external light meters

[StreetShark]

I need to know some info about external light meters. First what are the types and there uses? Are they better that TTL meters? Are they often used in landscape photography? How do you use it if your also using a flash? Also is there any in the $100-$190 range?

 

[ksmattfish]

Reflective: measures the light reflecting from the subject. Used by pointing them at the subject. Readings are influenced by tonality of the area of subject being metered. This is what TTL meters are. Spot meters are reflective meters that measure a very small area of the angle of view.

Incident/ambient: measures the light falling on the meter. Used by pointing the incident dome or sensor at the light source. Many times used at the subject, but if you are measuring the light from a distant light source, such as the sun, as long as you put the meter in the same lighting as the subject, the meter doesn't have to be at the subject. Tonality of subject is not a concern.

Flash: measures a quick burst of light, and leaves the reading up on the display. These can be reflective or incident, but incident style are more common.

Other types are cine, color temp, foot candle, lux, etc... Some of these are more for motion photography, and I don't know much about them.

You can get a Sekonic (a big name in light meters) L-308S Flashmate with reflective, incident, and flash metering for $190 at B & H. Polaris (usually considered less cool than Sekonic or Gossen, but probably decent) offers several with similar features for a bit cheaper.

 

[StreetShark]

Ok thank you so much for the help!