External lightmeters - how do they work and uses (nature)

[Robin Usagani]

I want to take a picture of mount everest. I better climb it and use my incident light meter.

 

[Derrel]

Some of the responses and comments in this thread are just ridiculous. If you do not know how to use a modern, digital flash meter, or a combination meter (one that meters both continuous and flash lighting), your opinions are coming from a position of ignorance. There are many degrees of technical proficiency and mastery. I'll tell you what: if I were to hire a commercial photographer for an advertising campaign, I would ask him what kind of light meter he planned to use. If he said he did not have one, or would not use one, I would NEVER hire the guy. Ever. It's like a carpenter showing up without a steel tape. Like a butcher showing up without a sharpening system. Like a soldier showing up, but leaving his rifle behind. So,so many of the aspiring professional portrait/wedding shooters on this board turn in chit work because they have NO WAY TO MEASURE LIGHT!!! They are clueless. They lack a fundamental tool to measure the intensity of light. Photography means writing with light. Even though I know how to spell,and quite well I might add, I own several dictionaries. I also have a few atlases and scores of maps.

 

[Mike_E]

Sorry, Derel, for being a bit over the top on this but the OP was about wondering if a hand held meter would be beneficial to "him". He was already aware of the uses in the studio and it wouldn't be a stretch I think to include controlled lighting in that. What he was referring to was an outdoor situation and having a hand held meter will not do anyone any good without knowing how to use it but being comfortable enough with it so that they will in fact use it. This thread wasn't about commercial photography or wedding photography or hiring anybody to do anything but simply photographing things that you can't just walk up to.

As it turns out I do know how to use a flash meter, an incident/reflective meter and a spot meter and own at least one of each. I also have a passing acquaintance with the zone system. So instead of lets all getting together and thumping our chests over how good we are and how much we know, why not try and help a fellow photographer out by giving him/her some advice they can/will use? Such as doing a little reading on the Zone System and using what you have to see if it helps you any. After that if you like the system then you can look into proper tools for using it.

 

[ghache]

I use my light meeter in studio ALL THE TIME.

Outdoor, i will use it to get a reading of the ambient light around my models to balance my fill flash with the ambient light but could do without.

 

[ghache]

Sorry, Derel, for being a bit over the top on this but the OP was about wondering if a hand held meter would be beneficial to "him". He was already aware of the uses in the studio and it wouldn't be a stretch I think to include controlled lighting in that. What he was referring to was an outdoor situation and having a hand held meter will not do anyone any good without knowing how to use it but being comfortable enough with it so that they will in fact use it. This thread wasn't about commercial photography or wedding photography or hiring anybody to do anything but simply photographing things that you can't just walk up to.

As it turns out I do know how to use a flash meter, an incident/reflective meter and a spot meter and own at least one of each. I also have a passing acquaintance with the zone system. So instead of lets all getting together and thumping our chests over how good we are and how much we know, why not try and help a fellow photographer out by giving him/her some advice they can/will use? Such as doing a little reading on the Zone System and using what you have to see if it helps you any. After that if you like the system then you can look into proper tools for using it.

Hey You. watch what you say to derrel. He might zap you off of the planet earth surface using a painted ray of light.

 

[tirediron]

There is no benefit to having a hand held meter if you are using a modern SLR, OK a modern SLR if it has a spot meter.

Read up on the Zone system and practice that using your camera. After practicing a while you will be able to judge the subjects well enough for perfect exposure within the frame.

Sorry, that's just plain wrong. Have you ever used an external meter? Actually applied the zone-system to exposure? How do you measure incident light?

Apologies; I did mis-read Overread's original post. I'll respectfully disagree on the usefulness of a DSLR's "spotmeter" as applied to Zone System exposure however.

 

[Mike_E]

No harm.

Using a DSLR's spot meter is doable. As I said my Nikon's is <1 degree @200mm and as accurate as it gets. But, who shoots landscapes with a tele? Unless you want to carry another lens while hiking a light meter is lighter.

The thing is, until you work out how useful nailing down your shadows and highlights actually is you aren't going to spend the money on one. So I say use what you've got until you can see the need for something else and want it badly enough to go and get it.

Have as good a day as you can stand!

 

[pgriz]

They are tools. Know how to use them, and you're good. Master them and you're golden.

 

[Overread20]

Actually I rather like my 70-200mm for landscape shots

That said I never before really thought about the angle of view that spot metering (inside the camera) gives varying on the different kind of lens used. Though it makes sense. However I'm also thinking that when presented with a large landscape its fiddly to use a 70-200mm to view the scene for spot metering before changing to the wide angle lens before calculating the best exposure settings based on spot metered lighting (myself I'd have just used the middle spot with the wide angle lens if presented with the scene).

I'm starting to see that whilst the device might indeed have its uses within a field outside of a studio its application is becoming more marginal. In addition for the cost of the higher end units (with all the nifty features and the reflective meter that I would need) is not small and I'm thinking that whilst it might be something for the future (or something closer if I ever got into shooting stuff other than insects in a studio) its not something that "needs" to be put in my kit bag at the present.

(that is not a firm choice, but made after asking around - interestingly though I met a lot of "I don't know - never used one" answers from people. I'm totally open to having my viewpoint changed if one can present a really good argument case for me) .