Making the most of your exposure meter Reference guide

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FOR QU'CK REFERENCE            DlxoN's
                              to Better                       "Aids
                                  Picturesttindex
                      Page         BOOKLETSCorrect Exposure         I
Read the Instructions  2
Film Speed             2
Different Systems      2        THISI of instructionalbooklet is onemanualsof a seriespre-
Speeds Compared     2             sented without charge by Dixons                                   to purchasers of photographicComparison Table        2             equipment.
Personal Tests           3                             Our purpose is not only toSet your own Rating     3            supplement the sometimes inade-
How Meters Work        3           quate information supplied by
                                         manufacturers, but to make cer-Double Scale Meters     3           tain that our customers have
How to Read            4             before them in easy-to-understand
                                     form all the necessary instructionAcceptance Angle        4              to ensure first-class results at once
Golden Rule             4            from new equipment bought from
                                         Dixons. Many letters on our filesSubstitute Plan           4          show this unique service to be
Extreme Contrasts     5             widely appreciated.
                                                                                                                                            IArtificial Highlights    6           Other volumes are: No.                             "Make the Most of your En-Incident Light            6             larger," No. 5 "Make the Most
Low Light               7             of your Camera," No. 7 "Guide                                         to 8 mm. Movie Making," No. 8Colour Exposure       7             "Electronic Flash Photography,"
Watch your Improvement 7          No. 9 "Colour Slide Showman-                                            ship."





                OIXON llOUgE l2B.l96  lllOH 9T EoOwARl MIDDX.

                                            Contents of these booklets are
                                                 strictly copyright and any person
                                            or persons infringing same will be
                                          proceeded against to the full extent
                                               of the law.

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MAKE THE MOST OF
YOUR EXPOSURE METER
by Stonley Dixon
T-!ON'T tell me-I know. You new exposure meter to glve correctv used to guess all your expo- readings for the particulztr film you
sures. You never had any intend using. Choose a good film maketrouble. Your pictures were always and stick to it. If you can'tpretty good, wonderful in fact. up your mind take my advice and
The family and the girl next door settle for Kodak Verichrome Pan.often said so. or Ilford FP3. On the Weston Master-IV there Then one day you shot those is a tiny window showing the film
once-in-a-lifetime wedding photos speed: after pressing a catch youand blandly promised lots of big, rotate the dial until the requiredlovely enlargements. What went speed appears in the window, andwrong? It was inexplicable, un- readings will then be right for filmsaccountable, humiliating. Half the
negatives were too thin to Print,
others too dense. You retired for
the day to your dark-room before
you could face your family again.
and the girl next door, too.
So then you decided to huy a
firsl-t'la.ss er posure nl(l('r lrrtnt
Dixorts.
And that, if the secret truth were
known, is exactly why most other
photographers bought an exPosure
meter.
HERE'S something cute I must
tell you at once about Photo-
electric exposure meters. Thel'
havc large. very sensitive eyes-
but no brains. No brains at all.
You have to teach 'em exactlY
rvhat to look for. I'm writing this
booklet to show you how.
CORRECT EXPOSURE depcnds
upon two things (l) the speed or
sensitivity of your film and (2)
accurate measurement of the light
reflected from your subject. 'Ihe
speed of films varies considerably;
perhaps you don't know that the YOU couldn't take a direct
slowest ones often require as much meter reading of this "fast"
as 32 times more exposure for the young lady! But the "substi-.sante subject in the same light than tulion" plan on page 5 will
the latest super-fast films. give the correct exposure.
So your first job is to set your Kodak picture.
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ol' thc spccd shown. Other meters but unfortunately, there is no uni-
are adjusted for film speed by set- versal method of assessing film
ting an outer ring dial opposi[e the speed. German film makers use
sclectcd figure, or by rotating a the DIN method; speeds are ex-
llattencd rtlller engraved on - its pressed. as one eminent photo-
faccts with scales for different film grapher said, in very vulgar spccds. Each meter is different in fractions, the denominator alwavs
this.respect; but how to set your being 10. the numerator indicatirig
particular instrument for film speed the speed, e.g.. Agfa Isopan ISS is
is described fully in the manufac- 2l llO DIN. Other European turer's instructit'ln sheet. Studv it countries measure speeds in de-
clr rcf rr I lt'. grees Scheiner: here. when you
double the speed the rating jumps
in threes. Ilford film speeds are I.'ILM SPEED. The speed of designated hy the letters B. C. D. nrost filnrs is printed boldly on the E. F. C. H. cartons. Some well-known manu-
facturers. however. give no data on
thc carton, but it wilt be found
cither on the small adhesive paper-be- SPEEDS COMPARED. A few f:rstener which nrust be broken exposure meters carry an engraved
lirre the film can be inserted in the table enabling you to convert one
can)t: l'a. or on the instruction film speed system to another. If
lcaflct inside the carton. your meter is calibrated in DIN or
Usually both film and ntetcr Scheiner. you can thus use ASA or u ill he marked in ASA ratinss Weston ratings if you wish. Here is a sintilar conversion table
I)l N .\cheiner ,4:;A Weston Digitally signed by Mike Butkus

