CdS match needle metering

Is it possible to obtain a correct 2-stop overexposure (bright snowy days) using this metering system? Would I set the needle in the center of the metering screen ie. for correct exposure and then open up the lens by 2 stops or drop the shutter speed by 2 stops? Bit confused this AM.Might need a bigger coffee jump-start.

Thanks

You got it perfectly right Mike, though for really bright snowy scenes you could even go +3 stops.


Pitxu.

Which camera is it Mike? Some had over/under exposure indication marks in stops or half stops on a scale, and some had a ring and needle. IIRC, on the Minolta SRT and Canon FT series, the ring was one stop across, so from center to edge of the ring was 1/2 stop. You could accurately estimate up to a couple of stops over or under in half stops using this method. Other cameras had indicator marks up and down the side of the finder.

I've used similar systems in SLRs and rangefinders, and there's usually a good way to find known points for over/under exposure amounts in the finder.

The way you're working it is fine, but if working speed is critical, knowing a few reference points for the meter needle can be helpful.

Lee

The camera I'm using today is a Pentax Spotmatic F.

I haven't used a Spotmatic F but on a few occasions, mostly when it was a current model, so I can't say where the reference points would be for half and full stop over and underexposure steps. It does have a layout that could serve that purpose. Put it on a tripod with a solid tone filling the field of view (you're simply looking for a constant meter reading here) and then adjust the aperture in half-stop steps and see just how far up and down along the "scale" it moves for each adjustment. I wouldn't be surprised if touching the tips of the black "fingers" framing the "correct exposure gap" would be +/- 1/2 stop. Find out how many stops away from the "correct" setting puts the needle at the top and bottom of the long clear slot (near the + and - marks). You should quickly get a feel for how much adjustment you've made in stops by just looking at the needle along that "scale".

Lee

Mike Kennedy said:

Is it possible to obtain a correct 2-stop overexposure (bright snowy days) using this metering system? Would I set the needle in the center of the metering screen ie. for correct exposure and then open up the lens by 2 stops or drop the shutter speed by 2 stops? Bit confused this AM.Might need a bigger coffee jump-start.

Click to expand...

I think this method of exposure compensation, i.e., setting the exposure then adjusting aperture or shutter speed two stops, is the best way to handle compensated exposures for all cameras.

Kudos to Mike. He embedded a good answer in his original question!

Jerry

If you consistently want a two stop overexposure, you can always set the exposure index for the meter to a slower speed, say 100 for an ISO 400 film. For the bright snow situation I find the correct standard reading, then adjust either/and shutter speed and ISO depending on what depth of field or medium shutter speed you need.
One reason I like old dial light meters like the Gossens is that they put the range of combinations right in front of you.

I have had no problem metering my OM-2 on snowy scenes. One stop compensation is probably closer to what you need, assuming you have blue sky and some buildings, trees, etc. in the composition.