Light Meter

[Sean1965]

I was looking through some light meters and I think I really like what I see in the sekonic L-358 seen here. L-358 FlashMaster - Overview I am a little taken back by the price although it looks like a very good product. I am curious of a few things which I am hoping now coming to a forum like this I can learn.

Is there anywhere I can grab any type of tutorials to really get a good grasp on how to use this more effectively especially with flash photography.

Or is there another one that does just as much cheaper?

 

[cgipson1]

There are all sorts of tutorials on Youtube.. a lot of which are from Sekonic. It is a great meter... works very well. You can even get an accessory card for it to allow it to remotely fire pocket wizards (in manual mode only, not TTL). I love mine!

 

[tirediron]

The 358 is a great meter, but there's NO reason to spend that much money on a flash meter these days. Craig's List and eBay are flooded with them. Meters like the Luna Pro F (a top of the line analogue meter from the 80s - $400+ new) can often be had for <$100. I picked up a Minolta Flash V, complete with all accessories, (IMO, one of the best flash meters ever) for $180 last year.

There are thousands of tutorials and if you can't find one that you like, the Butkus manual 'site will probably have the manual for 'bout any old meter you can think of.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

The 358 is a great meter, but there's NO reason to spend that much money on a flash meter these days. Craig's List and eBay are flooded with them. Meters like the Luna Pro F (a top of the line analogue meter from the 80s - $400+ new) can often be had for <$100. I picked up a Minolta Flash V, complete with all accessories, (IMO, one of the best flash meters ever) for $180 last year.

There are thousands of tutorials and if you can't find one that you like, the Butkus manual 'site will probably have the manual for 'bout any old meter you can think of.

Will the cheaper ones provide incidental levels and the ratios of ambient to flash? I'm shopping for a meter and hearing a lot of great hype for the 358 over the others.

 

[Big Mike]

The 358 seems to be the best all-around meters available. They have the 308s, which doesn't have as many features, but costs less.

The Minolta Flash meters were highly regarded too. They don't make them anymore but as mentioned, you could probably find a nice used one.

 

[joealcantar]

Nothing wrong with investing in the L358 , specially if you are planning to go to outdoor flash or studio photography , having the pocket wizard trigger option makes it an even better tool. Like someone mentioned look into on craigslist, local camera shop (be a S.L.O.B. Shop Locally Owned Businesses).
Eddie runs another forum but has a nice write up on how to use it: ilovephotography.com -- How to use the Sekonic L358 -- Step by step instruction manual
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Quantum Flash has tutorials leaning towards their flashes , but as you will see most of the photographers using them are supplementing the camera bag with the sekonic meter.
Trio Lessons with Rick Ferro You can pick up a few pointers if you listen and watch.
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Shoot well, Joe

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Yeah on a recent family portrait gig I did I was wishing I had a light meter especially for the outside shots. And nice would've been having the 358's option for specifically showing ratios of available to flash, and tweaking the settings for each and the meter outputting results, etc.

I popped off many more shots setting up than I would have with a decent meter.

 

[tirediron]

Will the cheaper ones provide incidental levels and the ratios of ambient to flash? I'm shopping for a meter and hearing a lot of great hype for the 358 over the others.

Obviously the analogue ones such as the Luna Pro F can't do that, but the Minoltas, at least back to the Flash IV (IIRC) are capable of that. Even if they can't it's simple math with pencil and paper.

 

[2WheelPhoto]

Will the cheaper ones provide incidental levels and the ratios of ambient to flash? I'm shopping for a meter and hearing a lot of great hype for the 358 over the others.

Obviously the analogue ones such as the Luna Pro F can't do that, but the Minoltas, at least back to the Flash IV (IIRC) are capable of that. Even if they can't it's simple math with pencil and paper.

OK thanks for the info. If i go so far as to purchase a meter I want to avoid popping shots or breaking out the pencil and paper (and my feeble mind can't process it either). The 358 light meter I saw would give available light/flash ratios, even output the differences when a setting was tweaked as "what-if.

 

[Big Mike]

While it is important to know how to balance flash and ambient...I don't think it's all that important to know the exact ratio as a percentage. That shouldn't be a deal killer for you.

 

[tirediron]

Have to agree with Mike; at the end of the day, the meter is just a tool to help you get the look you want.

 

[Big Mike]

Most pro photographers that I work with or talk to...say that they have a meter....somewhere. Very few of them use it on a regular basis.

