Meter type preference for large format.

Effectivepixels · Jul 10, 2015

So far with large format I've been using either a light meter app on my phone or my old incident meter to judge exposure but I read a lot about the benefits of using a spot meter and have thought about getting one. It seems though for everything I read that recommends a spot meter I read an opposing article that claims they are unnecessary now and using a handheld incident meter or the evaluative meter on a digital camera to calculate exposure for scenes is as good or better. What is the consensus here? Is a spot meter still the way to go for view cameras or have they been supplanted?

rthollenbeck · Jul 10, 2015

If your 35mm or medium format is properly exposed, so should your large format if your using the same device to measure.

jeffreyg · Jul 10, 2015

Metering boils down to personal preference. I prefer my old 1degree Pentax Digital Spotmeters but for some situations incident readings work better for me so over the years I've ended up with four hand-held meters. Since it's easy to have a phone handy I have a light meter app that is quite accurate and is a backup. That beats taking two meters when traveling in case of a main meter failure.

http://www.jeffreyglasser.com/

RalphLambrecht · Jul 10, 2015

Effectivepixels said:
So far with large format I've been using either a light meter app on my phone or my old incident meter to judge exposure but I read a lot about the benefits of using a spot meter and have thought about getting one. It seems though for everything I read that recommends a spot meter I read an opposing article that claims they are unnecessary now and using a handheld incident meter or the evaluative meter on a digital camera to calculate exposure for scenes is as good or better. What is the consensus here? Is a spot meter still the way to go for view cameras or have they been supplanted?

The Zone System and a spotmeter always work!

rthollenbeck · Jul 10, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
The Zone System and a spotmeter always work!

Respectfully, I say no system works right if your doing it wrong or your meter is inaccurate.

removed account4 · Jul 10, 2015

hi EP
i use a seconic studio deluxe incident meter
and have for almost 30 years. i also do "sunny 16"
and have found that works well enough too.
if you like your current smaller format metering system
it should translate to LF without a problem.
have fun !
john

Kirks518 · Jul 10, 2015

I like using my spot meter over lugging around an additional camera. Large format cameras are bulky and heavy enough on their own.

And I may be neurotic, but I don't have enough faith in a digital camera to measure for film correctly, although I have done it. But that's just me being old I think.

paul_c5x4 · Jul 10, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
The Zone System and a spotmeter always work!

I use a 1° spot meter (Sekonic L-508) coupled with a Zone Dial (Thanks for the PDF Ralph ). The Sekonic also doubles as an incident meter which I often use for colour, not that I shoot much with 5x4.

Paul Howell · Jul 10, 2015

If you plan on using the Zone System then you might want to invest in a spot meter, if you think you want to use Beyond the Zone System then you might want an incident meter. I have not used an app for smart phone so I can't comment.

Over the years shooting in the Desert Southwest I found that I don't need to carry a spot meter, my main meters are a Weston Ranger 9 and Weston Master VI. I have also use the meter in a 35mm. For landscapes the meter in a Miranda EE works well as it is bottom weighted.

Sirius Glass · Jul 10, 2015

For Large Format I use the Gossen Luna Lux SBC which allows for EV measurements, filter compensation, the Zone Systems and incident readings in addition to the reflective readings. Also for Large Format the Sekonic Flashmate L-308S does reflective and incident readings in EV measurements, even f/stops, 0.5 f.stops and 0.1 f/stops but not file compensation and the Zone System.

rjbuzzclick · Jul 10, 2015

I typically use manual cameras, so in order of preference (usually):
For 35mm and medium format where I'm shooting quickly I'll use "sunny-16", reflective, or incident metering (I don't meter every shot).
For medium format where I'm shooting slower, I'll use reflective or spot metering.
For large format where I'm shooting slowly, I'll use spot metering.

Alan Gales · Jul 10, 2015

rthollenbeck said:
Respectfully, I say no system works right if your doing it wrong or your meter is inaccurate.

You are correct but I seriously doubt that Ralph is doing it wrong or his meter is inaccurate.

http://www.waybeyondmonochrome.com/WBM2/Welcome.html

I like my Pentax digital spot meter but to each their own.

Bruce Osgood · Jul 10, 2015

RalphLambrecht said:
The Zone System and a spotmeter always work!

As Ralph says... ALWAYS
If you don't know how to meter, then it really doesn't matter if your meter is accurate or how you meter.

rthollenbeck · Jul 10, 2015

Alen & Bruce
If you think I ment for my comment to reflect on Ralph, you misunderstand me. The correct exposure value is what maters how ever you arrive at it, The format and the type of meter is not of consequence only the tool getting the user to the desired exposure.

Alan Gales · Jul 10, 2015

rthollenbeck said:
Alen & Bruce
If you think I ment for my comment to reflect on Ralph, you misunderstand me. The correct exposure value is what maters how ever you arrive at it, The format and the type of meter is not of consequence only the tool getting the user to the desired exposure.

Oh no. I didn't think at all that you meant to reflect on Ralph. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression.

I just saw some humor in your comment because Ralph has written a book and is quite a photographer.

Bruce Osgood · Jul 10, 2015

I don't know if your comment was meant to reflect on Ralph, I would hope not. I know many of us don't recognize a Zone III from an II and write off the system as B.S. and many others use Ambient light and don't find lumonisity in their prints.

Wheather it's a candle stick of a desk or the Grand Canyon you will ALWAYS find the right exposure using a Place and Fall metering system.

