Using an SLR as a light meter for Quarz-Zoom DS8-3

[tomharris]

Hey, everyone. I have a Quarz-Zoom DS8-3. Its solar light meter is, naturally, broken. In a previous post on here, someone recommended I use a camera as a light meter. Is there any way I can set the shutter speed on my SLR to roughly approximate that of my 8mm?

Thanks,

Tom

[mik]

times of exposure from manual :

12 fps = 1/23 sec.
18 fps = 1/34 sec.
24 fps = 1/45 sec.
36 fps = 1/68 sec.
1 frame (when 18 fps set) = 1/20 sec.

[tomharris]

Fantastic! So does this mean I set my SLR's shutter speed to, say, 1/30, and that would roughly tell me the aperture for filming at 18fps?

Thanks.
Tom

[Evan Kubota]

Is the DS8 a reflex camera? If so, you probably need to open it up maybe a half stop more than the indicated reading from the SLR's light meter to compensate for loss in the reflex system. Also make sure the ASA is set correctly on the SLR.

[monobath]

Set the film sensitivity appropriately too. E.g., if shooting Plus-X, set ASA 100. An inexpensive hand-held incident light meter might be more accurate and less fussy to use, though.

[tomharris]

Cool. I looked into incident light meters here, but they seem to run at about 100 dollars. Is that about what they normally cost in America?

Tom

[Evan Kubota]

New, maybe. I got a Sekonic S for $16 on eBay that works great.

[Actor]

Hey, everyone. I have a Quarz-Zoom DS8-3. Its solar light meter is, naturally, broken. In a previous post on here, someone recommended I use a camera as a light meter. Is there any way I can set the shutter speed on my SLR to roughly approximate that of my 8mm?

Thanks,

Tom

I've used my SLR as a light meter and it's a pain in the ass for a couple of reasons.

• For a light meter it's pretty big and bulky, plus I have to look through it's viewfinder to get a reading.
• The SLR's lens is not as fast as the lens on my movie camera. The lens on my SLR only opens up to f/3.5. The camera will go to f/1.4 That means that in low light I have to set the SLR's film speed to a larger value just to get a reading. Then I have to adjust that reading to compensate for the faster film speed.
  
  For example, at 24fps the camera's shutter speed is 1/60 sec and I'm using Tri-X indoors. If I set the SLR's film speed to ASA 160 and the shutter speed to 1/60 the SLR simply blinks that there's not enought light. So I set the SLR film speed to ASA 640 and get f/5.6, but I know that's two stops off. I have to open up the camera two stops, to f/2.8 for a correct exposure. Like I said, a pain in the ass.
  
  However, I do set the film speed to exactly two stops faster. That means I get the correct f/stop by simply dividing the indicated aperture by 2.
• The exposure indicated by the camera my be f/stops or t/stops. I assume it's t/stops until I've shot some test rolls.

[Patrick]

How about swapping that f3.5 lens for a 50mm f1.8?

[Actor]

How about swapping that f3.5 lens for a 50mm f1.8?

A possibility I've considered, but that would only address #2.