How Many People Use A Hand-Held Meter?

Jim Chinn · Oct 4, 2009

I always use one with sheet film, although I broke the first one I owned and was pretty spot on estimating exposures for a few weeks. With MF or 35mm I use the camera meter as a starting point or estimate if it is one of the cameras I have with either no meter or meter no longer works like an old folder.

I have found that when I use the same film and developer combos I can determine exposure through experience in pretty much any lighting conditions without a meter. Of course using a meter for years allowed me to internalize particular exposures relataed to particular lighting.

gr82bart · Oct 4, 2009

[Yoda voice]
Learn the ways of the light meter, one must
Incident and reflection, one must know like every breath
All exposures, will properly follow
[/Yoda voice]

Regards, Art.

BobNewYork · Oct 4, 2009

gr82bart said:
[Yoda voice]
Learn the ways of the light meter, one must
Incident and reflection, one must know like every breath
All exposures, will properly follow
[/Yoda voice]

Regards, Art.

I'll have what he's having

Bob H

nana sousa dias · Oct 5, 2009

Gossen Ultraspot and Minolta IVf

Ektagraphic · Oct 6, 2009

Great camera, great film, great meter DWThomas! I could see that Gossen as being the only kind of "digtal" meter that I would ever use. I don't care at all for the digital meters that just give you a shutter speed and F stop. I like to be able to actually look at ALL of the possible combinations at once.

Poisson Du Jour · Oct 6, 2009

Ektagraphic said:
Great camera, great film, great meter DWThomas! I could see that Gossen as being the only kind of "digtal" meter that I would ever use. I don't care at all for the digital meters that just give you a shutter speed and F stop. I like to be able to actually look at ALL of the possible combinations at once.

That's drawing a long bow in terms of what you think a digital meter can and cannot do or show concurrently.

And advanced users do not simply poke a meter into the scene and settle with the result. No-o-o-o! In the end, whatever type (digi or analogue) of meter you employ is IRRELEVANT and your skill, judgement and visual literacy will determine the best result based on guidance and experience (and experience cannot be emphasised heavily enough).

EricO · Oct 8, 2009

I use a Sekonic L 518 DigiPro X1 when:

I use my Mamiya RZ67.
I shoot a job with difficult lighting.
I try to mix with or simulate natural light.
I do studio work.

Bob Carnie · Oct 8, 2009

I use my hand for metering.
If the light is strong I will notice the shadow side and adjust accordingly.
I never trust meters.

dwdmguy · Oct 12, 2009

The Sekonic L-438 View Spot Meter. I'm ga-ga over it.

Steve Smith · Oct 12, 2009

mikebarger said:
light meter in a camera????

It's a new idea. I don't think it will catch on.

Steve.

M.A.Longmore · Oct 12, 2009

A Sekonic L-398. I Love The LumiSphere !!!
Wouldn't Leave Home Without It !!!
Now That I'm Back To 4x5, I Am Trying To Obtain A Used Spotmeter.
You Can Feel Free To Contact Me If You Have One For Sale. Or Can Point Me In The Right Direction.

Ron

flatulent1 · Oct 17, 2009

I nearly always use the camera's meter, whether 35mm or Mamiya 645.

I have three meter-less folders; for them I am learning how to use a Gossen Luna SBC with slide film. I am only just beginning, and have had mixed results so far, as you can imagine. If/when I revert to B&W I'll likely leave the meter at home and use Sunny 11.

Q.G. · Oct 17, 2009

B&W will benefit from using a meter too. So don't leave it at home.
Why use the guessing method when you have a perfectly good meter?

benjiboy · Oct 17, 2009

Q.G. said:
B&W will benefit from using a meter too. So don't leave it at home.
Why use the guessing method when you have a perfectly good meter?

I'm with QG, on this one, if the human eye was so good at judging light intensity, they would never have invented exposure meters.

flatulent1 · Oct 17, 2009

I'm using slide film here as a learning tool; if I get good results I may stay with it, though I have plenty of b&w to make things interesting. If I can develop an eye for judging exposure, I can leave the meter at home as unnecessary. I'm not creating art here, I'm enjoying myself with a camera. Er, so to speak...

Q.G. · Oct 17, 2009

You're not going to learn how to guess exposure.
Use the meter. It is not unnecessary.
It will help enormously, increasing the joy you get out of photography no end.

