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[OM] Re: Acer and Expodisc (was "To spot or not")

Subject: [OM] Re: Acer and Expodisc (was "To spot or not")
From: Joel Wilcox <jowilcox@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 04 Aug 1999 09:01:10 -0500
At 11:10 PM 8/3/1999 EDT, you wrote:
>    Wow, you young wippersnappers sure do make things complicated. Back in 
>the stone age, prior to the OM1, if we couldn't afford a light meter
(weston) 
>then we used the sunny day rule of thumb and our brains to place exposure. 
>Today you can use a spot meter and if you don't know the reflectivity of
what 
>you are metering, you can still be two stops or more off. Incident meters
are 
>wonderful and IMHO are best when attached to a meter rather than some gizmo 
>you put over your camera lenses and say incantations over. Actually, a 
>syrofoam cup will work about a well. Or, you could meter your hand with an 
>ancient OM1 and open one stop. That would work quite well. I was not aware 
>that the older mechanical camera had an old mechanical meter? What on earth 
>is an "expodisk" and why, Acer, would you spend money on it? Better save
your 
>pennies and buy a new sophistocated camera which has a 1 inch thick manual 
>and multiple modes to get an exposure reading. On the other hand, you should 
>pick up a hand held meter for the discipline it will put in your shooting.
>    If you feel "dumped on" it is because you need a lot of gadgets to 
>determine something which is quite uncomplicated. As Ansel Adams would 
>say,"learn your craft." Exposure is easy if you understand it, complicated
if 
>you don't. Do some work with the Zone system, it will do wonders for your 
>photography and exposure control.
>    Best wishes,
>Roger (an ancient one)
>

Roger,

Acer Victoria puts up with this incessant Whippersnapper cr*p with endless
grace and good humor.  He also thinks about things all the time and has
learned a lot about his craft since he's become a regular list member.
Perhaps some of us need to re-read King Lear and try to grow old without
the rhubarb.

The Expodisc was invented by George Wallace, who was a student of Minor
White.  I find it quite useful in some ways and I understand the Zone
System a little bit. It turns the reflective light meter in the camera to
an incident light meter because it diffuses the light as a uniform 18%
gray, i.e., Zone V.  A reading through the Expodisc supplemented by several
straight, reflective readings gives one a lot information about a setting
from which to determine an accurate exposure. The correct URL for his site is:

        http://www.expodisc.com/

Joel Wilcox
Iowa City, Iowa USA

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