nadelewitz wrote:
I fell into a Pentax Spotmeter V (analog), a real classic but still worthy of using. It has a custom dial and a company name on it. I have found nothing on the internet on this particular customization, other than Photographic Analysis Corp. having been in the high-speed photography business. Anybody know about this special meter?
I also bought a label from a gentleman on eBay that turns a Spotmeter V into Zone System meter, which I want to mess around with. Question is, what point on the dial should I align the label's pointer with, as the dial does not have a triangular pointer like a normal Spotmeter V?
I fell into a Pentax Spotmeter V (analog), a real ... (
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As you've seen, there isn't a 'pointer' on the Spotmeter V. Before anything else, first set the ASA (ISO equiv.) to what your camera is set at (sorry, if your camera is set to Auto ISO, any further readings will not be valid), then meter the highest and lowest values in the scene/subject. This is done by pointing the 1 degree 'spot' at those areas in the scene/subject you intend to shoot, and noting what the EV (exposure value) is at each. The value you read while reading the spot is expressed numerically on the lower scale of the dial. It's a spot meter, not an averaging meter, so basically, what you'd do is meter on the brightest highlight where you'd want to retain detail/texture (Zone IX), note what the exposure would be, then do the same with the deepest shadow where you'd want to retain detail/texture (Zone II), note that, then average the two settings to get an 'average' exposure. Alternately, you could carry a 18% gray card around with you, meter on it --assuming its in the same light your subject is-- set the Zone V value to what the EV value was as read on the meter, transfer that setting (keeping shutter speed ~ f/stop reciprocals in mind)-- to your camera, and get a 'properly exposed' (average) exposure.
As shown in your image, and if the add-on Zone thingie you got were attached, if you'd assessed the highlights and shadows in your scene, you'd then be left to determine which exposure reciprocal you'd want to opt for. ISO (which is improperly set as is, but let's call it ISO 320), and you're left to decide whether a 1/4 of a second @ f/16 would provide sufficient dof and sufficient shutter speed for what you intend to shoot, or if 1/60th @ f/4 would be more appropriate.
The Zone System concept of ten defined Zones as defined by Adams is perfect for shooting b&w film, and for normal development, and it likewise works perfectly while pushing and/or pulling film with appropriate processing as well. For digital work, and especially with the latitude allowed while shooting raw file images, its a good deal trickier. In-camera and processing software advances allow for considerably more latitude than film and wet processing did, but using any of the spot metering systems very definitely allows for a much finer tuning of overall exposure.
I used a Pentax Spotmeter V for a long time while shooting large format b&w. I was crushed when one day I lost it. Spent hours in a fairly inhospitable canyon looking for it, all to no avail. Got home again and immediately ordered its updated analogue, the Pentax Digital Spotmeter. I added my own 'Zone' readout sticker and stuck it on the meter, and use this meter quite a lot, 20 years later.