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center weighted metering question


fursan

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Coming from Nikons, I know the weighting that is given by the camera light meter

to the lighting levels defined by the center circle when using any of the metering modes.

 

Please tell me how the light level weighting is decided by the MP? I can chimp on the M8

and have got it where I want it, but the MP..

 

The experts here are the ones that surely can answer this for me. With my ZM i found

I was overexposing and had to dial in negative exp. compensation consistently?

 

Thanks.

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Paul, thank you for pointing me in the right direction. I shall wait till I receive the MP

( and the manual ) which I hope is included without extra charge :)

 

Thanks.

 

I think this may answer what you are asking but if not, sorry. The MP manual has a diagram of the metered area dependant on the lens used and shows the exposure area details related to that lens.
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I don't know whether the metering pattern for the MP differs from the classic M6 - I would think not. When Modern Photography or Popular Photography (don't remember which) tested the metering pattern in their M6 test report (back in 1984 or so), the diagram looked very similar to a center-weighted Nikon pattern. It was *not* a sharply-defined spot pattern, contrary to what you might have thought, looking at the white dot on the first curtain.

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My understanding on an M film camera, is that outside the metering 'spot' or area there is no light measurement taking place - unlike the centre - weighted Nikon systems which are approx 80% in the centre and 20% outside the circle or there abouts.

 

Regards,

David

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Just a mushy circle in the middle that becomes more of a spot the wider your lens. Wouldnt worry about it too much. Your exposure is probably more affected by your determination of the appropriate part of the frame to meter, its greyscale, and the sort of film you use.

 

I dont knkwo how much of Allan Brewers stuff is archived, but have a look through that. He rarely cocks up exposure, I think I have only ever seen three, and I asked him about it one day and he said "I just point the camera and expose off the meter for where its pointed"..or words to that effect.

 

I selectively expose, and recompose all the time, and more often than not muck up exposure. You would think there would be a lesson in that.:(:D

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My understanding on an M film camera, is that outside the metering 'spot' or area there is no light measurement taking place - unlike the centre - weighted Nikon systems which are approx 80% in the centre and 20% outside the circle or there abouts.

 

Regards,

David

 

The test I referred to showed otherwise. I'll try to dig up the article and scan the diagram.

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Well there you go. Shows how much I dont know. !2mm blob thats about 1/2 format height, 1/3 format width. So yea it does change size in the viewfinder. p86,87-89 downloadable instructions manual at some place called leica-camera.com...or ... page 91 of the pdf.

 

.....[ATTACH]58922[/ATTACH]

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David,

 

I too thought so too. guess have to re-evaluate.

 

My understanding on an M film camera, is that outside the metering 'spot' or area there is no light measurement taking place - unlike the centre - weighted Nikon systems which are approx 80% in the centre and 20% outside the circle or there abouts.

 

Regards,

David

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Hi Rob, thanks for the graphics. It does vary considerabl with the fl. small blob with

heavy weighting!

 

I have much more to learn than you.

 

hawking the M8...no, we do that with the nikon telepotos:)

 

I am nearing retirement and God has been kind to me. amongst numerous other things,

He has given me the opportunity to indulge in certain pleasures that were beyond my

reach in my younger days.

 

Best.

Just a mushy circle in the middle that becomes more of a spot the wider your lens. Wouldnt worry about it too much. Your exposure is probably more affected by your determination of the appropriate part of the frame to meter, its greyscale, and the sort of film you use.

 

I dont knkwo how much of Allan Brewers stuff is archived, but have a look through that. He rarely cocks up exposure, I think I have only ever seen three, and I asked him about it one day and he said "I just point the camera and expose off the meter for where its pointed"..or words to that effect.

 

I selectively expose, and recompose all the time, and more often than not muck up exposure. You would think there would be a lesson in that.:(:D

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I think this may answer what you are asking but if not, sorry. The MP manual has a diagram of the metered area dependant on the lens used and shows the exposure area details related to that lens.

 

May I try to clarify this?

 

The size of the area measured is always the same irrespective of the lens used if you put the area measured in relation to the negative size.

 

You can easily see what area is measured if you cock the shutter and take off the lens. It is the white circle on the shutter curtain that is measured.

 

The size of the area measured - expressed as percentage of the world you see when you do not look through the viewfinder - is of course smaller if you use a tele lens compared to what it would be if you use a wide angle lens.

 

I'm not all that sure that this clarifies the matter ,- (

 

Chris

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The size of the area measured is always the same irrespective of the lens used if you put the area measured in relation to the negative size.

 

Um....ahhh....No. Yes, no. Not quite sure what yo are saying.

Thats what I used to think too. See my post.

The blob is 1/2 frame high by 1/3 frame wide of what comes through the lens bayonet, i.e. on the negative, and in the viewfinder, entirely dependent on lens, so you go off the framelines...half frameline high by third frameline wide.:D

Always that proprtion of the appropriate frameline I think is how Leica explained it.

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Um....ahhh....No. Yes, no. Not quite sure what yo are saying.

Thats what I used to think too. See my post.

The blob is 1/2 frame high by 1/3 frame wide of what comes through the lens bayonet, i.e. on the negative, and in the viewfinder, entirely dependent on lens, so you go off the framelines...half frameline high by third frameline wide.:D

Always that proprtion of the appropriate frameline I think is how Leica explained it.

 

I think you are both saying the same thing. The metered area vs. the negative size never changes - it can't. The metered area vs. the correct frameline size doesn't change. What changes is the metered area vs. the *viewfinder* image as a whole.

 

Hopefully that makes sense...:D

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The MP's manual as I recall well states 13% of the frame.

This means that irrespective of the lens used the center bloc of the rule of thirds is roughly your metered area. ( more cicular than rectangular ;-))

And no this is not "imho", this is a fact, Chris is right on this.

The spot is the same each time no matter what lens is on your cam,

With a wider or narrower angle of view the dot measures equaly wider or narrower.

After all the confusion, gents and ladies do we get a grab on this now.

 

Sorry for my blunt language but this thread was turning into a mess imho;-)

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