aero Posted December 7, 2007 Share #1 Posted December 7, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi All, I picked up a brand new .72 Black Painted MP yesterday with 50mm Summilux-M. All I can say is, yummy :-) I'm a newby, dipping back into film. I'm so excited to be back to basics after all this time - and with such a great piece of equipment. The information here has been infinitely useful - a big thank you to all who contribute! ...the bad news, I think my built in meter is bad :-( It always blinks the left arrow as though very underexposed. It doesn't matter what ISO, Aperture or speed I set the camera too. Always blinking left arrow... The lens cap is off, the battery is tested and fresh (3.10 v meter reading)... The dealer is locating a new MP for me, but I wondered how common this is? Could I be missing something simple? Thanks, and looking forward to reading more great info here, -Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 7, 2007 Posted December 7, 2007 Hi aero, Take a look here New MP, broken meter!. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
meatboy Posted December 7, 2007 Share #2 Posted December 7, 2007 Dan, congratulations on your new MP and welcome to the forum. I can suggest buying a new battery and trying that in the camera even if the one supplied seems to be ok. For the cost of a new battery its worth trying and you'd have a spare even if the supplied one is ok. The battery that came with my MP lasted only days or weeks as I recall but the replacement I put in is still going. Best Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanyr Posted December 7, 2007 Share #3 Posted December 7, 2007 Hi Dan, I think your MP's meter is not working. if the left arrow is blinking I think it indicates a severe underexposure. Maybe you can look into the camera without the lens mounted and see if there is something obscuring the meter. The MP is a really nice camera, hope you get a working one soon. Best Regards, Yann Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubenkok Posted December 7, 2007 Share #4 Posted December 7, 2007 Hi Dan, This is in the manual: Automatic battery check If the battery-shaped LED lights up in addition to the light balance LEDs (A), the batteries will soon need to be replaced. However, accurate exposure metering is still possible at that point. If the batteries are too weak to guarantee the camera’s electronic exposure metering function, the battery-shaped LED only lights up while the shutter release is pressed down to the pressure point, or the displays disappear altogether. In such cases, you can continue taking photographs with exposure settings based on an estimate or using an external manual exposure meter. So this indicates that it is not the quality of the battery I would try a new battery first Hope this is some help all the best, Ruben Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted December 7, 2007 Share #5 Posted December 7, 2007 That doesn't sound like the battery. Sounds like something's obstructing the light trying to get to the meter if the left diode is blinking. Have you taken any shots with the camera? How did they turn out? The answers might be informative in this regard. You can shoot without the meter, of course, if you are fairly experienced with the camera (obviously begs the question in your circumstance) or you have a handheld meter to help you. At any rate, you've done the right thing returning the camera. Let's hope a replacement is not long on its way to you. Thanks. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aero Posted December 8, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted December 8, 2007 Hi All, Thanks so much for the information and effort - I was able to shoot with the MP today using a Gossen meter, and the results were quite decent. The dealer is replacing the body for me next week, so all will be well. It was actually kind of a blessing in disguise, since the handheld meter was easier to use for my first excursion. So, my first time out of the gate with a rangefinder or film (always a digital person), and I have to say, I'm just really pleased. With no film or rangefinder experience, my first batch had 6 fair "keepers". I'm not really controlling the outcome yet in terms of intent, but I can see it coming... What a great way to shoot. Fully manual, intentional, slowly planned and silent. I hate to say it, but I feel apart from the hordes of digital snappers now - this feels hands on and "real". I'll never give up my 5D for paying gigs, but for my free art work, this is so much fun. I'll be picking a film scanner in the morning, and promise to report results :-) All the best, -Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
atwood1202 Posted December 20, 2007 Share #7 Posted December 20, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) i also bought a new m7 and after about 8 rolls or so... the shutter stuck free fix by leica ( about 6 months) or minimum of 200$ at local shop i chose the latter i was dissapointed but it in no way will keep me from getting another mark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted December 20, 2007 Share #8 Posted December 20, 2007 So, my first time out of the gate with a rangefinder or film (always a digital person), and I have to say, I'm just really pleased. With no film or rangefinder experience, my first batch had 6 fair "keepers". I'm not really controlling the outcome yet in terms of intent, but I can see it coming... All the best, -Dan Great The MP is a terrific camera and it does force you to become a better photographer, understand and use all those principles that you thought you'd never master when you started learning exposure Speaking of failed internal meters and batteries.... I really think everyone should have a hand-held meter available to them A Sekonic L358 is all the meter you'll ever need, small and lightweight with a strap, upgradable to wireless strobe triggering and reasonably priced (for photo equipment) I think I paid under two bills