Advice on using an exposure meter - newbie I'm afraid!

[Rob Howells]

Hello

First off, it's great to find a forum such as this. I'd been looking around for something with plenty of posts etc.

Anyway I have two cheap cameras ;

Chinon 723 F1.7 8.5mm - 25.5mm Super 8

Rexina 8 F1.9 13mm

Neither of these cameras have build in metering (to my knowledge anyway) so I got hold of a photographic light meter with a cine setting on it. Now I need so guidelines as to how to use it. So any help on this would be greatfully recieved.

I have some film stock ;

Kodachrome 40 double 8 (1979!) Type A

Some russian B&W 50asa

And some Eastman 125 colour

The super 8's have some sort of notching to tell the camera what speed the film is I think? Could someone clarify this?

Anyway thanks for all who respond

Regards

Rob

[studiocarter]

ftp://ftp.filmshooting.com/upload/manua ... on_715.zip


look for the Weston file. It is an instruction book on how to use a light meter.

[Split8mm]

Neither of these cameras have build in metering (to my knowledge anyway) so I got hold of a photographic light meter with a cine setting on it. Now I need so guidelines as to how to use it. So any help on this would be greatfully recieved.

.......
The super 8's have some sort of notching to tell the camera what speed the film is I think? Could someone clarify this?

Anyway thanks for all who respond

Regards

Rob

Hi Rob,
If you've ever used a cheap handheld meter for a still camera, there really isn't much difference when using it with a movie camera. There are only three variables when using a meter. They are film speed, aperture (f-stop), and shutter speed. With a still camera, you set the meter to the speed of the film you are using (that is fixed), then point the meter at the scene. Next, depending on whether you want to fix the aperture (for depth of field) or fix the shutter speed (for freezing action), you use the meter to tell you what the third variable should be set to.

With a movie camera, two of the three variables are usually fixed. Film speed and shutter speed are typically fixed. Shutter speed is fixed by the feet per second (FPS) that your camera runs the film through. So the meter is used to determine only the third variable, aperture setting.

This explanation is simplified (some cameras have a variable shutter and a variable film speed rate), but it might help you understand the concepts a bit. I hope so! :?