Do you use a light meter? What kind?

brainmonster · Jul 5, 2020

It seems like a lot of photographers have light meters - there's many available, spot meters, ambient meters, reflected meters, do you use one and if so what kind and why?

I've been using my built-in camera selenium meters, which seem fairly accurate, but wondering if it's worth investing in a handheld meter. But I don't want to buy something that I don't need, and add more bulk to my kit.

I mostly do portraits and landscapes.

Due to the nature of film which has high exposure latitude, does it matter having a meter? Will the end scans turn out any different? Is a built-in camera meter sufficient?

MattKing · Jul 5, 2020

Yes - lots of different ones, including in-camera ones.
The reason to use a separate meter is that it helps you appreciate the character and characteristics of light without the intervention of a camera.
And it is the appreciation of light that leads me to better photographs.
The biggest advantage of external meters over in-camera meters is that they permit easy use of incident metering.

btaylor · Jul 5, 2020

I am going to guess that at least most of your built in selenium meters are inaccurate. But if you are getting good results maybe there is no point in looking further. My quick test of any meter is to check “sunny 16”: in bright midday sun a reflected meter reading should show f16 with ISO 100 film and a shutter speed of 1/100. My first cameras did not have meters so I used the Kodak guides that came with the film or my Weston II that was in the bag when I bought my Baby Speed Graphic. Over the years the selenium Weston became inaccurate and I sent it off to George at Light Metric and he fixed and calibrated it. I always have a hand held meter with me, although the phone apps are very accurate- I double check with the phone sometimes if I am questioning a reading. The Gossen Digisix is very small, does reflected and incident reading and is very accurate if you do go that route.

BrianShaw · Jul 5, 2020

Think of your question in terms of metering function:

do you want to incident meter?

do you want to spot meter?

do you want to flash meter?

do you want to verify your selenium meters?

I’d guess that incident metering might be useful to you. Maybe other functions but only you can really answer that.

DWThomas · Jul 5, 2020

A couple of my cameras have built-in meters. For those that don't, my current working choices are a Gossen DigiSix which can meter incident and reflected, and a Sekonic L-508 which can do incident, spot, and flash. The 508 is definitely the most serious, but easily six times the bulk and weight, so it depends how formal I'm being. I also own an inherited Gossen Pilot -- main advantage, no batteries, but not as sensitive.

I have a few others of earlier vintage but don't use them, just hang on to them for perhaps sentimental reasons, too lazy to toss them!

Oh -- and I have a couple of iPhone apps that I'm still a little skeptical about.

JPD · Jul 5, 2020

A Gossen Sixtomat Digital. Before that I used a Capital Spot Meter. These two light meters give different readings. The Gossen gives exactly one stop "faster" readings than the spot meter. The Gossen should be of better quality, but I feel like exposing one stop more than suggested gives me better results.

How can I know which one gives the correct readings?

brainmonster · Jul 6, 2020

MattKing said:
Yes - lots of different ones, including in-camera ones.
The reason to use a separate meter is that it helps you appreciate the character and characteristics of light without the intervention of a camera.
And it is the appreciation of light that leads me to better photographs.
The biggest advantage of external meters over in-camera meters is that they permit easy use of incident metering.

Thanks an interesting insight. If it helps me learn something, I might pick one up, although I'll have to learn more about how to use a spot meter before I decide it's worth getting one over just using my phone.

RalphLambrecht · Jul 6, 2020

brainmonster said:
It seems like a lot of photographers have light meters - there's many available, spot meters, ambient meters, reflected meters, do you use one and if so what kind and why?

I've been using my built-in camera selenium meters, which seem fairly accurate, but wondering if it's worth investing in a handheld meter. But I don't want to buy something that I don't need, and add more bulk to my kit.

I mostly do portraits and landscapes.

Due to the nature of film which has high exposure latitude, does it matter having a meter? Will the end scans turn out any different? Is a built-in camera meter sufficient?

I use a Gossen LunaStar F2 but almost exclusively for flash photography. For the rest, the Nikon built-in meters are perfect.

chriscrawfordphoto · Jul 6, 2020

I own several, but I use a Sekonic L-758DR most of the time. It has incident metering and one degree spotmetering built in. I use incident metering for most of my digital work and the spotmeter for black and white film photography.

