Using a light meter

[WideAperture]

Good afternoon. I've had a L-308X-U light meters for a while but I've really never understood how to use it. I've read the manual, looked at YouTube videos, etc but I still think there's something missing. I mainly want to use it for outside natural light photography. Let's say I have the mode set to aperture priority and get a reading. Is the reading on the meter what I should set my camera to? Also, if that's what I should set my camera to, why does the ISO never change on the meter?

Sorry for the novice questions, but I'm totally new to light meters.

 

[cgw]

Long stories short:

Your camera meter is a reflective meter. It measures light bouncing off your subject.
Your Sekonic is an incident meter that measures the light falling on the subject.
Look into the difference between them and the advantages/disadvantages of each.

If you're shooting aperture priority--film or digital--the camera meters from the set aperture and calculates shutter speed at the ISO you've set.

Another pass at the manual might help. You set the ISO but can shift the ISO for a given reading simply by pressing ISO button and adjusting toggle switch up or down.

And yes, set to what the meter reads out--and you'll quickly learn if you're using it correctly.

Have a 308 and couldn't get along without it--deadly accurate, compact, AA-powered.

 

[RAZKY]

Good afternoon. I've had a L-308X-U light meters for a while but I've really never understood how to use it. I've read the manual, looked at YouTube videos, etc but I still think there's something missing. I mainly want to use it for outside natural light photography. Let's say I have the mode set to aperture priority and get a reading. Is the reading on the meter what I should set my camera to? Also, if that's what I should set my camera to, why does the ISO never change on the meter?

Sorry for the novice questions, but I'm totally new to light meters.

Your meter is one of the best available for measuring flash, incident and reflected light. Personally, the cameras I use most do not have a built-in meter, but if they did I would only use a hand-held meter for flash. A camera's built-in reflective meter will be more accurate, taking into account any lens anomalies (mirror lenses, for example, may often be up to 1/2 stop slower than marked), filter or close-up factors, &c. Also, you don't have to transfer the reading to the camera, so there's no risk of error there. Incident readings are fine as long as the entire scene is evenly lighted, and everything is of similar reflectance - those readings will not differentiate between highlights and shadows, or differences in subject reflectivity. Then too, it is often physically impossible to meter from the subject's position, so incident readings are often of rather limited advantage. I'm not familiar with any accessories for the L-308X-U, but if they don't have a limited- angle attachment for it, the 40° angle of acceptance will require you to move in pretty close for accurate measurements of many subjects.
Bottom line - there's a valid reason you won't see many photographers use a hand-held meter when their camera has the meter built in.

 

[cgw]

Your meter is one of the best available for measuring flash, incident and reflected light. Personally, the cameras I use most do not have a built-in meter, but if they did I would only use a hand-held meter for flash. A camera's built-in reflective meter will be more accurate, taking into account any lens anomalies (mirror lenses, for example, may often be up to 1/2 stop slower than marked), filter or close-up factors, &c. Also, you don't have to transfer the reading to the camera, so there's no risk of error there. Incident readings are fine as long as the entire scene is evenly lighted, and everything is of similar reflectance - those readings will not differentiate between highlights and shadows, or differences in subject reflectivity. Then too, it is often physically impossible to meter from the subject's position, so incident readings are often of rather limited advantage. I'm not familiar with any accessories for the L-308X-U, but if they don't have a limited- angle attachment for it, the 40° angle of acceptance will require you to move in pretty close for accurate measurements of many subjects.
Bottom line - there's a valid reason you won't see many photographers use a hand-held meter when their camera has the meter built in.

No meter does it all, unless you're talking a high-end Sekonic that does flash(cord+cordless), incident, reflective and 1degree spot. Disagree with your closing statement that there's no need for a quality meter with the above specs for photographers in 2023. They once saved film, now they save time even more than before in my world.

 

[wfooshee]

The ISO doesn't change on the meter because it's not supposed to until you change it. The light meter would be a device for film photographers, and film speed is not settable like the ISO response of a digital camera. You would set the ISO of the meter to the speed of the film you are using.

The reading on the meter is what you should set your camera to, but I think you'll find that simply setting the camera itself to aperture priority will give similar results to the light meter. (Unless, of course, you're using an old, fully-manual camera, that has no meter.)

