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Silly question: verify that onboard metering works, without film test

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jay moussy

jay moussy

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I am taking my Nikon EM on a trip, and I do not remember if the metering is functional on not.
Short on time, I cannot do a film test - and I need new batteries, first!

Best or quick way to verify that metering is functional, given the camera minimal metering feedback?

I have other cameras (including "computers") and hand light meter on hand.
 
No way to be absolutely sure without film.

But use your iPhone on 120 fps in video mode to see if the slit in the shutter gets smaller with more light at high aperture.

Observe if the camera stops down properly.
Make note of how the blades looks stopped to a certain aperture and see if it matches that when you fire.

And of course the needle should match the correct metering with a verified meter.
Meter daylight without clouds on a white wall or paper.
The center weighted meter of the camera might have different opinions than say a handheld meter pointed at the same target.

IME the most common flaw with the camera is the aperture follower having erratic behavior. It can sometimes be cured by simply “massaging” the ring a few times.
 
Last edited:
Set the ISO to 400, then in bright sun with the shutter speed at 1/500 the f/stop should be f/16.
 
Sunny f-16 rule -- point the camera at a northen blue sky with the lens at f16. The recommended shutter speed should be about the ISO of the film
 
Helge said:
“A” mode only or 90 manual on this one.
Click to expand...

No way to check, other that to expose some frames with that camera, and also expose some frames with a known-good camera at the same time (so that lighting itself is not the variable), and look for similar density frames on FILM from the two cameras (printing equalizes dissimilar film density, prints are not a good indicator)

IF the camera has a visual display of shutter speed and aperture combination determined by the meter, no film needs to be exposed...that is the shortcoming of a Auto exposure camera which does not let you know what the meter has chosen for shutter speed and aperture combination
 
Set the ISO to miniumum - which is ISO 25.

Now pay attention listening to the shutter speeds and how they change as you increase and decrease the aperture setting. Do it indoors, in shade, in direct light.

That is your ruff n' ready does your exposure meter work test.
 
Use a shutter tester like the Kyoritsu EF-8000. It has a calibrated light source and you can check both the meter indication and shutter accuracy.
 
Chan Tran said:
Use a shutter tester like the Kyoritsu EF-8000. It has a calibrated light source and you can check both the meter indication and shutter accuracy.
Click to expand...

A shutter tester verifies the speed accuracy of the shutter (vs. the marked speed)...it cannot tell if the meter is telliing the shutter the wrong speed to use when the camera has no display of the shutter speed commanded by the meter
 
wiltw said:
A shutter tester verifies the speed accuracy of the shutter (vs. the marked speed)...it cannot tell if the meter is telliing the shutter the wrong speed to use when the camera has no display of the shutter speed commanded by the meter
Click to expand...

The EM shows shutter speeds in the VF.
I briefly had an EM but it suffered from the notorious failure of the auto aperture indexing failing. A cable or 'string' inside the camera breaks w age.

I really liked the size/feel of that camera, which made/makes me want an FG - same look/size, but with manual mode as well as AE.
 
wiltw said:
A shutter tester verifies the speed accuracy of the shutter (vs. the marked speed)...it cannot tell if the meter is telliing the shutter the wrong speed to use when the camera has no display of the shutter speed commanded by the meter
Click to expand...

Yes if he uses the Kyoritsu EF-8000. It has calibrated light source that can be set from EV15 ro EV9 to test meter.
 
sorry, silver, but it does have finger grip!

Listed on this site. Dirt cheap too, only the equivalent of 2 N80's. (depending on how good of an ebailer you are)

I actually bought it here too.

Hope you enjoyed this short commercial break, Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming
 
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I’d go where you have a light on a dimmer and aim the camera at the wall.

Make it brighter and darker and take some shots listening for the shutter to react to less or more light appropriately.

If you can fire with the back open watch the shutter and confirm it’s doing what it should, opening up.

Go out and look at something really bright (avoid directly looking at the sun) and make sure the shutter doesn’t “cap”. Many cameras in need of repair show signs of capping at the highest shutter speeds (where the shutter curtains cover each other up over part of the travel).
 
Well...
I do develop my own, and yes, there is a shutter speed metering indicator in viewfinder.
I will meter in-camera, and compare with my basic Sekonic, and maybe another camera's findings.
I also have an FG waiting on the shelf, if I am not happy with the EM situation- funny, way back, I created a thread about which of the two i should favor!
 
jay moussy said:
Well...
I do develop my own, and yes, there is a shutter speed metering indicator in viewfinder.
I will meter in-camera, and compare with my basic Sekonic, and maybe another camera's findings.
I also have an FG waiting on the shelf, if I am not happy with the EM situation- funny, way back, I created a thread about which of the two i should favor!
Click to expand...

Great that there is a shutter speed indicator. Find yourself an area which is relatively featureless, and which can be illuminated uniformly by a light source...aim the cameras at that area. Set all meters to same ISO, and see if they all give 'same exposure' (equivalent combinations of shutterspeed + aperture)

Even if the meters have different angles of view or biasing regions, the 'uniformly-illuminated featureless' character means that all meters will read the area similarly, and the readings should match (ideally) or be within about +-1/2EV of each other...even spotmeters vs evaluative vs.averaging vs center-bias design meters.
 
jay moussy said:
Well...
I do develop my own, and yes, there is a shutter speed metering indicator in viewfinder.
I will meter in-camera, and compare with my basic Sekonic, and maybe another camera's findings.
I also have an FG waiting on the shelf, if I am not happy with the EM situation- funny, way back, I created a thread about which of the two i should favor!
Click to expand...

Take the FG! It is the same size and form as the EM, but with more capability!

But does the meter work in the FG?
 
Huss said:
Take the FG! It is the same size and form as the EM, but with more capability!

But does the meter work in the FG?
Click to expand...

Yes!
I have been ignoring the FG, as my thinking was EM = walkaround, but the FG should do that, and more. It was found at the local reuse&recycle, some time ago, and needed some TLC, which I fixed.

Fresh batteries on the way, and 35mm lens(?) I swear I had a 35-70 around, don't see it.
 
jay moussy said:
Well...
I do develop my own, and yes, there is a shutter speed metering indicator in viewfinder.
I will meter in-camera, and compare with my basic Sekonic, and maybe another camera's findings.
I also have an FG waiting on the shelf, if I am not happy with the EM situation- funny, way back, I created a thread about which of the two i should favor!
Click to expand...

Don’t use artificial light. LEDs have an uneven spectrum and flicker. Tungsten a drooping spectrum.
Use daylight from a cloudless sky on a white surface.

Never liked the FG. It’s an EM with parts from an FE bolted on. Not a pretty or well thought out camera.
The EM (blue button, coarse leather preferably) is one of Giorgetto Giugiaro three personal masterpieces for Nikon.
Don’t fuck with the formula!
It was designed as an answer to the huge success of the Pentax ME and similar cameras.
Adding manual was never necessary or a good idea.
 
jay moussy said:
I am taking my Nikon EM on a trip, and I do not remember if the metering is functional on not.
Short on time, I cannot do a film test - and I need new batteries, first!

Best or quick way to verify that metering is functional, given the camera minimal metering feedback?

I have other cameras (including "computers") and hand light meter on hand.
Click to expand...

see if it zomplies with ithe 'sunny 16' rule on a bright sunny day! If so, it's plenty accurate.
 
Testing together two variables - meter accuracy and shutter accuracy - will drive you nuts. If the film test results are off, how would you know which is causing it or both? Check each separately.
 
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