checker-chart?

 

Just use the colourchecker passport; it has a greyscale. Limited, but more than sufficient for the  purpose. Basically you only need to set mid-grey, black point and white point. Zones 1, 5 and 10.

[Steve Ricoh]

3 hours ago, Chuck Albertson said:

Thanks, Steve, I have a 478 and used the Sekonic chip chart to create a profile for my SL, but it never occurred to me to do the same for the M9M. I should probably do that today, except that we're currently experiencing a downpour.

Can’t speak for the 478 but the 758 can be calibrated for more than one camera, making it easy to switch back and forth between cameras. (I might be wrong, but something at the back of my head says up to 4 different camera profiles can be loaded into the lightmeter.) Using the calibration software, mentioned earlier, does require the Sekonic Reference Profile Target.

Having discussed handheld lightmeters and calibration, I don’t use the handheld that often tending to rely on the inbuilt camera meter. I simply aim at something I guess is middle grey, eg grass, and adjust for the scene and how I want to expose for the final image.

[Chuck Albertson]

2 hours ago, Steve Ricoh said:

Can’t speak for the 478 but the 758 can be calibrated for more than one camera, making it easy to switch back and forth between cameras. (I might be wrong, but something at the back of my head says up to 4 different camera profiles can be loaded into the lightmeter.) Using the calibration software, mentioned earlier, does require the Sekonic Reference Profile Target.

Having discussed handheld lightmeters and calibration, I don’t use the handheld that often tending to rely on the inbuilt camera meter. I simply aim at something I guess is middle grey, eg grass, and adjust for the scene and how I want to expose for the final image.

The 478 can load multiple profiles for different cameras. Besides flash photography, I use it a lot for day-to-day, especially when the light is pretty constant and I have the SL set to manual exposure. The built-in meter is great, as is the exposure preview, so I don't have any excuses for blowing the exposure. Not that it's ever happened to me...

[BrianS]

Will you be using color contrast filters with the M Monochrom? The response of the CCD starts to differ from the photocell used for the meter with deeper filters used. I find compensation required for O56 and R60 filters. You may want to check the response of the handheld meter against that of the camera using deeper filters.