37 year old Gossen Light Meter

[ProducerHarley]

Hello all.Could someone please tell me how to use my old Gossen Super Pilot Light Meter?I am planing on buying a Canon XH-A1.I want to use this Gossen light meter to adjust my camcorder iris exposure and shutter speed.It is analogue,not digital(it has a needle).My problem is that each adjustment is based on an ISO film speed.How will I know what ISO to put the meter on for varying shots.Thank you.,Linda

[filmboss80]

I only use a light meter when shooting 16mm. You Canon camcorder's auto-exposure function is, essentially, a built-in light meter. You can set it on your subject, then switch to manual, so it does not fluctuate when shooting. If you monitor is calibrated correctly, you can eyeball your exposure. There is also the option of running the video signal to a waveform monitor. Many camera monitors have the zebra function to prevent overexposure. With all those options, it just seems that the use of a light meter is an unnecessarily laborious step -- especially since no film stock of a particular exposure index is used.

[Des]

You can get a .pdf of the original manual here:
http://www.butkus.org/chinon/flashes_meters/gossen_super_pilot/gossen_super_pilot.htm

It's free, but would be a nice gesture to donate to him via paypal.

--dES

[INFRATOM]

That meter is (was ) good for still photography. It has to be placed very close to the subject to get an accurate reading in motion contrast on faces and subject change due to movement and angle of the light so it would not help at all. One thing it maybe good for to test the color temperature of the sky and surrounding to use the correct filter. These meters were good for studio cameras with bellows or 6X7 format that didn't have light meter. In old days I could out guess the meter and save time but it looked cool to have one ....