Light Meter advice needed.

[Alan Edward Klein]

Once the photograph has been taken, missing information cannot be brought out.

I see nothing wrong with the dark shadow on the lower right side, the world is like that. Do you think that you could always bring out a photo of Bambi from the shade of every photo? $5 please.

That point is only worth $2.

 

[BrianShaw]

That point is only worth $2.

Not even. A penny at most. LOL

 

[Sirius Glass]

Are you shooting chromes? When are you shooting? At what? What time during the day? Show us samples?

Unlike you I do have not scanned any slides and I have better things to do with my life than scan 100,000+ slides. The GND is useless for skies with trees, buildings or mountains on the horizon. Since I do not live in New Jersey my horizons are not at flat as a pancake.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

Unlike you I do have not scanned any slides and I have better things to do with my life than scan 100,000+ slides. The GND is useless for skies with trees, buildings or mountains on the horizon. Since I do not live in New Jersey my horizons are not at flat as a pancake.

Well, I retired to New Jersey 9 years ago so I can use my GND more often.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Well, I retired to New Jersey 9 years ago so I can use my GND more often.

You should get out more and travel outside New Jersey, there is a whole world out there and it is not all flat horizons.

 

[Film-Niko]

I need some advice on light meters.

I have the myLightMeter app for my iPhone but don’t know if that’s any good. I’ve used it with my Wards am 551 and the other day with my SRT 101 when its battery died on me. Haven’t developed any film from those cameras, yet, so I don’t know how accurate the app was.

I have 4 Konica Auto S2’s with dead meters so having a good quality light meter
is important now.

What should I get if the iPhone app isn’t that good?

I've been using Gossen meters and have been very satiesfied:

EXPOSURE METERS - Gossen

gossen-photo.de

I think they have the right meter for all budgets. And they have a great customer service.

 

[wiltw]

Exactly. So why are you and Sirius jumping on Alan for doing exactly that? You've both been telling him the sky doesn't matter-- Sirius goes as far as to say if you meter the sky, bad things happen.

I'm just as confused as Alan.

I was NOT 'jumping on Alan'...I was merely remarking that what he wishes to do with a shot (keep sarturated skies) is not what another photographer with different goals for exposure (like a portrait shooter) can do in the same light. Pointing out differences is NOT at all being critical about what he wishes to do, merely stating different goals exist...the world is filled with many different goals!

I have posted -- more than once in this very thread -- that the brightness difference of the sky (vs. Sunny 16 rule of thumb) sometimes makes it possible and sometimes makes it not possible to shoot and keep saturated skies. So sometimes folks like Alan can achieve their wishes to keep saturated skies, and sometimes it is not possible (unless you brightened the scene with supplemental lighting to make the scene as bright as the sky). The goals that even the same photographer can change to be situational...I shoot landscapes (and want pretty skies) and I shoot landscapes (and do not care are pretty skies --
in fact, there are occasions when I have deliberately chosen to blow out the sky when shooting a portrait because a blown out sky less distracts the viewer's attention away from the portrait sitter's face!.

 

[Sergey Ko]

Every lightmeter need understanding the principal of metering. It was excellent book "Practical Exposure in Photography" by Leonard Gaunt. After studying this book your can use any lightmeter. If you don't want to analyse measurements the best way is to use good digital camera in Auto mode, use compensation to receive good shot, then just read the data from play back of the shot. I used this shooting my old Polaroid Pathfinder with 800ISO Fuji Instax Wide back & the results was excellent in very difficult light situations.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

I ordered both his editions- the first and updated edition and your previously mentioned Perfect Exposure. Thanks. Happy Holidays and Happy New Year. Alan.

Perfect Exposure: A Practical Guide for All Photographers​

The Black & White Handbook: the Ultimate Guide to Monochrome Techniques Updated Edition
The Black and White Handbook: the Ultimate Guide to Monochrome Techniques

Using your digital camera and interrogating its data is fine if that gets you the images you want. In addition to discussing exposure and metering on forums it might be worthwhile for you to read Roger Hick’s book. It’s very inexpensive. I think I paid a couple of dollars plus five more for shipping. Check ABE or Alibris used book sites. It really is a worthwhile book to read to understand the multitude of trade offs with pictures showing the various options.

Well, I received both and don't notice any difference in the updated edition except a few pictures are different and he's updated with some of the newer papers that came out after 1997 until 2000 the later publication date. Considering this is 2023, I doubt if that makes much difference. The later edition is also soft covered but the hardcover is in better shape. In any case, it seems like a standard reference for BW photography 23 years ago and covers curves, printing, development, exposure etc. Since I don't have a darkroom, most stuff is beyond my needs. I'll keep the older hard copy. But if anyone wants the later, soft copy, contact me privately and you can have it for the cost of postage.