Forums >
Photography Talk >
Do you use a Light meter when you shoot digital..?
How many of you use a light meter with your digital camera? Or do you just take a test shot, look at the histogram and adjust everthing there after? Nov 30 05 09:58 am Link I've found 100% reliability in my Sekonic L-558R compared to gray or white cards. The balance meter in my D2X is nice, but I always want a second opinion. Adjusting the histgram takes more time than a quick meter. This eliminates abut 30% more post production work. Nov 30 05 10:00 am Link C R Photography wrote: I agree with Craig, Sekonic is my life saver... Nov 30 05 10:02 am Link The Minolta Autometer V F is what I use. Much more reliable than the in camera meter. Nov 30 05 10:03 am Link V Powell wrote: I always meter. That's not to say that I always meter in incident mode, or that I always meter with a hand-held (though I always meter with a hand-held whenever possible, the Sekonic L558 dualmaster is my current meter of choice). The spot meters in some cameras are great (if you know how to use and interpret them and few people do). In some they're almost worthless. Nov 30 05 10:05 am Link Using the histogram to adjust your exposure is almost as dangerous as taking spot measurements without a grey card. (I've done both and you CAN get away with it) Be very very careful what you are looking at when you cheat like that. There is a reason I shoot in pants that have a big leg pocket. Funny how the (incident) light meter is always right where I can reach it. Nov 30 05 10:25 am Link I love my new Sekonic L-358 Never used a meter before, so this is my first one. Bill Nov 30 05 10:29 am Link Santa is bringing me a Sekonic meter. I expect I will be using it every time, my camera doesn't have a true spot meter Nov 30 05 10:30 am Link Charcoal Artist wrote: Oh shit... Everyone go check out Charcoal artist's work... Nov 30 05 10:34 am Link I always use a light meter. Shepherd/Polaris Polaris Nov 30 05 10:41 am Link An incident reading is much more "reliable" if you don't know what it is you're reading and why with a spot meter. If you do know what you're reading and you know how to interpret that, a controlled spot meter reading tells you everything whereas the incident reading only tells you your illumination level. How hot will the highlights on the white shirt read? How dark is that black velvet jacket? With an incident reading you don't really know except by educated guesswork. If you spot meter and you understand what your meter is telling you, then you really know what the dynamic range of your subject under that illumation is, you can pre-visualize your intended result tonally, and you can adjust lighting, exposure, whatever accordingly with much more purpose and accuracy. (That's also a slightly slower way of working. And it's also really the only way of accurately working if you're shooting say a landscape subject. Ansel Adams's entire technical system revolved around this principle.) Nov 30 05 10:43 am Link Light meter, then tweak as necessary from sample shots. Nov 30 05 10:44 am Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: This is perfect, and how I often work when outside the studio. Nov 30 05 10:47 am Link Does a bear crap in the woods ? Nov 30 05 10:49 am Link DragonFlyImage wrote: I've done a lot of camping in bear country. Can't say I have ever seen bear shit. Nov 30 05 10:53 am Link Wow! Maybe a light meter will improve my photography. I never used a light meter before...i just observe the location and adjust all my settings to what I think they should be. I think I've been doing pretty good without one. But you guys are making me think I should get one.....? Has the light meter helped you out that much? Those Sekonics sound nice! Nov 30 05 10:55 am Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: NOW you opened the can of worms... I love Ansel Adams zone technique. Obviously it works very well, and has become a standard. Nov 30 05 11:12 am Link i have a Sekonic but havent touched it in years... i wonder where it's at now that i see this thread... Nov 30 05 11:37 am Link no joke...a stripper stole my light meter. Nov 30 05 11:43 am Link RobHowardStudios wrote: Look, I'm a fashion shooter, not a landscape shooter, and that IS what I was saying. With an incident meter you have to mentally guesstimate the reflective values of your subject. A reflective meter reading will TELL you exactly what it is. It'll tell you what you're light is reading in every nook and cranny and it will tell you what the incident meter reading won't tell you, what your reflective values are (which is what your film/sensor is going to read in the end). And you can then make your aesthetic/technical adjustments more effectively. Nov 30 05 11:54 am Link I always use a incident meter as well as a spot meter so I KNOW how to manipulate my final image. Nov 30 05 11:55 am Link Marko Cecic-Karuzic wrote: They both have their merit. Reflective readings will tell you what you should expose IF your subject is middle grey. You will have to compensate for that. For me it is much easier to see the reflective value of something and apply