Paul C. Buff, Inc. Technical Forum

Hi,
Can anyone tell me why my cyber commander won't display a meter reading when I meter all lights (after metering each light individually)? I followed the directions in the manual exactly, and I'm not finding any answers when I search the forums. I would appreciate any help. Thanks so much!

It sounds as thought you are individually metering, and getting a sensible reading for each individual light, correct? Now, when you are in the "ALL" setting, are you pressing the meter button (right hand) again? if so, what is displayed at the top?

Sometimes, after metering each light individually, and then going to meter all lights, it will give a reading for all lights, but sometimes, it won't show anything - it says "f/ " at the top. I don't understand why it would work sometimes (even in the same session) but not just a few minutes later (after I've changed a light setup and need to re-meter).

If you take a meter reading on the ALL setting, then switch to another screen (including individual channels), then back to the ALL setting, the meter reading should remain. If you make a change to an individual channel, a new meter reading would need to be obtained, as the Cyber Commander does not know how that one light will affect the image. Therefore, another reading would need to be obtained, thus the "f--" reading after that change.

Yes, I think that is exactly my problem. I thought I could change power on individual lights without needing to re-meter, but as you have said, this is not the case. Thank you so much for clairifying this for me.

Logic indicates if you have, say, 4 lights and have balanced all the power levels to your liking you will get a certain f stop from the aggregate of all light. If you then raise the power of one of the lights, the aggregate f stop will increase by some undetermined amount, depending on how much of the total light was being contributed by the particular light you adjusted.

Since it is impossibly for CC to determine the change in aggregate camera f stop, it senses the new f stop is unknown and forces you to re meter ALL.