Light meter app

[Gary R. Smith]

I was thinking of commenting on Hamish's most recent article on 35mmc re: shoe-mount light meters. I just completed shooting my first 36 exposures through the Barnack Leica IIIc using an app for my iPhone called: Lghtmtr. I've yet to get the roll developed but it should go in the mail tomorrow (at least this week). It's a very simple app: you open the app, take a reading and you then see a screen with three adjustable columns for shutter speed, aperture and ISO. there is a highlighted band that shows the required values. Changing any column will cause the others to adjust. I paid nothing for this app and I'm assuming that it is simply using the iPhone's camera and capturing the exif values and allowing you to change them.

As I was driving home (from the coast) I thought that the app would be more useful if it allowed you to accumulate the used settings and associate them with the review image captured and then output a file via email to yourself. This way you could easily capture all of the values and have them associated with an image that you could then review against the prints.

Perhaps this is going overboard?

I found the app a PITA to use due to not having enough hands and the fact that it resets after each timeout.

I did realize that given the lighting I had yesterday quite a few of my exposures were nearly the same although it would be interesting to see what I actually used when I bracketed my f-stops or shutter speed. Maybe most of you don't use a light meter at all? I learned using two film cameras that had light meters so this IIIc and the 645 (without a light meter in the finder) are a new shooting experience.

 

[Reinhold Graf]

Interesting idea!

I have an app in use since some months, which is doing exactly what you have in mind - if I got you right.
You can find more information here:

Crown + Flint

The digital companion for your analog lifestyle. Improve your analog technique, capture shot metadata, manage your film collection.

crown-and-flint.goodman-wilson.com

The app has got reviews already here and there.

Review of the Crown + Flint Mobile App for Film Photographers: Simple, Intuitive, and Helpful

My favorite thing about the Crown and Flint app is that it is designed to work with a photographer’s workflow. It just makes sense.

www.35mmc.com

Crown + Flint Analog Photography App Gets Film Storage Update

In the third release from Crown + Flint, an app geared towards analog photographers, the team added support for keeping track of film in storage.

petapixel.com

 

[Gary R. Smith]

The C&F app seems geared more towards managing film you haven't yet shot. What I'm looking for is an app that will allow me to track the exposure data of the roll in the camera and then allow me to review that once I'm looking at the negatives or prints. It would store the image captured by the app to allow me to correlate to the final shot. Minimally it would give me a sequence numbered 1 through 36 (for example). I found that over the course of shooting the first roll though the IIIc that I wasn't using the app for every shot - I was rather saying: well, I've been routinely setting things at 1/500 and f11 for quite a few shots, I'll just go with that again. Truth be told, fiddling with the iPhone prior to every shot was a PITA.

 

[Reinhold Graf]

It is not the case, that Crown + Flint focusses on "film in storage" only. This one part of the app.
Shooting film, using the light meter (or not), capturing the thumbnail image incl. all metadata like shutter speed, aperture, camera name, lens name, film name, geolocation etc. is the main part. Logging all data while you shoot. Finally storing this information in the "developed film" section in the app and exporting all information for further use, including the thumbnail image.
Simply check it out.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Simply check it out.

I suppose I'll have to do that. I have a roll of 120 ready to put into the m645.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

OK, pulled the app and for the life of me I can't figure out how to use it to meter a shot. I assume it can do that? It is immediately obvious how to enter data about cameras, film, etc...

 

[Reinhold Graf]

You have created a camera and a lens, I suppose?
You have created a film, I suppose?
You have loaded the film into the camera?

Then you can open the film (loaded into the camera) on the "loaded" tab.
Within the film, you can hit the "+new frame" button, meter the frame and aligning the metering by moving the shutter speed and aperture sliders and finally hit the "+" button to shoot the frame. Hitting the button writes the data to the roll log and a snapshot image of the frame is stored.

BTW, the "skip" button is there, when you missed a shot e.g. by not removing the lens cap, to create the full sequence of the film. An empty frame is then inserted. Finally, to keep the correct order, you can move the frames by simply dragging them.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Thanks Reinhold! I did create a camera, lens and film. It wasn't obvious to me how to load the film. I'll try that and read some more and watch some YT vids! Hopefully there will be enough value added to get me excited about using it.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

OK, I've gotten results. I haven't exported anything yet but from what I see within the app it will do what I was hoping. I guess to shoot more than 5 rolls, you need to pay?

 

[Don Goodman-Wilson]

Howdy! Creator of Crown + Flint here! I’m glad you have the app a try. And I’m extra glad you shared your struggles here, as it helps me understand where I need to improve the app (and the way I talk about it!). There’s clearly room for improvement in the onboarding.

Once you get your film and scans back, let us know—Reinhold has been a big help in developing the workflow for assigning the metadata C+F collects into digital scans using ExifTool!

