Exposure meter app.

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Cluster

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Dave
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I'm considering having a try (after several years) with film. I fancy using a couple of my vintage cameras. Those that have some kind of metering don't meter well if at all.
I'm thinking of using an Android app for exposure... I won't have any idea if it is metering about right until I dev the films, and then if anything is off, it could easily be the camera.

Is there a simple way to check the metering of the app?.. will a digital camera's exposure reading as a benchmark be near right?
 
The digital camera should be fine, but set the meter to an average mode rather than evaluative/matrix. You can also check against the Sunny 16 rule for sanity.
Sunny-16-Rule-Exposure-Chart.jpg

Edit: My mistake, the original graphic was rubbish. Always check your sanity test for sanity!
 
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Does any one else think the chart above is not quite what they expected to see?

Without some additional words, that really looks like the same exposure regardless of the light conditions?
 
Boots said:
Does any one else think the chart above is not quite what they expected to see?

Without some additional words, that really looks like the same exposure regardless of the light conditions?
Click to expand...
Yes! It's extremely weird and has had my brain going round in circles for the last few minutes. Why would the exposure get ever shorter as the light fades??? I'm sure there's a good explanation, but it eludes me just now...
 
Boots said:
Does any one else think the chart above is not quite what they expected to see?

Without some additional words, that really looks like the same exposure regardless of the light conditions?
Click to expand...
The chart is perfect so long as a decent exposure is only required n full clear sunshine :ROFLMAO:
 
This one is more realistic although reducing the exposure for snow scenes is contrary to what I would personally do .
 
I use the Android light meter app more than anything else, the only drawback is having to unlock the phone which in winter can mean taking gloves off etc. so the Sekonic meter still gets used sometimes
 
Obviously, a picture is worth a thousand words. If I'd explained sunny-16 as I understood it, the first statement would have been that the shutter speed should be the reciprocal of the film's ISO. I would then have realised that this was a mathematical term, and corrected it to "set the shutter speed to the same number as the ISO".

Then starting at f/16, open up the aperture one stop as the light changes from.... etc.

Equally obviously, from the chart I would have been wrong.
 
bonjour
StephenM said:
Equally obviously, from the chart I would have been wrong.
Click to expand...
Not wrong as such, just a different way of explaining .

Some of these charts make difficult what is actually very easy .
 
Boots said:
Does any one else think the chart above is not quite what they expected to see?

Without some additional words, that really looks like the same exposure regardless of the light conditions?
Click to expand...
ChrisR said:
Yes! It's extremely weird and has had my brain going round in circles for the last few minutes. Why would the exposure get ever shorter as the light fades??? I'm sure there's a good explanation, but it eludes me just now...
Click to expand...
Asha said:
The chart is perfect so long as a decent exposure is only required n full clear sunshine :ROFLMAO:
Click to expand...
Fixed now by replacing with a chart that actually makes sense :)
 
Retune said:
Fixed now by replacing with a chart that actually makes sense :)
Click to expand...

Well, that's spoiled the fun. And there was me half thinking it was actually correct, and relying on exposure latitude :)
 
My app is off by one to two stops. I guess it's reasonable to expect to "calibrate" the app for the phone camera, there does appear to be an adjustment.
 
I guess it is due to variations in the phone camera sensor, the app can't really know exactly how the sensor responds but no harm in setting a correction. It might be interesting to see how it performs in bright and dim conditions just to see if the amount of correction is the same for both. All that said film has good latitude and it is easy to get bogged down in details, there were/are plenty of fixed speed, fixed aperture point-and-shoot cameras.
 
I use this one and have found it to be pretty accurate on both a Sony Xperia and a Samsung Galaxy S7 Android phone. It's also got a +/- exposure calibration facility (separate calibration for incident and reflected light) if you do find it's a bit out on your phone. I think it must be about the best £2 I've spent in recent years. :)

Edit: Sorry, it helps if I include a link to identify it, doesn't it! :facepalm: LightMeter - Apps on Google Play
 
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Thank you All for your help. I have some confidence that I will be able to meter well enough (without having to buy a light-meter).
I have a couple of vintage cams (and my 44y old Praktica brick), I've ordered some film (iso100), a bottle of Ilfosol3 and some fixer....soon be ready to go!
 
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