Galah · Oct 18, 2009

Ron LarFor4X5 said:
A Sekonic L-398. I Love The LumiSphere !!!
Wouldn't Leave Home Without It !!!
Now That I'm Back To 4x5, I Am Trying To Obtain A Used Spotmeter.
You Can Feel Free To Contact Me If You Have One For Sale. Or Can Point Me In The Right Direction.

Ron

I'm "only" shooting 35mm film, however I'm a sucker for handheld meters, especially spot-meters. (I also have several non-spot hand-held meters going back 50+ years, all in working order, including some Selenium cell types).

On Saturday, I purchased my 4th spotmeter, a Gossen Spot-Master.

If you have a spotmeter, you really do need to have some working understanding of "The Zone System", otherwise a spotmeter can get you into a lot of trouble.

I do flatter myself that I have some inkling of the concepts behind TZS, and have been applying them (to exposure only) in my hobby for a while now (with gratifying results).

The Gossen Spot Master has a particular function adapting it particularly to the application of the Zone System, and I am looking forward with anticipation to using it.

The meter came without a manual, but I managed to find an online copy on the web.

Happy metering, folks!

Q.G. · Oct 19, 2009

Galah said:
On Saturday, I purchased my 4th spotmeter, a Gossen Spot-Master.

Congrats!
A fine meter.

But make sure you take the battery out when not in use.
And carry not one, but a couple of spare batteries.

Galah · Oct 19, 2009

Q.G. said:
Congrats!
A fine meter.

But make sure you take the battery out when not in use.
And carry not one, but a couple of spare batteries.

OK, thanks. Yes, someone else said its heavy on the batteries.

(the nature and placement of the control buttons is such that it would, also, be very easy to have it continuously activated by accident, while in its bag.)

Q.G. · Oct 19, 2009

It's not that. It just uses a lot of power when in use, and not in use.

fattyale · Nov 8, 2009

I use my Sekonic L-208 that I carry with me in my pocket whenever I bring my camera out.

Plus I've a Sekonic selenium meter (don't know which model) that I keep in my camera bag as a spare! Still accurate even for it's age.

Galah · Nov 8, 2009

fattyale said:
I use my Sekonic L-208 that I carry with me in my pocket whenever I bring my camera out.

Plus I've a Sekonic selenium meter (don't know which model) that I keep in my camera bag as a spare! Still accurate even for it's age.

I have 3 hand-held Selenium meters all 50 to 60 years old, all three work perfectly!

I have several more Selenium meters integrally built in to various old cameras: they all work well.

olleorama · Nov 10, 2009

I got my first hand held meter some weeks ago. Mainly for flash use. But I find it good for low ambient light situations too. It's a cheapo vivitar 230 LX I got for 15 dollars. I can't fault it. Yet.

Randy_Va · Nov 10, 2009

Man, I am jealous of those of you "bragging" about your multiple spot meters. ;-)

I rarely use a handheld meter, but when I do it is a Weston Master II (that I have to remember to adjust by a 1/3 stop because it doesn't use ASA/ISO film speeds).

I am trying out a new upgraded handheld exposure tool.

Galah · Nov 10, 2009

Randy_Va said:
Man, I am jealous of those of you "bragging" about your multiple spot meters. ;-)

I rarely use a handheld meter, but when I do it is a Weston Master II (that I have to remember to adjust by a 1/3 stop because it doesn't use ASA/ISO film speeds)....

I too have a Weston Master II (still working perfectly).

The thing about the WMII is that the Weston Master scale is 80% of the ISO scale.

Thus:

ISO 100 = WM 80

ISO 200 = WM 160

ISO 400 = WM 320

and so forth.

So, just set your film speed accordingly on your WMII film speed dial, and there is no need to make any further mental adjustments as regards film speed.

The later Weston Master film speeds (eg the Weston Master V, another I have) match the ISO rating of the film.

How Many People Use A Hand-Held Meter?

Do you use a hand-held meter?

I always use a hand held meter.

I usually use a hand held meter. It depends on the situation

I never use a hand held meter. I use the one built into the camera or none at all.

Jim Chinn

gr82bart

BobNewYork

nana sousa dias

Ektagraphic

Poisson Du Jour

EricO

Bob Carnie

dwdmguy

Steve Smith

M.A.Longmore

flatulent1

Q.G.

benjiboy

flatulent1

Q.G.

Galah

Q.G.

Galah

Q.G.

fattyale

Galah

olleorama

Randy_Va

Galah

How Many People Use A Hand-Held Meter?

Do you use a hand-held meter?

I always use a hand held meter.

I usually use a hand held meter. It depends on the situation

I never use a hand held meter. I use the one built into the camera or none at all.

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