My light meter was the problem for 4 months

I kept getting underexposed negatives from my Nikon FM and blamed the camera. Turns out the light meter app on my phone was off by two stops the whole time. Has anyone else had a phone app throw off their results?

2 comments

2 Comments

jones.grace13d ago

Four months is brutal, man. I actually think the issue might not be the app itself but how phone light meters work in general. They measure reflected light off whatever surface they're pointed at, which is totally different from the incident light reading a handheld meter or your camera's built-in meter takes. So if you were pointing your phone at a bright wall or your own shirt, it'd give you a reading that's off by a couple stops for sure. I've seen this trip up lots of people who try to use apps for serious film work. The Nikon FM's meter is actually pretty solid if your batteries are good and the foam seals haven't rotted out. Might still be worth checking the camera just to rule out any issues, but odds are it was a user error on the app side lol.

perez.christopher13d ago

Four months of jacked up film photos just because you were pointing your phone at your shirt? That's a rough way to learn that lesson, man. Hope that shirt was at least a nice solid gray.