One of my favorite Kodachromes I ever shot was "guessed" at by pointing my handheld light meter at several different points in the scene and kind of averaging them in my head. It was a scene of lily pads on a pond, facing the sun, with the sun reflected on the pond. I didn't even bracket, because I was so new to the camera at the time that bracketing never occurred to me. My camera, a 1952 Voigtlander Vitessa, had no meter. The image was frame 16 of the very first roll of Kodachrome I ever shot. Since having cameras with auto-exposure, I've never used a light meter as part of my general shooting, except for when I pull the antiques out, either no meters or meters I don't trust.

 

[RAZKY]

No meter does it all, unless you're talking a high-end Sekonic that does flash(cord+cordless), incident, reflective and 1degree spot. Disagree with your closing statement that there's no need for a quality meter with the above specs for photographers in 2023. They once saved film, now they save time even more than before in my world.

It would be a horrible world if everybody agreed on everything - cheers!

 

[smoke665]

Good afternoon. I've had a L-308X-U light meters for a while but I've really never understood how to use it. I've read the manual, looked at YouTube videos, etc but I still think there's something missing. I mainly want to use it for outside natural light photography. Let's say I have the mode set to aperture priority and get a reading. Is the reading on the meter what I should set my camera to? Also, if that's what I should set my camera to, why does the ISO never change on the meter?

Sorry for the novice questions, but I'm totally new to light meters.

The 308 is a solid, simple, accurate meter, I use one in studio all the time. As mentioned above it will measure both incident (flash generated) and reflected (light reflected off a subject). The caveat is that outside, it's extremely difficult to accurately spot meter a specific point.

Aperture Priority mode on your camera is a semi program mode that uses the in camera meter. You manually set your aperture (based on DOF requrirements) and the camera adjusts shutter and ISO for a proper exposure. It's way faster and likely more accurate than metering and manually setting your camera. The added advantage is if you're using a flash that supports TTL, the camera and flash communicate to add fill flash as required.

In studio a flash a meter is a requirement to accurately set your lights for the required ratios and exposure. Some cameras operating in a program mode with TTL and compatible flashes can automatically dial in ratios, but I've never found them quick to set up or all that accurate.

 

[Don Fischer]

How do you figure out ISO on a digital camera?

 

[cgw]

How do you figure out ISO on a digital camera?

Many cameras allow an ISO range setting, e.g., ISO 100-3200, where the ISO varies according lighting. Also possible, of course, to set a single ISO much like shooting, say, ISO 400 film.

 

[RAZKY]

How do you figure out ISO on a digital camera?

ISO should be explained in the User's Manual.

 

[ac12]

How do you figure out ISO on a digital camera?

ISO is one leg of the exposure triangle.
You make a decision based on what you are shooting and the shooting conditions, then fine tune.
Generally, I set ISO based on the amount of light I have to work with.

Examples
If I am shooting a night football game under lights. I would set the exposure mode to M, shutter speed (to 1/800) and aperture (to f/4), then set the ISO to whatever I need to, to get a proper exposure. At MY school it will be about ISO 10,000.
If I am shooting a daytime football game under the sun, I would probably set the exposure mode to S, ISO to 400, shutter speed to 1/1600.
If I am shooting landscape, I would probably set the exposure mode to A, ISO to 100, aperture to 16.

 

[smoke665]

How do you figure out ISO on a digital camera?

How to set it, or what to set it to?

 

[Don Fischer]

How to set it, or what to set it to?

Well my light meter has a deal for iso settings but can't find that anywhere on my D7000

 

[Don Fischer]

ISO is one leg of the exposure triangle.
You make a decision based on what you are shooting and the shooting conditions, then fine tune.
Generally, I set ISO based on the amount of light I have to work with.

Examples
If I am shooting a night football game under lights. I would set the exposure mode to M, shutter speed (to 1/800) and aperture (to f/4), then set the ISO to whatever I need to, to get a proper exposure. At MY school it will be about ISO 10,000.
If I am shooting a daytime football game under the sun, I would probably set the exposure mode to S, ISO to 400, shutter speed to 1/1600.
If I am shooting landscape, I would probably set the exposure mode to A, ISO to 100, aperture to 16.

Thank you. Gonna have to read this a couple more times!

 

[smoke665]

Well my light meter has a deal for iso settings but can't find that anywhere on my D7000

Light meters require an ISO setting and shutter speed to calculate the aperture setting.

Not familiar with the D7000 but ISO should be adjustable via a rear dial, unless an auto ISO setting in the menu is preventing it. Check your manual.