Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/21

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Luna Pro Digital vs. Analog
From: Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 17:26:03 -0800

At 12:01 AM 01/19/2001 -0800, Damien wrote:
>My first and only meter is the Luna Pro F.  This meter with it's null
>metering system, enables me to easily compute zones.  Are the digital
>meters able to do this also?

As the *very* happy new owner of  a Luna Pro Digital, I'll say "yes."  The 
Luna Pro Digital does not have any kind of calculator dial or zone system 
scale.  But it has a feature that makes it just as handy for much zone-ish 
stuff.  It's called "contrast measurement."

In normal operation with the Luna Pro Digital, you take a reading by 
briefly pressing the Measure button.  The appropriate f-number  appears 
almost instantly, paired with whatever shutter speed you've previously 
selected.  The reading displays in BIG digits, with a smaller number 
representing *tenths* of a stop. Also, a little bar shows up in the 
appropriate place on an f-stop "bar graph" at the bottom of the display, 
rounded to the nearest half stop.  Once you take the reading, you can press 
the up/down buttons to display other shutter speeds, and the number and bar 
change accordingly.

To make a contrast measurement, you hold down the Measure button and point 
the meter at the important parts of the scene.  The numbers show the values 
read at the instant the button was pressed.  But the bars on the f-stop 
scale now show the range between the lowest and highest illumination read, 
with the bar representing the current measurement blinking.  Release the 
button, and everything stays on the display (except the blink) until you 
press the Measure button again.  As with normal operation, you can now 
select other shutter speeds, and f-stop numbers and bar graph change 
accordingly.

This effectively gives you a "three-point" display if you measure your most 
important mid-tone as you press the button, and then go for your brightest 
important highlight and your deepest important shadow.  You see the entire 
range on the f-stop scale bars, and your mid-tone value on the numbers.  At 
this point, you can start thinking about placement and plus/minus 
development stuff.

You may want to take three or more separate measurements in very complex 
scenes, or with slow slide film where you'd rather have the numbers' 
greater precision for all readings, rather than the half-stop rounding of 
the "bar graph."

In general, I'm finding the digital meter different from the analog meter, 
but never worse and usually better.  No more fiddling with dials. No more 
waiting for the pointer to stabilize.  No more "squinterpolating" to read 
1/3-stop dots on the calculator dial. I may miss watching the moving 
pointer of my old LunaSix 3.  With "high tech" you sometimes lose "high 
touch."  But the gain in speed and ease of measurement seems well worth it.

I'm sure other digital meters have somthing akin to the "contrast 
measurement" feature discussed above.  But I didn't necessarily find this 
in the specs on manufacturer and camera store web sites.  I had to actually 
go into a store, read the manuals and play with the meters.  Thank you, 
Glazer's Camera!  And thanks again to everyone on the list who sent me 
light meter advice this past week.

- --Peter Klein
Seattle, WA