Meter recommendations

All of these posts about the grey card make me glad there's an incident dome on my meter!!!!!

All of these posts about the grey card make me glad there's the blue sky, green lawn, or grey concrete, my hand palm (and open up a stop), and that Pentax digital spot meter coming in the mail to me.

Grey cards are passé.
Learn to identify and use mid-tones in the scene being photographed.

jgoody said:

All of these posts about the grey card make me glad there's an incident dome on my meter!!!!!

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Incident works fine and is accurate for the vast majority of subjects in the vast majority of situations.

- Leigh

I don't know any camera that has a built-in incident meter.

I was frustrated by a Canon A-1 this weekend, in the rain, in a shelter under the trees, every direction I aimed the camera strong flare light came in from outside the grove of trees. I knew every automatic exposure was wrong, but didn't dare bring out additional equipment in that downpour.

I didn't have the presence of mind to use the palm of hand and open up one stop. If I were using a meter I would have... but it's not easy to get into that mindset when using a built-in camera meter.

Finally just moved in close enough for a sensible reading, set a manual f/stop and shutter speed and took a few shots that I believe will be properly exposed.

But it's awfully hard to focus when the finder is dim, fogged with moisture, when glasses are spotted with rain.

BMbikerider said:

On the rare occasions when I have thought a grey card was best for my needs, I have always used a 6x8 section of card cut out from the box previously holding breakfast cereal. That is as close as makes no difference. Or if you are in an urban area, the surface of a roadway is also a pretty good substitute. Although my Minolta Spotmeter F has a multi spot facility and then being able to average the readings, I regularly use this method and I have never had a problem.

Or use a meter which has an incident light facility, they are almost fool (sorry, profound idiot) proof. Especially the now discontinued Weston Master or Euromaster with a selenium cell, Cold weather hs no effect on the workings.

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The inside of a Kellogg's cornflake box is one stop lighter than a Kodak 18%Grey Card I just tested it with a spotmeter, mabe other brands or other cereal s are different. but I wouldn't take it as read.

benjiboy said:

The inside of a Kellogg's cornflake box is one stop lighter than a Kodak 18%Grey Card I just tested it with a spotmeter, mabe other brands or other cereal s are different. but I wouldn't take it as read.

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When I finished my cornflakes, and went out the door, I brought only the palm of my hand!

frank said:

All of these posts about the grey card make me glad there's the blue sky, green lawn, or grey concrete, my hand palm (and open up a stop), and that Pentax digital spot meter coming in the mail to me.

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I have not trusted green vegetation in a long time. I just measured my lawn: 1/250 f/5.6 (ISO 400),
and other green trees (both deciduous and evergreen) measured within a range or -0.7EV < 1/250 f/5.6 < +1.0EV, hardly a 'reliable' set of readings.

Grey concrete is equally deceiving. In front of my home we had new concrete driveway approach poured by the city, and a new concrete walkway to the front door and driveway to the garage. 1/250 f/5.6 < 1.4EV walkway < +2.5EV driveway approach.

BTW, the incident meter reading was 1/250 f/9.5

• The best of the vegetation still would have overexposed only +0.5EV (vs. incident)
• The worst of the vegetation would have overexposed by +2.2EV
• The best of the grey concrete would have been pretty close to incident reading.
• The worst of the grey concrete would have been underexposed by -1.0EV

Rejoice in your palm and the Pentax spotmeter.

My suggestion is not fool proof, Wiltw. Some thinking/understanding is required.
The spot meter is cool though.

Bill Burk said:

I don't know any camera that has a built-in incident meter.

