Should I buy a light meter for street?

jusxusfanatic · Jun 13, 2017

Should I buy a light meter for street?

I want to buy a voigtlander vc meter, but not sure if I need one for street, as my phone or sunny 16 would work. any suggestions? Thanks

macfred · Jun 13, 2017

The Voigtländer VC is a nice looking piece of gear - and it's quite overpriced (IMO) ... A traditional Gossen lightmeter is more efficient and less costly.
Take your phone app or go the sunny 16 way.

~andi · Jun 13, 2017

Sunny 16 is usually fine if you use a forgiving film like TriX or Portra. With chromes, different story. If you're always in the same city and out a lot, then you'll quickly know the light without a meter anyways. In the beginning I'd guess and quickly check with small meter if you're right. Soon you won't need the meter.

The Gossen Digisix is fine small meter (with a hunger for batteries). The VC Meter II is expensive but it's worth it. I far prefer it because of its size. You can remove the hotshoe-adapter and it gets even slimmer. Not so good if you tend to loose small things. One thing about the original VC Meter (not VC Meter II): It doesn't have AE-lock. You have to press the button to maintain the reading. IMHO its too awkward to use freehand. The VC-Meter II freezes the reading for about 8 seconds so you can set the dials.

Oh and here's another one:
http://www.fredparker.com/ultexp1.htm

Andi

removed account4 · Jun 13, 2017

jusxusfanatic said:
Should I buy a light meter for street?

I want to buy a voigtlander vc meter, but not sure if I need one for street, as my phone or sunny 16 would work. any suggestions? Thanks

while the meter might be helpful in some situations
i would just use sunny 11 rather than 16
too much exposure is always better than not enough when shooting negative film.
another thing that might be helpful ( which takes practice but is ez pz after that ) is to judge
bright light cast on your hand and the crisp shadow ( or not so crisp ) cast on it.
11 it will help you judge light better so if your street work isn't in blinding bright light you will say to yourself
f8 /250thS and get a nice negative without thinking much. meters are great, don't get me wrong but for me at least
its always better to be able to judge light for oneself and be self reliant.

RichardJack · Jun 13, 2017

It never hurts to use a light meter. I use a Luna Pro F because it doubles as a flash meter. It does take some practice learning how to use a meter correctly but as you learn you will learn how to judge exposures and might not need it anymore.

rpavich · Jun 13, 2017

jusxusfanatic said:
Should I buy a light meter for street?

I want to buy a voigtlander vc meter, but not sure if I need one for street, as my phone or sunny 16 would work. any suggestions? Thanks

I think a meter is a good thing to have. I'd buy a budget meter if it were me. Light doesn't change that much and taking one reading when you first go out and keeping your camera on that setting when you shoot works until the light changes.
Having said that, you are going to be shooting at f/8 at least due to needing a forgiving depth of field so your choices of settings are going to be infinite...you only need to memorize couple:

(Assuming you use 400 speed film)
Sunny; sharp shadows

f/11
1/500 SS

If a cloud moves over the sun re-check and slow that shutter speed down accordingly. Pretend it's 1/125 at f/11

If you are shooting into a shadowed area slow the shutter speed down 3 stops or open the aperture and slow the shutter speed in combination to equal 3 stops. f/5.6 at 1/250 or f/8 at 1/125

You'll find that you use a small set of settings and you will get used to them. I think of them in terms of "clicks" and forget what the actual numbers are; sunny is f/11...it gets a cloud over the sun "click, click, click" etc...

Paul Howell · Jun 13, 2017

Although not foolproof there is a reason pro use meters, I would get a good light wt incident meter. As already said you don't need to meter every shot, but on cloudy day more often than on a sunny day.

Nicolae · Jun 13, 2017

For me, I enjoy keeping tech to a minimum when shooting street. Although I doubt myself from time to time and will occasionally use a light meter to taste test my settings.

Chan Tran · Jun 13, 2017

jusxusfanatic said:
Should I buy a light meter for street?

I want to buy a voigtlander vc meter, but not sure if I need one for street, as my phone or sunny 16 would work. any suggestions? Thanks

Do you use a voigtlander camera? If yes then may be if not then definitely no. You can buy a much better meter for the same price.

Sirius Glass · Jun 13, 2017

The street probably does not have use for a light meter, but a light meter could be very useful when photographing on the street and elsewhere. I recommend them.

baachitraka · Jun 13, 2017

Digisix/Digiflash

blockend · Jun 13, 2017

Phone app would be my preference for a film camera. Street demands a relatively high shutter speed and a reasonable depth of field, f8 and 1/250 upwards is the wisdom of the ancients. You don't need a light meter to tell you that, you need film to fit your requirements or a knowledge of push processing. A phone meter app will confirm you're in the ball park.

Sirius Glass · Jun 13, 2017

I like the Sekonic 308-L which does reflective, incident and flash readings and is small and easily carried.

Craig75 · Jun 13, 2017

blockend said:
Phone app would be my preference for a film camera. Street demands a relatively high shutter speed and a reasonable depth of field, f8 and 1/250 upwards is the wisdom of the ancients. You don't need a light meter to tell you that, you need film to fit your requirements or a knowledge of push processing. A phone meter app will confirm you're in the ball park.

this. phone app to get you started then after a few rolls and lighting conditions and print sessions you will be able to work intuitively without any meter / phone app. everyone street shoots differently but my feeling is that the city moves fast - to capture it you need to move faster and a meter will slow you down.(i suck tho so there is that...)

