M6 Metering

[CaptainScarlet]

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Good morning all

I've recently picked up an M6 and am having difficulty with the metering and was wondering if in fact I need to send it in for calibration?

Running ISO 400 on what are very cloudy days here in Oxfordshire at the moment, shooting at /500sec, the meter requires the Summicron 50 to be stopped down to F16 for correct exposure

Breaking out my FM2, with my 50/1.2 also at ISO 400, at /500, the Nikon is telling me correct exposure is at F4. This has exposed correctly for years.

I know the meters are slightly different (spot vs centre weighted I believe), but should there be that much of a variation? If the day was any brighter I would need ND filters for shooting the Leica, so it seems to me to be overly sensitive to light?

 

Any thoughts?

[david strachan]

It sounds about right  considering the ISO you are running.

Also depends on how bright your cloud coverage is...some can be very bright.

 

Try another exposure meter...the mobile phone apps have some excellent meters for free.

[CaptainScarlet]

13 minutes ago, david strachan said:

It sounds about right  considering the ISO you are running.

Also depends on how bright your cloud coverage is...some can be very bright.

 

Try another exposure meter...the mobile phone apps have some excellent meters for free.

Thanks. I tried two exposure meters on the iPhone, both are saying F5.6 and I've also tried an Hedeco Flash Shoe mounted meter, also saying F5.6. 

[Mute-on]

Firstly you should install brand new SR44 batteries in the M6, making sure the battery flat spring is free of any gunk or corrosion (swab with isopropyl alcohol or similar). When metering, and to compare with another camera or external light meter, you obviously want the lens to cover a scene with consistent lighting across the frame, not mixed lighting with extreme highlights and shadows. You should be within a stop or so, all things being equal. 

Edited September 7, 2024 by Mute-on

[TomB_tx]

You also might try "exercising" both the ISO dial and shutter speed dial to help clean any dirty internal contacts. Also (when you can open the back) clean the contacts between the back and body that transfer the ISO setting to the meter.

[LocalHero1953]

When comparing two meters with different coverage areas, try metering a uniform scene with no sky anywhere near it e.g. a brick wall, dense foliage. Most of the metering problems I encounter are due to (a) different exposure metering coverage and (b) the amount of sky in the metered scene, which can vary dramatically with just a slight change of angle up or down.

Edited September 7, 2024 by LocalHero1953

[Fotoklaus]

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Therefore grey cards were invented.

[hansvons]

This is how I checked my M6’s meter when I got the camera: take an incident meter (I use the Seconic “egg”) and measure the key light. Then, take the camera and measure the same key light on a slightly tanned Caucasian face.

My iPhone’s Light Me app pretty much matches the Seconic, so does the M6.

21 hours ago, LocalHero1953 said:

Most of the metering problems I encounter are due to (a) different exposure metering coverage and (b) the amount of sky in the metered scene, which can vary dramatically with just a slight change of angle up or down.

Exactly. 

Due to its spot-like nature, the M6 meter is particularly prone to underexpose cityscapes and landscapes by measuring bright horizons that turn regular shots into silhouettes. When you digitize a negative, it’s much easier to pull information from seemingly blown highlights than open up dark shadows that are supposed to be mid-tones. These, by the way, are the targets that should be measured.

I use the meter in the M6 only to get an idea of the environment. I never use the meter slavishly from shot to shot. Plus, I rate a stock's EI (exposure index) one stop lower, especially with colour negative. TriX is an exception, so is HP5 and Kentmere400. Delta100, however, benefits from lower EI. Maybe tabular-grained stocks are more picky. 

[Anbaric]

On 9/7/2024 at 11:19 AM, CaptainScarlet said:

Thanks. I tried two exposure meters on the iPhone, both are saying F5.6 and I've also tried an Hedeco Flash Shoe mounted meter, also saying F5.6. 

This sounds a lot more plausible than f/16 if your weather is like mine in London. As above, make sure you are metering from some uniform surface with no sky in the frame when testing, and check contacts etc. Does the meter reading actually change if you rotate the shutter speed or ISO dial?