Jeff Wayne
Posts: 2,759
Los Angeles, California, US
Am-r wrote: Anyone used a "Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter"? If yes, what are your thoughts about it.
its a good solid meter. i recommend getting the pocket wizard add-on to it. I've used this meter only a handful of times, but i owned the l-758 for years before i sold it with plans to downgrade to a 358. the 758 was just overkill and i didn't use it that much. so go with the 358, you wont be disappointed.
I have the 358, I started without it and bought flashes first.
The meter helps me just put the lights take a reading and adjust acordingly I don't need to memorize what power settings to use when placing the light on a certain place in my studio. Lately I've been using the continuous light mode for either sunlight or in studio when using a projector (the meter also has a reflective convertion but I've never used it). One of the modes I use the most is the one that takes 2 readings and gives you the ratio between them. The other thing I started doing is "seeing" the flash falloff with the meter (taking multiple readings in different places on the subject) this helps sometimes when I turn off the modeling lights to know where the hotspot of the light is.
Do you really need it? In the digital age you can live without it BUT it helps workflow wise either in studio or on location. Instead of chimping and reading the histogram wich can take away time you could use shooting you just use your meter and adjust.
Doobie the destroyer wrote: I wouldn't recommend an expensive light meter. Any incindent light meter will do.
Once you learn your lights you won't really need one, if you are shooting digital.
They are good for learning, but you get instant results with the lcd.
Unless you are using more than 4 lights, or shooting film, lighting meters aren't entirely necessary.
They are good to have when you need one, but you certainly don't need anything fancy.
The reason I was interested in it because it does speed up things in situations when you are renting studio time. For people that have their own studios, light metering is not an issue once you have your lights setup to begin with. Furthermore, I think it is a handy equipment for photographers that are mobile.
Fotografica Gregor wrote: the L-358 is my go-to studio meter (I use its big brother the L758 out of doors and in mixed light) - excellent and reliable meter
I thought you can use the L-358 for outdoors as well.
The reason I was interested in it because it does speed up things in situations when you are renting studio time. For people that have their own studios, light metering is not an issue once you have your lights setup to begin with. Furthermore, I think it is a handy equipment for photographers that are mobile.
You can preset your lights, by aperture and distance, if time is an issue.
I definitely think it's good to have a light meter, but something like a polaris (which is half the cost is fine).
Alien bees cyber commandar has a light meter in it. They put out some great strobes for a good price. Are you invested in Buff's stuff? Maybe consider getting that.
Lot's of digital photographers don't use light meters. I can chimp my lights in like three frames. I don't even really use the light meter I have on the cyber commader...I don't even remember what camera it's calibrated for.
I haven't even thought about a light meter till I picked up my hassy. The screens on those things suck...and you really can't chimp it...so I use the light meter to speed things up.
Am-r wrote: Anyone used a "Sekonic L-358 Flash Master Light Meter"? If yes, what are your thoughts about it.
I always wanted to buy the L-358 but never did. I still use a minolta VF for studio work. It pretty much does the job. It doesn't have aperture priority tho.
Done and Gone
Posts: 7,650
Chiredzi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
Am-r wrote:
I saw that one as well but the question is can you use L-308 outdoors and in mixed light?
Yes, both ambient and reflective.
It does everything I need a light meter to do. I have a few cameras that were not made with meters and use film. I need to easily set an accurate exposure under any conditions.
I have one and have found it very useful. You can get away without it by chimping and deciphering histograms, or if you do a lot of shooting from a standard lighting setup, but there's a reason they are out there and that they command as much as they do. Heck, you can do mostly the same thing with the guide number and a long string.
The PocketWizard module is very handy - again, you can work without it but it's a matter of convenience.
When I first picked it up, I kind of felt disillusioned. It's not like I was seriously underexposing or overexposing images before I bought it, so it seemed to have made very little practical difference. But since I've forgotten it once or twice and it irks me when that happens. It gets used a lot.
I have one also, I usually shoot manual. really helps set up the lighting ratios on my monolights,i can fine tune the shadows especially if I'm not in my studio. I don't rely on my in camera meter if I can help it.I didn't get the transciever the works with PWizards, but that's ok I use the remote that came with the lights, and a separate radio trigger plugged into the monoblock.
I like mine but it has some irritations. If you set it to work in 1/3rd stops you can move the reading in 1/3 stops, if you set it to work in 1/10th stops you can only move the reading in full stops and so have to count f/stops in your head. You do get some 'intermediate' shutter speeds when reading flash but have to scroll all the way through to get to them and they are rather limited.
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