camera manuals, ou=butkus.org, er l0l Mike Butkus DN: cn=Mike Butkus, o=Butkus email=mike@butkus.org, c=US Date: 2021.04.16 19:38:23 -04'00' I r/r0J 20 6-to 8
t2ltol
t4ltOt 23 t2-20 t6
Is/rol
t7lt0t 26 25-40 32
r 8/l0l
20lt0l 2e 50-80 64
2l I l0t
23lt0t 32 t00-t60 t00
24ltOl
26ltOt 35 200-320 200
27ltol
2elt0t 38 400-650 400
The Prinz exposure meter- For example. Kodak Panatomic
exclusive to Dixons-features a rollfilm is rated for daylight at 25
large calculator which has merely ASA, but you could set your meter
to be lined up with the meter at 26 Scheiner if it is calibrated in
needle. Readings can be made Scheiner. Remember, all these
for all types of camera. comparisons are approximate only.
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in only a cone of light covering
about the same angle as a no'rmal
camera lens. This is called the
acceptance angle and, because of
this it will be obvious to you that
if an cxposure metcr is pointed
straight forward at a landscape, a
large proportion of the light aflect-
ing the meter will come from the
sky and much less from any darker
objects in the foreground. The
reading rvill average the light from
all directions within the acceptance
anglc. You will get a near-correct
cxposure reading for the sky, but
prominent foreground objects may
be scriously under-exposed.
It must be understood that the
meter measures the light reflected IN portrnilure:r close-up read-
by objccts. A white cloud or white ing should be taken of the
cottagc rcflects much more light face, but make sure that meter
than ir dark grcen hillside or a dark is held in such a way that no blick building. The clouds or shadow of it, or your hands, is
cottirge give a higher reading on cast on the subiect's face. the nretcr, which will tcll you that Zeiss Ikollex picture. lcss cxposure is required.
GOLDEN RULE. The clever has buildings in the foreground,
wav to use a meter. therefore. is y()ur c\posure nrust be based on
nenler to takc a gencml reading but thc light reflcctcd from these build-
always to obtain your exposure ingrs. not from thc scene generally.
from the principal object before ln talting a portrait, the reading
the canrcra. Thus, if y'our picturc slrould bc (aken f ronr the face, bccausc it is the flesh toncs of thc
facc which it is most important to
rcproducc faithfully. not the back
ground which may be light or very
dark. A glance at the illustrations
will nrakc this important matter
clear.

"SflBS'l'lTtJ'l'E" PLAN. How
perfectly ridiculous. I can hear you I saying. When taking a snap, am I
crpcctcd to leave my camera oll
its tripod while I dash across
crluntry like a Marathon runner to
gct a meter reading from a farm-
house somewhere in the fore-
Make sure that you do not ground?
gct an exaggerated reading Of course not ! by including too much sky. The way to use your meter in Tilt the meter down slightly these circumstances is to obtain a as shown.
Pugc 4
it