Sirius Glass · Jul 10, 2015

Sirius Glass said:
For Large Format I use the Gossen Luna Lux SBC which allows for EV measurements, filter compensation, the Zone Systems and incident readings in addition to the reflective readings. Also for Large Format the Sekonic Flashmate L-308S does reflective and incident readings in EV measurements, even f/stops, 0.5 f.stops and 0.1 f/stops but not file compensation and the Zone System.

For Large Format I prefer the Gossen Luna Lux SBC for which I have a 7.5 degree and 15 degree "spot meter" attachment. Also since the only L-308S available when I needed a light meter during a trip to Paris was a special addition that only came in bright green. The green is so bright that I have to wear sunglasses when I use it, day or night.

grahamp · Jul 10, 2015

Spot meters only really come into their own when you get used to handling multiple readings from different parts of the subject and you can tie that in to what the film will record. I tend to use one with my 5x4, and sometimes with roll film, but other times I just grab the LunarPro or (in the case of the GS645s) the built-in meter.

Good meter technique/exposure is independent of the format.

rthollenbeck · Jul 10, 2015

Bruce Osgood said:
I don't know if your comment was meant to reflect on Ralph, I would hope not.

Funny Bruce,

Your a tough nut to crack. Sure you know my intension was not to reflect on Ralph, because I told you so. This is a photography forum, not an advacarial hearing to decide if your going to get disability benefits every week for the rest of your life.

LOL, I Catch you again soon!

Alan Gales · Jul 10, 2015

So rtholllenbeck, what is near St. Louis? St. Charles, Wildwood, Arnold?

I'm in Brentwood just a bit west of the city limits.

Going to the top of the second, Pirates up over our Cards 1 to nothing.

rthollenbeck · Jul 10, 2015

Alan

Origonaly I'm from St.Louis Hills & South County but my family has had a place near Sullivan since the early 50s. I took up residence there in my last few years of high school and after the Army. I worked at City Photo and the very end of Ciy Photo Stock House.......then I was forced to get a real job, so to speak.

Jim Jones · Jul 10, 2015

For almost 100 years no photographer used any kind of electric meter at all, although eventually extinction meters and the Watkins meter became available. Despite this handicap, some managed to take great photographs. Ralph is right about using a spot meter and the Zone System. With some inconvenience I could use my old reliable selenium cell Weston Master II for the zone system, too. I'd rather use it as a traditional reflective meter and interpret the readings. With a grey card it also works as an incident meter. The histogram on a d****** camera might be a powerful tools for determining exposure and visualizing the final print, once a photographer has mastered that technique.

Alan Gales · Jul 10, 2015

rthollenbeck said:
Alan

Origonaly I'm from St.Louis Hills & South County but my family has had a place near Sullivan since the early 50s. I took up residence there in my last few years of high school and after the Army. I worked at City Photo and the very end of Ciy Photo Stock House.......then I was forced to get a real job, so to speak.

I remember City Photo Stock House on Pestalozzi down by the brewery. I loved that place. Maybe we met back in the 80's? I used to sell cameras at the Maplewood Venture when I was young. Right now I'm a couple minutes away from Schillars. I grew up in Affton and was a local 36 Sheet Metal Worker.

Top of the 4'th 3-2 bad guys.

Alan Gales · Jul 10, 2015

Jim Jones said:
For almost 100 years no photographer used any kind of electric meter at all, although eventually extinction meters and the Watkins meter became available. Despite this handicap, some managed to take great photographs. Ralph is right about using a spot meter and the Zone System. With some inconvenience I could use my old reliable selenium cell Weston Master II for the zone system, too. I'd rather use it as a traditional reflective meter and interpret the readings. With a grey card it also works as an incident meter. The histogram on a d****** camera might be a powerful tools for determining exposure and visualizing the final print, once a photographer has mastered that technique.

Jim, the d****** camera you are talking about uses matrix metering which is patterned after the zone system.

RobC · Jul 11, 2015

Interesting that no one has suggested using different meters for different purposes.

A spot meter comes into its own when doing lndscapes as its not possible to meter clouds or other distant objects that you want to place on certain values in the print with an incident meter. However, learning to use a spot meter requires a lot more knowledge and accuracy to get it right but when you do its definitely worth it.

An incident meter really comes into its own when photographing moving subjects and I include people in that. It's pointless meter a specific point on a person only to have them move or turn slightly before you trip the shutter. That can alter the highlight of say someones forehead from being a highlight to a shadow depending on the direction of light but your spot meter reading will force it to be a highlight when it should be a shadow becasue they have moved or turned their head.

Having said that a spot meter will work in the studio too since you can use a reference such as a grey or white card to meter from.

If you are a landscape photographer I would get a spot meter. If you are a studio photographer I would get an incident meter. And if you do both then get a meter which does both and then you have all bases covered.

Having said all that an incident meter will work in nearly all circumstances as will a spot meter. So take your pick. If you're mostly a studio worker an incident meter or mostly a landscape photographer a spot meter.

The basic difference is that an incident meter says this is how much light there is and everything will fall where it falls based on that whereas a spot meter says this is the luminance of a specific point in the subject and everything wall fall into position relative to where I place that specific point.

Meter type preference for large format.

Effectivepixels

rthollenbeck

jeffreyg

RalphLambrecht

rthollenbeck

removed account4

Kirks518

paul_c5x4

Paul Howell

Sirius Glass

rjbuzzclick

Alan Gales

Bruce Osgood

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Meter type preference for large format.

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