Bought a new camera - help needed!

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Well, I have now bought a medium format camera! :love:

I was initially thinking of a Mamiya RB or RZ but settled on a Bronica SQ with an 80mm lens, as it was cheaper and smaller. I have just bought a roll of film (Fuji Pro 400H) and am hoping to take some pictures over the weekend.

My main problem is that I haven't yet bought a light meter, and would ideally like to save up for something that does spot metering. I could get hold of an old Weston V for the time being for around £35, or I could use one of my other cameras for metering (Nikon D40, Fuji X100 and Pentax ME Super).

The problem then is that from playing around with them they all give different readings.

From looking online, it seems that the ISO on the Fuji is different to the standard, and I'm not convinced about the accuracy of the Pentax (shutter not working properly so I can't take pictures to be sure). On that basis, do you reckon the D40 would do for the time being? It has a 35mm lens, which gives a roughly similar coverage to the Bronica. And if I did use it, would it be a case of taking a shot in aperture priority using matrix metering and looking at the histogram? Also, given that the D40 has shutter speeds in (I think) 1/3 stop increments, would I go up or down?

is there anything else I should be aware of?

Sorry for all the questions!
 
You can get away without a light meter, there's plenty of latitude with Pro400H. A near-enough exposure will give a scannable result, bracket +/-2 stops if you're unsure.

See the Ultimate exposure computer.

 
Yeh Fuji is incredibly easy going, I've used 800Z at 100 and it was fine. In fact that film performed best as a 200! If in doubt err on the side of overexposure and you'll be fine.
 
Oh - and as to the 1/3 stop metering...

As you've probably spotted, the shutter speeds are restricted to single stop increments, however the lenses are capable of working at 1/2 stop increments - If the SQ works the same way as ETRSi lenses (and I'm fairly sire they do - but it HAS been over 10 years since I used one!), the Second generation lenses (zenzanon-pe) have a half-stop detent. The first generation ones (zenzanon MC)have no detent between the single-stop markings... however, they WILL work if set between the detents, so you can set intermediate values.
 
Thanks again folks. Just bought a Sekonic light meter from Cambrian Photography - they were very helpful. Can't wait to try it out now!
 
I have to say that it's proving to be quite a revelation already - and that's just using it with my digital cameras!
 
I was always taught (in those dark old days) that whatever camera and light meter you get, you should do lots of sample tests to marry the meter with the camera. No light meter is 100% and no camera shutter speed is ever what it says. It might say, for instance 1/4 of a second but if you measured it scientifically, you'd see it wasnt that at all.
Set up a scene with some objects from pure white to pure black with a good neutral grey card in the middle and a colour spectrum one. Take a reading with your meter; set your camera on that setting and then bracket some shots either side of it as well. Look at the prints side by side and pick the most accurate. You will often find that it can be anything from 1/4 to a whole stop out. Adjust the speed number on your meter accordingly and you'll have a lot more accurate outcome in all your future shots.
This is especially true if you buy a second hand meter that's had a good deal of use.
 
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