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reading of some nearby obiect of close-up portraits. When in tloubt,
s!milur- reflective po$'er. This is alw,oys prelter lo err on the side ol
called the "substitution" method. ntor( genefous (xposut'(.
Supposc that your picture has a EXTREME CONTRASTS. You
largc building or tree in the fore- may sometimes be confronted by and ground rvhich it isn't convenient to the problem of very bright same approach. Thcn take a close-uP very dark objects in the metcl reading of say a stone wall, picture, both of which it is im- These sub- gatc or trce trunk which is near portant to record fully. jects, which f requently occur in and easily accessible. You do not
intcnd to include this nearby indoor photography, are said to be object in your photograph, but the of high contrast. If you expose cxl;osure reading you obtain from for the highlights, your darkerI it will bc roughly the same as you objects may not show sufficient
would get if you could approach "shadow detail" because they are
closely to the similar object in under-exposed. On the other hand, your picture. if you expose for the darker
If thcre is no single object which objects, thcn your highlights may
is particularly prominent, and a be over-exposed and become quite
landscapc consists of general white or "burnt-out" in your print. countryside scenery composed o[ Probably thc best way to use
trces. undulating verdure and so your meter in these conditions is
foltlr. it is a safe plan to base your to take one reading of the bright-
nrctcr rcading upon the ground and
grass inrmediately before you.
Flold thc meter pointing forwards
but downwards. at an angle of
about 45 degrees. [n this way you
crclude nrost of the sky.
WTIY EMBARRASS HER ?
Anotlrer usc of this "substitution
nrcthod" is in portraiture. What
you really want is a close-up
reading of the facc, but it can be
lu triflc disconcerting to the sweet
young thing if you thrust your
nrcter right in front of her nose.
It's just as cffective to take a close-
up rcading of the back of your own
hand. holding the meter about
6 ins. {rway. Your hand reflects
about as nruch light as the sub-
jcct's facc and. if ..yo^u .make thc conrparison, you will find the read-
ings arc practically the same.
A nreter reading taken from your
handkerchief can be "substituted"
for ir direct reading of a child's
light dress.
All close-up subjects, however, re-
flect far less general light from the WHEN taking portraits, close-
sky than more distant objects, and up rcading of your hand is
my personal practice is to double near accurate substitute for
the metcr exposure indicated for direct reading of subiect's face.
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cst part of the scene, and a second    INCIDENT LIGHT. Yet another
 reading of the darkest details you   plan of action which avoids all the
rvant in your print.  Base yout'    dilliculties due to objects of dif-
actual cxposure upon a figure half-   fclent brightness. is to take a
rvay bctrveen the two readings, and   rcading of the light-sourcc itself.
you rvon't be far wrong.             Usually you measure the light re-
  ARTIFICIAL  HIGHLIGHT.    flected fronr objects to be photo-
Another way of using your ex-   graphed, but in this method you
posure meter. which has much to   stand near the subject and point
recommend it,  is called by the   the meter at tlrc czntere. Because
somewhat terrifying name of the   the direct source of light which you
"artilicial highlight." Actually, it's   thus measure is so much stronger
cxtremely simple and can be used   than the same light reflected by
cqually well for landscapes, groups   your subject, the elcctric cell of
artd close-ups.                     your meter must lre shielded by a
   All you need is a piece of card-   semi-transparent cover which in
boa1j. not less than about 9 ins.    efTect makes the reading equivalent
square. Don't use shiny cardboard,   to a reflected light reading. With
but preferably a piece with a   the Weston Master-IV metcr. this
rough. white, matt surface similar    special cover is called an Inver-
to white blotting paper.            cone: it is circular and fits over
  fhis card is held up vertically so   the cell. The Sixon meter has a
that the prevailing light falls upon it    sliding translucent cover similar to
lrom the sanre direction as upon the  a Venetian blind. which can be
subject to be photographed. Then   moved over the electric cell win-
take a meter reading of the card,  dow. C)ther meters have similar
holding the meter 4bout 6 ins. away.    arrangenrents which arc fully de-
Care musl be taken to ensure thal
tto .sltudo'x, ol the meter itself fulls()n to the cunl. und the lutter
.rhoulcl be ntoved up and dowtt  tt
little until tt ntoxirnrtm reading is
ohtuined.
  This procedure is followed what-
ever rnay be the subject matter to
be photographed. even if  it does
not contain any items as white as
thc card. The exposure thus ob-
Lained has to be multiplied by a
"factor" which remains the same
after you have found out by test
what it should be in order to pro-
duce negatives of the kind you
prefer. As a basis for experiment,
I suggest you multiply the expo-
sure as indicated bv the "artificial
highlight" by 4.  If-this gives over
or under-exposed negatives, amend
the "factor" accordingly.
  When you have ascertained the
correct "factor" to use for vour
particular film/meter combinalion,   TAKING artificial highlight
this method yields very consistent     reading with white card as
results.                                     described on this page.
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scribed in the ntanufacturer's in- iiT*'., :lii,:!: iii;{,al
