aaton LTR lens meter

Phillip Mosness · February 10, 2013

Just curious if anyone has the meter option on their LTR. It seems to be somewhat rare, and I'm wondering of it's considered pretty accurate .

Thanks

Brian Drysdale · February 10, 2013

I know a number of LTRs that had a meter, including my own. It's a reflected light meter, so it really depends on image you're measuring. I always used an incident light meter, but the Aaton meter was usually within a few LEDs of the centre.

Robert Lewis · February 11, 2013

As has been said, the meter built in to the LTR reads the light value reflected from the film during the entire exposure time. Therefore accurate readings are taken when there is film in the camera and the lens cap has been removed and the camera is in normal use. The system will take into account the actual fps setting you have entered . You can, of course, also take a reading using the "test facility", but when this is done, the exposure reading will be adjusted that for the crystal speed you have the camera set on, and so if you are using a variable speed setting you will find that the reading needs to be adjusted to reflect this.

So, comparing readings obtained with the camera's exposure metering system and an incident or spot metering will not be straightforward when using the "test" facility on the camera unless you happen to be using a crystal speed.

All of this having been said, I have found the metering system on my LTR54 to be pretty accurate when used having regard to the points mentioned above.

I hope that this is helpful.

Phillip Mosness · February 11, 2013

Thanks for the responses.

If I'm reading this accurately Mr. Lewis, The way the meter works requires film in the gate in order to get an accurate reading? If it's indeed measuring light bouncing off the film plane, then that might explain why I'm getting odd readings from the meter with only the pressure plate in the gate. This would be a rather unusual system compared to what I'm used to on some smaller format cameras.

I'll need to test again with film in the camera because as it is, it really wants me to open up wider than my Sekonic would have me believe.

Thanks.

Brian Drysdale · February 12, 2013

Yes, the meter measures the light reflected from the film.

Robert Houllahan · February 12, 2013

I have been generally pretty happy with the meter in my LTR and I have found it to be accurate and useful especially when moving quickly from situation to situation like indoors to outdoors. It is not a substitute for a spot meter though.

-Rob-

Robert Lewis · February 12, 2013

Phillip...what you are getting when you take a reading with no film loaded sounds right. You should find that when you take a reading with film loaded, it should be nearer to what you are getting when you take a reading with your Sekonic. That having been said, however, remember that the Aaton meter will be giving you a reading which is, in effect, an average reading reflecting the light bouncing back from the film which originates from the picture you are taking as seen through the camera lens. Your Sekonic will be giving you a reading which will either be a spot reading or an averaged reading, depending on how you use the meter. The reading provided by the camera and your Sekonic are therefore unlikely to be the same, but in my experience the camera meter is generally pretty close to what is appropriate, and I find I need to use my Sekonic only in particular circumstances when lighting conditions call for more precise readings.

Edited February 12, 2013 by Robert Lewis

Phillip Mosness · February 17, 2013

Alrighty, I held a piece of scrap film against the gate and re-tested and now I feel better about the readings with the exception of the 400 asa setting. For some reason it doesn't work with that setting. Must be a bug.

I'll probably rate 500 asa at the 320 setting anyway, so it should be OK.

I have noticed that I tend to underexpose more often than over, so I'll try to go a bit thick on my neg as a general rule.