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Hello Bill... I have found using an ExpoDisc a very reliable tool for obtaining incident light measurement when using my 35mm Canon A1. Details can be found here Dead Link Removed Fred

jgoody said:

I have recently started using an Autocord TLR. I have been metering with 2 iPhone apps and comparing them and the results are ok but I would like to get a dedicated meter. I think I will mainly use it for incident reading, but would like to be able to meter reflected. The last meter I had was a million years ago as I have been shooting 35mm SLRs with internal meters. I have looked at a bunch of threads but am still confused.
My choices run the gamut: Gossen Luna Lux SBC; Gossen Luna Pro SBC (both really large), Gossen Sixomat 2, Gossen Digisix, Sekonic 308 or 308B or 308S.
My questions relate to ergonomics and functionality. Are the Luna Lux/Luna Pro SBC meters just too damn big to carry with an TLR? (I would be ordering these without the benefit of seeing it in person.) Is the Digisix too small to aim accurately? Is it an advantage to have the dome facing the same way as the display like the Sekonics? Overall I like the "traditional" interface of the Luna Pro style readout.
I know this is all personal but any thoughts would be appreciated!

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It is hard to go wrong with a Gossen LunastarF

Poisson Du Jour said:

Grey cards are passé.
Learn to identify and use mid-tones in the scene being photographed.

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passé you say?

Well, that's ruined my next conceptual project, which was to photograph grey cards in a variety of locations.
So thanks very bloody much Mr Du Jour.

Now I suppoose I'll have to photograph cereal packets in the landscape instead.
(I may do this serially.)

pdeeh said:

passé you say?

Well, that's ruined my next conceptual project, which was to photograph grey cards in a variety of locations.
So thanks very bloody much Mr Du Jour.

Now I suppoose I'll have to photograph cereal packets in the landscape instead.
(I may do this serially.)

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What I said:
Learn to identify and use mid-tones in the scene being photographed.

This isn't rocket science, but interpretation of the scene and the values present.

And why photograph grey cards in a "variety of locations"?

Poisson Du Jour said:

And why photograph grey cards in a "variety of locations"?

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The classic form of a rectangle, scientifically illuminated but featureless and empty of substance juxtaposed in space balanced by the dichotomy of textures, detail and form in the real-world environments where it becomes an alien presence sensed but not seen...

It's hard to tell in this case, but PDJ has either had an irony bypass, or is so far off the other edge of irony that even I am failing to recognise it

I have a Luna Pro F and a Luna Pro SBC -- they are basically the same meter except the "F" has the ability to meter flash output. I also own a Pentax Spot Meter V, as well as a Gossen Variable Angle attachment that can be used with either of the above meters. So, I'm pretty well covered when I need a meter. I don't trust smartphone apps. I've played around with several. Most didn't agree with each other, and they were usually wrong anyway. The apps I tried out were for an android phone.

It was asked by the OP if meters like the above Gossens would be too bulky. Not to me. I use their lanyards and loop them around my neck, and the meters stay out of the way, I find. When I'm out in the field with a camera and a meter, I too look for the mid-tones in the environment. But I must disagree with wiltw regarding vegetation -- grass, at least. I have consistently found that green grass is an excellent mid tone value. One important thing I do whenever I take a measurement is I first look up. I will make sure that overhead I have wide-open, clear skies before taking a reading. If the sky is partially obscured by trees or some other sort of cover, then obviously the reading won't be a mid tone unless my subject is similarly shaded.

I have come to rely on my Gossens, whether I'm taking direct or incident readings. They are within about 1/4 stop of agreeing with the Sunny F/16 rule, which is plenty accurate enough for me. Yeah, they're old, but I take good care of them and they still look brand new. I like the fact that they take 9v batteries, cuz they seem to last forever in these meters. The original Luna Pro is a great meter as well -- I've owned a couple -- but unfortunately they take the 1.35v mercury battery, and the zinc-air replacements, while they work, they don't last very long. The OP mentioned a couple of Sekonics as well. These are also excellent meters, but I don't have any real experience with them. The Minolta Auto Meters are also excellent, but even the older models still go for a pretty healthy chunk of change on eBay. Lastly, as has been discussed in many threads here at APUG, photographers often develop an excellent sense of light values and can accurately judge correct readings, a trait that comes from lots of experience, I believe. I don't claim to be one of these people. Often when I guess at a light value, I'm as much as a couple of stops off. So, I appreciate the accuracy of a good meter, although I'm still practicing at it.