John Bragg · Jul 6, 2020

Weston Master V which is used in tricky light or with older cameras like Canonet QL17IlI as a sanity check.

guangong · Jul 6, 2020

I have a serious GAS with meters, a drawer full. However, I feel that spot meters are more useful with a more deliberative picture taking. I find the semi spot meters aboard Leicafles SL and M5 very handy. The tiny Voigtlander meter fits nicely on LTM cameras. I use Gossen Luna Pro F, various Weston meters, etc, but since I prefer to travel light, my little Gossen Digisix is used most of all. My Seconic incident meters are used mostly for shooting movies.
My suggestion is to begin with one of the exposure calculators available for download from internet. Some are quite detailed in options. This is the best way to learn how to read light. Even using a meter requires some understanding of light.

AgX · Jul 6, 2020

BrianShaw said:
Think of your question in terms of metering function:

do you want to incident meter?

do you want to spot meter?

do you want to flash meter?

do you want to verify your selenium meters?

All points already are yielded by one very classisc meter, Lunasix F with tele-attachment, though bulky. But added with the great scale-nulling feature.

radiant · Jul 6, 2020

I'm using Sekonic L-558 too at studio and when doing some more serious stuff with RB67. It is interesting to spot measure the shdows and highlights and think around the exposure.

.. otherwise I use iPhone app which is giving same results as the Sekonic

BrianShaw · Jul 6, 2020

chriscrawfordphoto said:
I own several, but I use a Sekonic L-758DR most of the time. It has incident metering and one degree spotmetering built in. I use incident metering for most of my digital work and the spotmeter for black and white film photography.

... plus several different flash metering modes, multiple reading memory with averaging, filter factor compensation...

this modern marvel does it all.

Trail Images · Jul 6, 2020

chriscrawfordphoto said:
Sekonic L-758DR

+ 1

abruzzi · Jul 6, 2020

For me it varies. When I'm shooting 35mm, I generally rely on the camera's built in meter. More and more though I'm shooting medium format or large format, where my cameras don't have build in meters. Currently, I use a Sekonic L-308 as a incident meter for the medium format cameras. Its small, pocketable, and easy to use. For large format, I usually use a Sekonic L-508, which does incident, and has a 1 degree spot as well. I don't do formalized zone system type metering, but I still like to take individual readings of spots of the image to help along my understanding of exposure. I just recently picked up a Minolta Spotmeter F, and other than a brief test, I haven't used it, though if I like it, it may become my large format meter.

Alan9940 · Jul 6, 2020

My primary meter is a Pentax Digital Spot used primarily for landscape/outdoor photography. I have a Sekonic L-558 as a backup. I, also, use the in-camera meter when shooting my Leica.

KenS · Jul 6, 2020

brainmonster said:
It seems like a lot of photographers have light meters - there's many available, spot meters, ambient meters, reflected meters, do you use one and if so what kind and why?
(snip0

My Pentax Spotmeter (and a Gossen incident meter as a 'back-up' (just in case)

Ken

Alan Edward Klein · Jul 6, 2020

brainmonster said:
It seems like a lot of photographers have light meters - there's many available, spot meters, ambient meters, reflected meters, do you use one and if so what kind and why?

I've been using my built-in camera selenium meters, which seem fairly accurate, but wondering if it's worth investing in a handheld meter. But I don't want to buy something that I don't need, and add more bulk to my kit.

I mostly do portraits and landscapes.

Due to the nature of film which has high exposure latitude, does it matter having a meter? Will the end scans turn out any different? Is a built-in camera meter sufficient?

What kind of film do you use. While BW negative film has a lot of latitude, chrome color has very little. Even color negative film has less than BW negative and colors will shift if you get the exposure too wrong. I use a hand held meter when shooting medium format and large format because the cameras don't have meters. With 35mm, I'd use built in meters because they;re more convenient. Plus you shoot faster with 35mm usually and its more extemporaneous type shooting. Lately, I;ve been experimenting with the meter in a digital P&S that has center and spot metering.

KenS · Jul 6, 2020

brainmonster said:
It seems like a lot of photographers have light meters - there's many available, spot meters, ambient meters, reflected meters, do you use one and if so what kind and why?