struction leaflet. i'iil
IN THE GLOAMIN'. In spite
of the great sensitivity of modcrn
plroto-electric meters. occasions
arise rvhen the light is so poor that
practically no deflection of the
needle is produced by reflected
light or the usual incident light
nrcthod described above. These
conditions occur. for instance,
rvhen making interior pictures of
buildings in twilight. or when
t:rking "candid" shots in poor
arti{icial light. Your meter can
still be used. and quite accurately.
too.
The method is to take a reading
of the light source from the THE trick I use for "contre position of the subject, exactly as jour" or against ihe light pic- in the "incident light" procedure, lures, such as this, is to turn but no translucent cover or blind m.v back to the sun and take
is used over the sensitive cell. reading of immediate fore- lf. for example. you want to ground, then multipl.y exposure
photograph the font in a churclr b.v lhree. Zeiss picture.and the only light comes from a fairly distant stained-glass window. thin cnrulsions. and anv consider- able deviation'from ifre correct yt-ru would stand near the font and at poittt .r,ottr nteler.\truigltl ut lhe c\posure required is revealed wirtdttx,. Reflected lieht front thc oncc by quite fantastic changes infont might not be suffiIient to move the colour rendering. Accurate ex. posure in colour photography. the needle at all. but a direct read-
ing of the window probably will tlrerefore. is essential. register. Usually. if contrasty subjects are
Translation of the reading thus avoided. it is safe enough to
obtained to the actual exposure take a reading of the highlight
rcquircd is based upon the fact area. leaving the shadows to look
that an average subject reflects after themselves.
about li30th of the light falling Sonre colour workers. however.
upon it. Thus, if the exposure in- prefer the "artificial highlight"
dicated by pointing the metcr nrcthtld mentioned above. the ex-
directly at the window is l/10 sec. posure thus determined being mul-
at f/5.6. the strbject requires 30 tiplied by 3 for nrainly light-
times more. or 3 secs. at f/5.6. As coloured subjects. but by 4 if
a smaller stop would no doubt be durker colours predonrinate. Very
better for such a time exposure, consistent results can be obtained
this could be 24 secs. at f/I6. by' this method. but there is such
COLOUR EXPOSURE. The a great variation between colourhunran eye is renrarkably accom- films as well as between exposure
nrodating to slight variations in the meters, that it is necessarv. first
density of tones in black and white of all to devote one film to a series
photography, but it is far more of test exposures on normal sub-
sensitive to slight changes in jects, in order to find out exactlvcolour. Colour films have very what the numerical factors should
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be with the particular film/meter presented free with all flash
combination you use. apparatus bought from Dixons.
A DEVIL WAS HE. When ALL BY KINDNESS. Finally.
taking close-up colour portraits by let me urge you to look after your
artificial light I have found it best exposure meter, and to treat itto disregard the recommendation, ' with care. It is a robust yet delicate
invariably made by portrait pun- instrument; many meters have
dits to beginners in black and jewelled bearings like a fine watch.
white photography, of having one A good leather case for it is a
main modelling light at one side rvorthwhile investment. Do not
of the subject and a fill-in light to leave your meter in a damp, humid
reduce the shadows. Club lecturers atmosphere; and on no account
and judges are appalled if you even allow it to be exposed for any
whisper of double front cross- long periods to strong sunlight.
lighting. With care it will give you a
Take my private tip, be a devil lifetime's service.
and break all the rules. Light your
subject evenly with two photo- WATCH IMPROVEMENT. Infloods. one at 30 degrees on each the foregoing notes I have notside of the camera, and you'll find mentioned film development, al-
that this flat, almost shadowless though this is .closely related tolighting is ideal for colour photo- exposure, especially in conditions
graphy. As a matter of fact, the of poor light. When under-exposure
Zeiss people make a lighting unit has been unavoidable, extra devel-called the Movilum which works opment within limits may often
on exactly these lines. yield a passable negative. Experi- ments on these lines can be ab-
FLASI{. Meters cannot be em- sorbing; but I strongly advise you,
ployed to tell you the correct to begin with, to stick to just one
exposures for flash photography, film and one developer, and to
whether you use expendable bulbs standardise your developing tech-
or electronic flash. Exposure is nique with the object of producing
governed entirely by a "flash negatives which yield the best
factor" which is peculiar to the possible prints on normal-gradc
particular outfit and film used. Bromide paper.
These flash factors are given, to- If your exposures, as determined
gether with full instructions, in the by your new meter, are keyed to
leaflet acompanying all flash bulbs this standardised technique, you
and electronic flash equipment. may be certain that you will get f'Flash work of all kinds is explain- the very best from your equipment,
ed in another of m.l booklets in and a great improvement in the
this series entitled "Electronic quality of your pictures inevitably
Flash Photography", which is will follow.

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Making the most of your exposure meter Reference guide

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