Hi Mike,
For what it's worth here are a few thoughts I had when I read your post.
I have had a ZX-M for about a year and I shoot mostly slide film for a
hobby. To me, photography is about composition and understanding and
manipulating light. So... anything I can do to get a better feel for how
different lighting situations record on film will only improve my ability to
render my vision of a scene on film. This, of course, includes always (or
as much as possible) being conscious of the exposure parameters- whether set
manually by myself, or automatically by the camera.
I've often shot scenes using the sunny 16 rule or the guidelines on the
inside of box the film came in ... without ever looking at my camera meter.
You just have to do it so you'll develop instincts that you'll trust. I was
a little skeptical that the exposures would be good - but I've done great so
far.
Now I must say the meter in my ZX-M seems pretty reliable (note that it is a
two-segment meter when using A,F, or FA lenses) and has even given me decent
exposures on slide film of backlit subjects with an A-lens. So why do I
shoot in manual mode? Because I can. It's a challenge, which makes it fun.
It can also be more convenient. Like when I shot some available light
photos of my daughters B-day party at a bowling alley. The kids were always
in pretty uniform light, but there were various sources of bright light
about the alley. Set the camera for something like 1/30 sec @f/2.8 and
forgot about it ("set it - AND FORGET IT" - R. Popeil). Exposures were
great (composition mostly wasn't too good) but I didn't have to worry about
fiddling with the meter.
For me photography is a hobby, a meter is a convenience, and a spot meter on
the zx-m would be a really nice convenience.
Hope these comments are useful to you,
Eric
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