Mamiya 6 Internal Light Meter

[beowulf222]

Hey,

Was able to pick up a used Mamiya 6 recently and have a question about its light meter. Was using AEL mode (aperture lock) with aperture set to 22 and ISO 400 film on a sunny day. What irritated me a little was that the shutter speed kept showing 125 and didn't change when pointing the camera to shadow or bright sun. Am currently developing the film to see the results.

Anyway, was wondering if other Mamiya 6 users can share their experiences with the internal
light meter.

Thanks!

-- nick

 

[kgston]

Of course the shutter speed didn't change. AEL stands for Aperture Priority, Exposure Lock. Basically it locks in the exposure setting (the shutter speed in this case) the minute you change the dial from A to AEL. If you want normal Aperture Priority, use "A" mode on the dial instead.

On modern day DSLRs, it is usually a button to temporarily lock the shutter speed to the metered exposure. On the Mamiya 6/7 it appears on the top of the dial which can be a little misleading for users coming down from SLRs.

 

[beowulf222]

Thanks for the reply. Maybe I am interpreting the AEL mechanism wrongly, but the Mamiya manual doesn't state it locks the shutter speed.

From the Mamiya Manual:
AE (automatic exposure): Based on the aperture setting, the camera automatically selects the shutter speed.

AEL (AE lock): The camera memorizes the aperture when shutter release button is touched slightly so that, even when the position of the subject or camera changes, a picture can be taken with the initial aperture setting and is not affected by changes in light.

-- nick

 

[mamypoko]

It locks the exposure setting, i.e. locking the shutter speed when you 1/2 press the shutter.
Mamiya 7 user.

 

[beowulf222]

Thanks guys. It's not that I don't believe you, but the explanation from the manual is very ambiguous. How you explain makes sense though.

The Mamiya light meter is just too advanced for me. So far I have used external light meters. ;-)

 

[mamypoko]

Thanks guys. It's not that I don't believe you, but the explanation from the manual is very ambiguous. How you explain makes sense though.

The Mamiya light meter is just too advanced for me. So far I have used external light meters. ;-)

Haha, yea, anyway I tend to use an external meter most of the time anyway.

 

[kgston]

It could just be an issue of translation... Mamiya 6 is pretty old, so the manual should be pretty old too.. But having an internal meter is much more convenient. Once you know how it works, it's actually pretty good as the metering angle is quite narrow, good for spot metering.

 

[beowulf222]

It could just be an issue of translation... Mamiya 6 is pretty old, so the manual should be pretty old too.. But having an internal meter is much more convenient. Once you know how it works, it's actually pretty good as the metering angle is quite narrow, good for spot metering.

Yeah, I am starting to think it's a translation issue. Luckily, most of the pics turned out fine, only the indoor ones are underexposed.

Thanks for your guys' patience in explaining the AE Lock mechanism.

 

[beowulf222]

Hey,

Need to ask more on the function of the Mamiya 6 light meter. When I turn on the camera, no film loaded, and even go manual shutter speed, the internal light meter *always* suggests me shutter 125. Bright, dark ... always 125. The only way to change that info is to change the aperture or the film speed. Is that normal, or am I missing something here?

-- nick

 

[kgston]

Can't say for sure. It doesn't happen on the 7 though.. As long as it works when the film is loaded it should be fine I suppose?

 

[beowulf222]

I suspect the light meter is off. Will get it looked at and in the meantime I will use my hand held light meter.