for mine from someone on Photo.net and it's been a real blessing in everyday use Thanks Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aero Posted December 20, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted December 20, 2007 Hi Allan, Sorry for the remedial question, if you have an in-camera meter, what do you use your Sekonic for? I've grown fond of being able to nail the fstop and shutter speed of a scene instantly instead of hunting for it in the viewfinder, but not sure enough to carry one often. I don't shoot flash on my MP... Many thanks, -D Great The MP is a terrific camera and it does force you to become a better photographer, understand and use all those principles that you thought you'd never master when you started learning exposure Speaking of failed internal meters and batteries.... I really think everyone should have a hand-held meter available to them A Sekonic L358 is all the meter you'll ever need, small and lightweight with a strap, upgradable to wireless strobe triggering and reasonably priced (for photo equipment) I think I paid under two bills for mine from someone on Photo.net and it's been a real blessing in everyday use Thanks Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted December 20, 2007 Share #10 Posted December 20, 2007 Hey Aero! Actually I've gotten to where I don't use either (very much) anymore--just kind of know what I'm doing and set the meter and f-stop and go Everyone will probably flip out over this but I use the meter more for digital work than anything, usually indoors but also in outdoor conditions I find digital exposure much harder for me to get right than film Thanks Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. white Posted December 20, 2007 Share #11 Posted December 20, 2007 Actually I've gotten to where I don't use either (very much) anymore--just kind of know what I'm doing and set the meter and f-stop and go I find digital exposure much harder for me to get right than film After many years of practice, metering becomes second nature. I like to play a little game of guessing the exposure first and metering second. Nine times out of ten, the guess is spot on. Of course this can mostly be accounted for by using the "sunny-16" rule. I agree about metering for digital - in my experience, sensors are less forgiving than slide film of exposure variances. Even with their wider dynamic range, representing every tone without incurring noise is largely a matter of how much light hit the sensor at the time of exposure. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted December 20, 2007 Share #12 Posted December 20, 2007 After many years of practice, metering becomes second nature. I like to play a little game of guessing the exposure first and metering second. Nine times out of ten, the guess is spot on. Of course this can mostly be accounted for by using the "sunny-16" rule. Yes, that's pretty much what I do too I know in Indiana springtime and early summer that shutter speed 500 and F 5.6 is almost always right for sun-lit afternoon shooting with 100 speed film, and back off to f4.0 as the evening approaches If I check the internal meter at all on the MP it's just to confirm that everything is like it should be (I have forgotten to change the ISO on occasion, and the meter bails me out) The Sekonic is very helpful shooting digital portraits indoors. That's where I really get the most out of it, and when using flash indoors The sum of all this is: with film you've got plenty of latitude, so take advantage of it Thanks Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted December 20, 2007 Share #13 Posted December 20, 2007 Hi Allan, Sorry for the remedial question, if you have an in-camera meter, what do you use your Sekonic for? I've grown fond of being able to nail the fstop and shutter speed of a scene instantly instead of hunting for it in the viewfinder, but not sure enough to carry one often. I don't shoot flash on my MP... Many thanks, -D I use one to take incident light readings which I generally prefer, especially for portraiture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aero Posted December 21, 2007 Author Share #14 Posted December 21, 2007 Thanks for the tips! I think I'll likely pickup a used one after the holidays. I've noticed that I'm still surprised by my meter readings... experience, no doubt will help a lot. I usually nail it when the light outside is uniform (bright sunny day) without much cloud cover - but I get confused and am often wrong when my subject is in a shadowy area and I have to deal with directional lighting. However, perhaps meters get it wrong in these cases too, so maybe I shouldn't feel so bad All the best, -Dan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
symmetron Posted December 21, 2007 Share #15 Posted December 21, 2007 Similar thing happened to me. I bought two brand new MPs and one had a faulty meter. Very frustrating, but Leica fixed it. If you ever send them in for servicing, ask Leica to also seal the viewfinder eyepiece. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted December 21, 2007 Share #16 Posted December 21, 2007 Similar thing happened to me. I bought two brand new MPs and one had a faulty meter. Very frustrating, but Leica fixed it. If you ever send them in for servicing, ask Leica to also seal the viewfinder eyepiece. Great points Joe. The MP meter seems quite finicky, and I don't know why. Thanks. Allan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafael_macia Posted December 23, 2007 Share #17 Posted December 23, 2007 I also had problems with one of my MP's meters. Everything would check out fine, voltage,contacts, but yet sometimes the diodes would not function. I switched between the two silver 76's for the 3v single battery, and that fixed it for a bit. Then it happened again. Leica had to adjust it. So yes, the MP, is sometimes prone to meter issues. Rafael Happy Holidays! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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