Light Meter for Movie Cameras

[Richard E. Wrenn]

I bought a Bolex 5120 Sound Camera with an inoperative light exposure meter. What kind of light meter should I buy to tell me the proper settings for the manual setting of the aperture on the camera? Would it be a light meter especiallly for a movie camera?
thanks
Dick

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[mattias]

your shutter speed most likely isn't a standard one for still photography, so getting an analog meter or a digital one where you can set the shutter speed to whatever seems like a good idea. not that it really matters much, since there will be light loss in the lens and to the viewfinder that will throw exposure off more than a small error in the shutter speed anyway.

/matt

[eddie]

yes, you can buy quite cheap lightmeters that have a 'cine' setting.

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[mattias]

i thought the "cine" setting on most light meters was simply a 1/48 shutter speed setting. not very useful for most super 8 cameras.

/matt

[Richard E. Wrenn]

I'm still a little confused by the answers.
Do all light meters have a cine setting? or must they be designed for movie cameras?
Please reply as I need some education on these.
Thanks
Dick

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[eddie]

Yes it does need to be a 'movie' light meter.

Some of these are just ordinary 'still' camera lightmeters with a 'cine' section on the dial.

I dont know what the shutter speed on your camera is, but basically you can think of the movie camera as being like a normal still camera, but with a fixed shutter speed.

Sorry, off the top of ,my head I cant say much more.

My lightmeter is a very cheap 'still' lightmeter, but one part of the dial has 'cine' marked on - that just happens to coincide with a shutter speed, Sorry I cant recall the shutter speed.

Good luck.

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[crimsonson]

Cine setting in meters is a convinience feature and not an actual seperate function. It basically means 'turn your dial here if you are runnning at x fps and your camera has a 180 degree shutter.'

Actual cine meter (pro version) has functions that many are not yet ready or do not know how to use. But a regular still meter is fine.

Your cam should be between 150-180. Check manual. Include the light lost in the lens and viewfinder and the meter will give you a reading somewhere between 1/2 f stop to 1 f stop above your meter's cam if it was working. Use a meter, shoot a controlled environment (in your room with a fixed light setup) with different f stop setting. Develop and see which you like best. Compare that what your meter said and what you actually used and you have yourself a starting point.

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[Richard E. Wrenn]

Thanks for the info.
My film speed is 18 frames/sec.
Have knob to adj. +or-1fstop.
and backlite control.
Spec. shows a electromagnetic shutter with 150degr. opening.
Appreciate any other comments
Dick

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[kbrady]

Check out the Sekonic L-398M Studio Deluxe II meter...I've read that film schools recommend it (bhphoto.com or adorama.com probably have it, but read up on the specs at Sekonic's site for actual details on cine settings avaiable...kbrady

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[mattias]

how do you plan to set your exposure if all you can do is open up or stop down from what the broken meter does (or doesn't) tell you? or is there a manual f-stop dial as well?

you definately don't need a cine meter in any case. it's 100% redundant unless you have a 180 degree shutter and no light loss to the viewfinder.

/matt