The reason is that once you really get a feel for your lighting, you can estimate your exposure & setting based on experience. But that being said, it's still very handy to have a meter when you are trying to figure out & set your ratios. Whether it's an ambient/flash ratio or a main/fill ratio.

 

[Derrel]

Here are a couple of Sekonic 358-specific links I posted a couple days ago in a thread by e.rose. I used the term incident/flash light meter to refer to a light meter that is capable of metering both incident, continuous light, as well as flash bursts; often called a "combination" meter. Think Sekonic L-358 L-358 FlashMaster - Overview

>SNIP>>>

For those who are visual learners, here is a nice video showing a Sekonic meter and a photo balancing flash and ambient light with the aid of a meter. How to use Sekonic Light Meter Video[/QUOTE]

The last link is to a video showing how to use the meter to balance flash + ambient lighting. The thing about the 358 is the way is shows flash as a percentage of the ambient exposure, and not in the old-fashioned "ratio" method, which is very confusing for many beginners. Ratios of main-to-fill include one part of the fill being ADDED TO the main light side, so that makes higher-ratio light a feat of mental gymnastics for many people. Mouldy oldies like tirediron or c.cloudwalker can handle the old-school Minolta- or Gossen-style information and can mentally "pencil out the simple math", but let's face it---the newer Sekonic method of conveying information of flash-as-percentages has a huge allure to newcomers, and is, quite simply an easier-to-understand concept than starting at Square One. It also has a recessed/protruding hemispherical incident dome--so no more "shielding the dome with one hand" when trying to read one, specific light, while NOT allowing another light to influence the reading...

I myself have a now 25 year-old Minolta Auto-Meter III-F, which forces me to switch between ambient and flash metering modes, and what is surely a very,very,very basic, two-speed flash reading of 1/60 and 1/250--ALL OTHER speeds must be computed by the shooter...which I have grown used to over 25 years...the higher-end Minolta Flash Meter series meters III and IV were/are more-capable, but seriously...the Sekonic 358 has well over 25 years' worth of improvements com pared with the older-style meters. And it is much,much more geared to Pocket Wizard users, with a built-in PW triggering system PLUS PC cord triggering for old mouldies, like me, or tirediron...

THe way I see it is this: beginners benefit the most from the best "tools"....beginners often really struggle with old-fashioned, simple tools because those tools were always meant to be used by skilled,educated, well-versed shooters. As a learning instrument, the newest meters are unbeatable. THey show information fast, at two differing ISO values, they trip the PW triggers, they work with PC cord flash, they have selective/broad recessed/extendable hemispheres for better light readings, they switch from incident to reflected light reading for computing backdrop value very easily, and show flash at slooooow shutter speeds or fast, as a percentage of the total exposure...there is a reason Minolta lost out on the flash metering prominence they once had------the new Sekonic 358 is designed for both the pro, semi-pro, and the newbie, to be as easy to use as possible...

"The Sekonic 358: this isn't your father's flash meter." (with apologies to the folks at Oldsmobile)

 

[mwcfarms]

So theoretical question then. Sorry to hijack the thread but I have no problems at all outside working with the sun and fill. Great constant exposures, nice catch lights etc but in studio my lighting is all over the place. Not sure if its the white bouncing everywhere lol set is mostly white or mostly black but white walls and low white ceiling. I get flat flat lighting or blow back all the time. Would having a good light meter for studio work help with that? Or is the pencil and paper good to use too. I struggle with lighting.

 

[Derrel]

So theoretical question then. Sorry to hijack the thread but I have no problems at all outside working with the sun and fill. Great constant exposures, nice catch lights etc but in studio my lighting is all over the place. Not sure if its the white bouncing everywhere lol set is mostly white or mostly black but white walls and low white ceiling. I get flat flat lighting or blow back all the time. Would having a good light meter for studio work help with that? Or is the pencil and paper good to use too. I struggle with lighting.

What kind of light modifiers do you use? How big is the shooting area? Low ceilings? CLose to walls? SOunds almost like you're using shoot-through umbrellas, which make a real mess of things in tight quarters, or when used with powerful flash units, OR, and this is a biggie--when the flash heads do not have the right type of reflector to "kill the spill" that emanates from a circular flash tube on many flash heads. If you have no issues outside, but have issues indoors with "blow back" and/ or "flat lighting", it sounds to me that SPILL LIGHT is what is messing you up.