Sekonic 758 - spot meter

Hi


A question I have revisited now it is summer turning into fall here. Often we hear that the shadows ideally should not fall under 2EV from mid tone. If we spot meter the mid tone and then spot meter the shadow. From that we know the difference right?

Is it incorrect to spot meter the shadows and then adjust (for example 1.5 stops) that because the meter might get fooled as the area isn't 18% gray. Then I compare this reading to the mid tone and see if it is within 2 EV. For example mid tone F8 1/125, shadows is F8 1/30. The difference here is 2 stops. There is no need to add 1.5 stops and then compare this new figure to the F8 1/125.


I've been watching a video by Sekonic. He would just take 3 or 4 spot meter readings and hit AVG button or he would look at the scale and see if the points are within the range. He might slide up and down the mid point if it helps the exposure a bit better so they are not so much to the extreme left or right side (clipping). Maybe I am over thinking it.

This sliding the mid-tone would work OK, it might not work so well for slide film projection right? If the exposure was intentionally under and overexposed to cater the clipping points when projected it would look a bit different? OK for printing I guess.


Cheers.

The method used in the Sekonic video works well. It basically mimics a general-coverage reflected light meter but with the additional knowledge of the light value of the specific measured points. Many times, maybe even “most often”, the average will be nearly exactly what a general-coverage meter will recommend. But that additional control allows adjustment to address visualization or film latitude restrictions.

rayonline_nz said:

Is it incorrect to spot meter the shadows and then adjust (for example 1.5 stops) that because the meter might get fooled as the area isn't 18% gray.

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No. That's how you do it if the shadows are the most important part of the scene. The meter handles a range of more than 20 stops just fine (one point can be 11 million times brighter than another and still be measured ok).

Measure the brightest point where you want detail and hit memory. Then do the same with the darkest point. Then a midtone. You can add up to 9 points.

Hit average. If the midtone ends up on the zero point of the analog scale read the suggested exposure and you're good to go. If not, you'll have to decide whether to bias the shadows, midtones or the highlights. Same thing if the distance between shadow and highlight is greater than the range of the film.

Meter the shadow are of interest. Determine whether that reading should be in Zone 2, Zone 3 or Zone 4, a matter of taste and artistic composition wanted, and then adjust the exposure 3 f/stops, 2 f/stops or 1 f/stop. Then if you want to compensate for a filter do not use the spot meter, but use the setting on the camera, because all spot meters are design to assume ISO 100 and if the film speed is different and other changes will be off. I learned this the first time in class in Yosemite and lost a number of photographs until the instructor Alan Ross showed me how to do it correctly.

Sirius Glass said:

because all spot meters are design to assume ISO 100 and if the film speed is different and other changes will be off

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The 758 spot meters at any ISO.

FotoD said:

The 758 spot meters at any ISO.

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Specifically, directly displays EV, or equivalent f/stop or shutter speed, “corrected” for ISO speed.

Steve is probably thinking of his vintage Pentax digital spotmeter that requires transfer of a LV reading to a dial calculator.

BrianShaw said:

Specifically, directly displays EV, or equivalent f/stop or shutter speed, “corrected” for ISO speed.

Steve is probably thinking of his vintage Pentax digital spotmeter that requires transfer of a LV reading to a dial calculator.

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Correct

The easiest method IMO is to just pick an area of the scene you wish to be middle grey, meter that and store the reading, then press "average". With that stored, you can just hold the read button down and move the spot all around the scene, getting a real time reading relative to the stored middle value. This way you can VERY quickly check whether or not all the important details fall within the acceptable range of the emulsion in use, and then make adjustments as necessary.