And just to confirm, yes you get five rolls to evaluate whether the app has sufficient value to make the purchase. Experience tells me that you’ll know before that point if C+F is the app you’re looking for And it is a one-time fee, not an ongoing subscription because while I believe in being compensated for my labor, I don’t believe in exploiting my users as a resource.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Will do Don, thanks for being so responsive!

 

[Gary R. Smith]

So, I've paid for the C+F app

And it is a one-time fee

and I've been using it for the 2 rolls that are currently loaded.

I routinely get confused between the "dial" and the "+" button when I'm trying to add a new image. I just used it to meter 2 exposures and didn't get them logged due to pressing "Pause Meter" - Why would I ever want to use that?

Hitting the button writes the data to the roll log and a snapshot image of the frame is stored.

I love this!



Also, when exporting what do I end up with from each of the options?

- JSON
- CSV
- for exiftool

I've tried the exports. It seems that the exiftool export is the same as the JSON file.

If I ever actually go to push data into a scan I may need to ask for more help from Reinhold, Don or make my way to an online community.

 

[Don Goodman-Wilson]

So, I've paid for the C+F app



and I've been using it for the 2 rolls that are currently loaded.

I routinely get confused between the "dial" and the "+" button when I'm trying to add a new image. I just used it to meter 2 exposures and didn't get them logged due to pressing "Pause Meter" - Why would I ever want to use that?

I'm so glad you've been using and (hopefully) enjoying the app.

The pause button is really important. More often than not, the angle you need to hold the phone to meter a scene is very different from the angle you want to hold the phone to adjust the camera setting sliders. Maybe you just don't want to keep pointing your phone at a subject you don't want to spook. Or maybe you are shooting up into the air. Regardless, the pause button allows you to meter a scene whatever physically or socially awkward angle is necessary, and then relax into a more natural position to continue using the app.

Muscle memory should kick in with practice so you're hitting the right button. The only way to lose an image is to hit the back button, which is deliberately well away from the pause and add buttons, and physically awkward to reach if you're holding the phone in your left hand.

I love this!

View attachment 19266

Also, when exporting what do I end up with from each of the options?

- JSON
- CSV
- for exiftool

I've tried the exports. It seems that the exiftool export is the same as the JSON file.

If I ever actually go to push data into a scan I may need to ask for more help from Reinhold, Don or make my way to an online community.

The "JSON" export is deprecated, and will soon be replaced
"CSV" for is folks who like to track their shots in a spreadsheet
"exiftool" is specifically for exiftool (https://exiftool.org/) an excellent if arcane command line utility for editing the exif tags in digital files. Reinhold has an excellent tutorial in the Crown + Flint discord for getting the most out of this option.

I have planned additional options that don't require exporting files—to attach the metadata to your film scans in your photos app. But that is still some time away.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

Muscle memory should kick in with practice...

I hope so, I lost another one today.

I have planned additional options...

I'll try to keep a watch on progress.

Thanks for your reply!

 

[Pete Askew]

Interesting.

@Don Goodman-Wilson, please feel free to add a write-up to describe / promote the app if you'd like.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

I gave up on trying to use an iPhone light meter app - too much fumbling with the phone. Instead I've recently added (and just spent the weekend shooting with) the TT Artisan shoe meter. When the center lights up green you have good values for your shutter and aperture. If either the "+" or "-" is illuminated in red, you're over or under exposed. If either the "+" or "-" is illuminated in red AND the center is green you're over/under by a single stop. It is much more convenient than fooling with your phone while also holding your camera.

 

[Tony Warren]

An interesting and informative discussion that I am sure most will appreciate. I like the idea of the phone app and its ability to record details in a similar way to exif in digital but its actual use could be simpler if that is possible. The simpler things become it seems the more complicated is the application thereof! The TTArtisans shoe meter looks useful and as you say Gary is very convenient. My only comment there is that it only covers set speeds and apertures. If you need to tripod mount and give long exposures you will need to do some interpolating. The LV shutters have setting points beyond the shutter speed range in a different colour to cater for this so maybe this meter could extend the markings to do the same.

 

[Brian Moore]

Gary I have that same light meter. I haven't used it yet though because I have discovered that the cameras I'm using don't have shoe mounts. So, still using the phone app or good ol' Sunny 16. I'll be interested to see what results you're getting with the TT Artisans meter. It looks a nice fit on your Leica.

 

[Gary R. Smith]

I'll be interested to see what results you're getting with the TT Artisans meter

Me too Brian, but who knows what's going to happen - this will be the first roll that I've developed in 50+ years. Stay tuned...

 

[Brian Moore]

Me too Brian, but who knows what's going to happen - this will be the first roll that I've developed in 50+ years. Stay tuned...

I vividly recall the first two rolls I developed. Fuji Acros. I was a nervous wreck but it turned out just fine. Your experience may be different, though.