View camera exposing with DSLR

Darryl Roberts · Aug 21, 2020

Greetings,

Pros, cons please of using a DSLR as a View Camera's (or any film camera's) meter.

Advanced thank you

David A. Goldfarb · Aug 21, 2020

Landscapes focused at infinity or off in the distance, no problem, except maybe reciprocity factor in low light. Filter factor, of course, but you already knew that.

Anything relatively close or indoors, don’t forget bellows factor and reciprocity factor that may come along with it.

Either way, it’s pretty much the same as using any kind of external light meter—it just happens to be in a camera. If there’s something the meter can’t see (filter factor, bellows factor, reciprocity factor), it has to be calculated in.

Paul Howell · Aug 21, 2020

I use both hand held meters and at times a Sigma D10 with 17 to 50 in Matrix metering or Pentax K200 with 18 to 70, what like about the Pentax it as a mono mode so I preview in black and white, then guess contrast with filter. The Sigma D10 is surprising accurate. With a long lens 70 to 300 in spot meter you get a very small angle of view that I;ve use for zone. This weekend I going to shoot some 4X5 and plan on taking the Sigma and as a back up, Gossen SBC.

Darryl Roberts · Aug 21, 2020

Paul Howell said:
I use both hand held meters and at times a Sigma D10 with 17 to 50 in Matrix metering or Pentax K200 with 18 to 70, what like about the Pentax it as a mono mode so I preview in black and white, then guess contrast with filter. The Sigma D10 is surprising accurate. With a long lens 70 to 300 in spot meter you get a very small angle of view that I;ve use for zone. This weekend I going to shoot some 4X5 and plan on taking the Sigma and as a back up, Gossen SBC.

Thank you

Pieter12 · Aug 21, 2020

I often use a digital camera (mirrorless or DSLR) in manual mode at the same ISO if possible, to check lighting when I use strobes. If the digital camera's screen is accurate enough, I can adjust the exposure--either the lights or the aperture, and get a reading that pretty much corresponds to my flash meter's reading.

Darryl Roberts · Aug 21, 2020

Pieter12 said:
I often use a digital camera (mirrorless or DSLR) in manual mode at the same ISO if possible, to check lighting when I use strobes. If the digital camera's screen is accurate enough, I can adjust the exposure--either the lights or the aperture, and get a reading that pretty much corresponds to my flash meter's reading.

View camera exposing with DSLR

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