Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/04/05
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In a message dated 4/5/98 2:05:52 AM, you wrote:
<<I am not so much interested in theoretical or filosofic arguments, only
if one or the other way of implementing the multizone exposure system
results in better results in the field or not. Does the F5 system lead to
"better" results (or a higher number of usable shots) than the R8, as one
could imagine, or is this just hype?
>>
my photo editor at the Ogden (Utah) Standard-Examiner was going on the other
day about how the metering system of the Nikon F5 would just really allow him
to nail down exposures and get just really really great color in the paper.
As he was saying this he was holding a $2,000 F4 and standing next to a giant
Macintosh computer that he can use to make the colors of any negative in the
world, shot with any camera, stand up and do backflips.
Will color metering improve your pictures? Will multi-zone? Only if you lack a
brain and/or the ability to use it.
It's ALL hype. Sorry guys, but a compter that can tell what kind of light it
is looking at and adjust the meter accordingly is just replacing a good
incident meter. Ditto, multi-zone metering is replacing a spot meter (in
theory) and supposedly allowing you to get better exposures of all parts of
the negative -- shadow and highlight.
My photo editor is hoping the publisher will not know enough about photography
to know this and will buy him the latest toy. He needs that toy because he is
a mediocre photographer at best and needs technical deficiencies to blame.
("No, really boss, it was the $2,000 camera's fault!").
I use the spot metering mode in my R-3 and try to find average areas to meter
from, or measure highlights and lowlights and then average things out in my
alleged brain and bracket. I do the same when using my CL. When using my M3 I
have an MC meter on it but also take along an incident meter that also does a
reasonably good spot metering job and use it both ways. I watch what I'm
shooting and adjust exposure for light subjects or dark subjects, bright or
dim. I remember the different characteristics of the films (slide film deepens
colors when underexposed half a stop, color print when overexposed).
Unfortunately, the current hype is making people think the camera should do
all this thinking for them. But where's the fun, the artistic control, in
that?
Forget all the fancy metering modes. Go buy yourself what the pros (like my
brother the commercial photographer) use -- a good hand-held incident meter,
cost you a coupla hundred bucks but save the price of an R8 or an F5. I have a
Metrastar that does incident and reflected and it does a nice job. You REALLY
want good useable negatives, buy a book on the Zone system and learn it -- it
works but it is a LOT of work.
Remember that most negative film made today has so much latitude that the
camera almost doesn't matter -- it's made for people with point and shooters,
remember? And half of an f-stop one way or the other won't matter that much
and if you bracket you're covered, and that's all those fancy meters will give
you anyway.
For Black and white, buy Ilford XP-2 and expose it at 400. puts you right in
the center of the zone.
lecture done. go back to class.
charlie Trentelman
aka summicron1@aol.com