(Snip)
/QUOTE]
My meter of first choice is my somewhat somewhat 'ageing' (and well used) Pentax spotmeter.. which is used to read for a 'white with texture' off a 'swatch' of clean white towel and that 'value' is "placed on Zone VIII+1/3 ( a 'method strongly recommended by Dr. Martin Scott ('head' of Kodak' 'scientific /medical photography unit) for exposing Kodachrome (which had the 'tightest of any film processing control'.
You will usually find it to be within 1/3 of a stop of a 'reading made with a hand held meter using the "Incident light'
reading. while I have 'spoken' of this method in the past, there have been a couple of 'contributors' who have tried to
disagree.. and indicated I was talking 'Bull-s**t" (probably because THEY have never actually used or even 'tried it'

Ken

Lachlan Young · Jul 6, 2020

I have & use incident, spot and reflected light meters - they can all do the job with all materials, if you understand how to use them - not a difficult or lengthy procedure, though apparently deeply alien to several self-appointed gurus of bowdlerised sensitometry.

@KenS or if you remove the silly zone sticker, you'll discover that statement equates to 'place highlights on IRE 10' with transparency films (or cinema neg) - which is sensitometrically correct. With most still neg films, place shadows on IRE 1. That's about all there is to successfully operating a Pentax spot meter.

jim10219 · Jul 6, 2020

More important than a meter is your process. You can perfectly meter a scene, but still not get the results you want because you were shooting the film at box speed, or you needed to adjust the development from what is recommended. Or maybe your camera's shutter speed is off or there's some other technical issue that's effecting your exposures.

More important than a good meter, is a reliable meter. And that just means having a way to measure light that produces consistent results. So if the meter itself is off, you'll know ahead of times what situations causes it to be off, and how to compensate for them.

I use the built in meters, spot meters, incident meters, flash meters, reflective meters, my DSLR and smartphone, and Sunny 16. Each meter is different, and I use them all in different situations. Usually, I use the spot meter for landscapes with sheet film, the incident meter for portraits, the flash meter for flash, the reflective meter for street scenes, my DSLR for still life, my smartphone when I have it but not another meter available, and Sunny 16 when I don't feel like messing with a meter.

MartinCrabtree · Jul 6, 2020

Sometimes when using my Nikon F (no meter) or just feel like experimenting. I use a Weston Master w/Invercone for incident. I also have a Quantum Calcu-Flash II for flash metering.

brainmonster · Jul 6, 2020

Alan Edward Klein said:
What kind of film do you use. While BW negative film has a lot of latitude, chrome color has very little. Even color negative film has less than BW negative and colors will shift if you get the exposure too wrong. I use a hand held meter when shooting medium format and large format because the cameras don't have meters. With 35mm, I'd use built in meters because they;re more convenient. Plus you shoot faster with 35mm usually and its more extemporaneous type shooting. Lately, I;ve been experimenting with the meter in a digital P&S that has center and spot metering.

Mostly color negative. I recently got a medium format camera with center-weighted metering and wondering if it will be enough. For instance, I think this photo is nicely lit and exposed. But notice the subject seems to be lit in different parts and differently from the background. I'm wondering whether this situation would require a light meter of if standard center-weighted metering would suffice. Other models of cameras have spot metering in addition to center-weighted. I often shoot people outdoors, you can see my photo below the top one (mine is of the Asian man at the beach).

I think mine is quite nice but wondering how I can improve it. Notice how the contrast between the foreground and background is not as much as the top photo, and the lighting contrast is not as dramatic between light and dark on the subject. Perhaps this is just due to positioning in relation to the light, or does it have to do with exposure? I also think my picture might just be a tad over-exposed as well.

Let me know your thoughts.

Paul Howell · Jul 6, 2020

It all depends. I've waivers between using a 35mm with a matrix metes as my meter, but recently was drawn back to using a meter. When shooting sheet film I use a spot meter and meter using the zone system, or a 35mm with a matrix meter as my meter. When shooting portureates I prefer an incident meter, in good lighting a Weston Master V with a inversa cone, in dim lighting a Gossen Luna Lux in incident mode. When shooting 35mm without meters or inoperative meters in good light a Gossen Pilot or a GE only because they are small and easy to carry. In most cases my in cameras meters do very well, Minolta 9 and 800si have really good matrix metering, and spot mode is handy at times. I've also used a digital camera with matrix metering, also gives me an idea of how the scene will look. My old Pentax K2000 set in mono mode gives a mono perview, not that the back screen is as accurate as I would like, but good general idea how the tones will look in film. I'm not a fan of digital meters, I like to see the dial, just use to a dial as opposed to a read out, not that it's much different from the readout in a camera viewfinder.

Do you use a light meter? What kind?

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