that information to my incident readings. Like I said... works for me. Nov 30 05 12:03 pm Link i luv my flash meter ;-) Nov 30 05 12:03 pm Link depends. Most of the time I use a handheld. Sometimes Ill use aperature priority, if the conditions are right ( ie meter not foolable ). All studio work is handheld. All strobe is handheld. I am using my 580s' remoted on TTL auto more often, but the camera is on manual. Nov 30 05 12:31 pm Link I use a light meter all the time. There's one built into my camera, and it makes a pretty, informative graph of how the light interacts with my camera's sensor. Nov 30 05 12:36 pm Link I always use a light meter and also a color meter regardless of what i use. Nov 30 05 12:36 pm Link Why on earth WOULDN"T you use some sort of meter to measure your light? Isn't it better to get the exposure right the first time, rather than guessing and "fixing" it later? Besides, most cameras aren't giving you an RGB histogram anyway, just the green channel, you don't even get a representation of all your image. I wouldn't want to work that way. Nov 30 05 12:46 pm Link Yes I do, but the histograms are more my bible now..... Nov 30 05 12:54 pm Link I use my Minolta IVF exposure meter in most lighting environments, definitely for anything outdoors or under studio strobes. The only time I don't use it is when I'm shooting with on-camera flash, as my camera uses a preflash for exposure/focus purposes that confuses the meter. The newer meters have a setting for this but mine doesn't. When I'm doing something that I can't or don't want to use the exposure meter for, I use the camera's built in meter to get me close and then walk it in with the histogram. M Nov 30 05 01:48 pm Link Absolutely 100% of the time (either in-camera or an external meter)!!! The camera's histogram can't always be trusted. Nov 30 05 01:51 pm Link My Minolta IVF has gone just about everywhere for the past seven years, whether I'm shooting film or digital. Nov 30 05 01:55 pm Link BCG wrote: This time I believe you, but in a gullible kind of way Nov 30 05 02:00 pm Link V Powell wrote: I have a sekonic 558R as well. It is great. Although I noticed that in most situation the metering from my camera (1DsMarkII) is right on the spot. At the most notable exception of subjects on a completely white background, sun in the background, etc... where the background is ALL white and bright and only a small portion of the image is what you really want to shoot/focus on. In those case, without the light meter you need to otherexpose seriously the photo to get the right exposure. Or if your subject is still enough use bracketing exposure and combine different exposure in photoshop to create ideal photo. Background not otherexpose and subject perfect... but a lot of work!!! Nov 30 05 02:04 pm Link V Powell wrote: I do not use a light meter when I shoot. Nov 30 05 02:05 pm Link All the time....a light meter is quicker for me, and I can fine tune the exposure with the light meter better than reading some lines and attempting to nail the exact exposure without being a bit off.. Histograms are OK.. One thing for sure,...I learned that the LCD on the back should never be used to determine the exposure.. Instead, I try to use it to see if anything in the scene needs adjusting.. JP Nov 30 05 02:06 pm Link Brian Diaz wrote: What camera do you use that you find it so reliable? Nov 30 05 02:16 pm Link yes, I use the Sekonic L358. A couple of months ago, I did an idiot thing and left the meter at a location that I was shooting. The next day I realized that I had left it and returned to the same semi-remote spot to get it. Someone had beaten me to it. I did one shoot without it and realized that I was guessing. I had to bracket the exposure and was hesitant to change light positions and settings. So I reached into my pocket and pulled out the 330.00 and bought another- whew. Good to have my flash meter back! It takes 90% of the guesswork out. And if you are shooting for a certain lighting ratio, it is indispensable. You can also meter around the subject to determine if you are getting the fall-off that you wanted and where the "hot spot" may be in your lighting. It is a tool that once you learn how to use it, you won't want to be without it. Nov 30 05 04:55 pm Link V Powell wrote: I do the latter, I don't have a light meter or feel the need for one.....all depends on what you get used to :-) Nov 30 05 06:02 pm Link I like my light meter, but check it with the histogram with studio strobes. Mine shows the RGB channels on invidual graphs. I'm finding myself using the histogram for anything outside the studio. In available light/shade, I shoot in AV with +2/3 EV which get's me real close...I'll fine tune via EV using histogram. Nov 30 05 06:20 pm Link I use my Minolta IV F all the time. When using multiple lights, it is the only way - metering each light seperately and getting the ratios where I want them. I also use the histogram but you really have to know how to interpret them to use them properly. Use the tools available to you properly and you'll get it right in the camera every time Nov 30 05 06:29 pm Link |