Patrick Robert James · Jun 13, 2017

You don't say what kind of camera you are using and why you want a meter.

Frankly, if you have a meter in your camera then the VC meter is a complete waste of money since it will be doing the exact same job (reading reflected light). You are far better off getting a small incident meter, like the Sekonic Sirius recommends. Throw it in your pocket. Much better solution.

jusxusfanatic · Jun 13, 2017

Thanks for the suggestions guys Sorry, I'm using an M2, iii and a rolleiflex which all doesnt have a built in meter

jimjm · Jun 13, 2017

I've got a VCII meter which sits on my M2 most of the time. It's small, accurate and easy to use, but it is expensive for a basic reflective meter. But the fact that it is convenient and unobtrusive is worth the extra cost for me. I can just as easily swap it to one of my Barnack Leicas or Canons. For outdoors shooting with B/W film, I agree that Sunny16 is usually good enough, but for early morning/late afternoon light, or indoors, it helps to have a meter just in case. Sometimes I just want to carry one camera without meters or any other gear stuffing my pockets. I do have a small Sekonic L-208 handheld meter that I carry when shooting with a Rollei TLR or a Super-Ikonta.

jusxusfanatic · Jun 13, 2017

Thanks, I did have a hand held meter but it doesn't work now, and I just struggle to use it for most of the time

rpavich · Jun 14, 2017

jusxusfanatic said:
Thanks, I did have a hand held meter but it doesn't work now, and I just struggle to use it for most of the time

Why?

A hand held incident meter is the easiest thing in the world to use. If you are checking the meter before every shot when shooting outside, you are doing something wrong anyway.
Why do you struggle with it?

jusxusfanatic · Jun 14, 2017

Don't know, I was metering the area I was going to shoot then changed 1 or 2 stops depending i=on the lighting, didn't really work somehow

zanxion72 · Jun 14, 2017

Set yourself free from lighmeters. Learn to use the sunny 16 and after a while you will be able to spot on estimate the exposure under almost any situation. It will make it more enjoyable than ever.
In street photography where one should be quick, this will be a saver. Else, a modern camera with auto exposure would do better.

rpavich · Jun 14, 2017

jusxusfanatic said:
Don't know, I was metering the area I was going to shoot then changed 1 or 2 stops depending i=on the lighting, didn't really work somehow

That's not very conclusive
I'm not sure what you mean when you say "I was metering the area I was going to shoot then changed 1 or two stops depending on the lighting"

You should be able to meter the sunlight, then set the camera and that's it. No adjustment necessary unless your subject is in much different lighting (like deep shadow or something)

If you meter for the light and get f/11 at 1/500 you should be able to spin in a circle and shoot 20 frames and have them all be perfectly exposed no matter what your lens is pointed at or your camera's meter says to you. Similarly if you meter and get a setting, and then walk two blocks and shoot 20 frames along the way you should have 20 perfectly exposed frames assuming that you didn't go into different light, again no matter what you pointed your lens at.

it's that simple.

Chan Tran · Jun 14, 2017

If I am rich enough to own a Leica I wouldn't mount a meter on its hot shoe. Doing so makes it looks like the Leica is missing important features.

rpavich · Jun 14, 2017

zanxion72 said:
Set yourself free from lighmeters. Learn to use the sunny 16 and after a while you will be able to spot on estimate the exposure under almost any situation. It will make it more enjoyable than ever.
In street photography where one should be quick, this will be a saver. Else, a modern camera with auto exposure would do better.

This is only true if you check the exposure or try and change it for each shot. It really makes no difference if you estimate or you use a meter as long as you don't do that.

removed account4 · Jun 14, 2017

rpavich said:
it's that simple.

sometimes it is that simple
but sometimes its like you alluded to earlier in the post ...

rpavich said:
unless your subject is in much different lighting (like deep shadow or something)

the light is only exactly the same in a wide open area and at noontime when the sun is dirctly overhead
if the light is from anywhere else ( the east/southeast/south/southwest/west ) it will not be the same
( like lighitng a cube or a face or 2 sides of s north/south axis street )
there will always be some aspects of the subject that will have shadow and the lighting will be a stop off
( or more or less ) ...
in street work this is compounded by canyoning of buildings, streets that have light wells or
bright light on some places and shadow on others ..
from my own haphazard experience using sunny 11 and photographing in mixed ( sun/shadow ) light,
there is usually a stop or 2 ( or more )
difference between the sunny side and hte shadow side of the street, and streets with no sun just flat even
l iight it is usually sunny 5.6 1/2 ...

jusxusfanatic, no matter if you use a meter or you wing it with sunny 16 you
will figure out your own way to meter a scene through your own experience.
what i tend to do is if i have use a meter i will meter/ ( or evaluate with sunny 11 ) the brightest part
and remember it, and then the shadowy part with details and remember it so
i have one side and the other of the equation and take it from there .....
good luck !

Should I buy a light meter for street?

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