light meters

[jols]

ok.

right i have the i camera meter sussed.

thanks to you all.

if i was to purchase a separate light meter can you tell me what happens next.

how do i know what to set the camera at from the reading.?

is there some kind of chart i can follow?

 

[jcolman]

ok.

right i have the i camera meter sussed.

thanks to you all.

if i was to purchase a separate light meter can you tell me what happens next.

how do i know what to set the camera at from the reading.?

is there some kind of chart i can follow?

Jols,

perhaps this will help. It's part of a beginners guide to exposure control that I wrote for another website.


EXPOSURE

Your camera has to have the right combination of light + exposure time to = proper exposure. Your shutter speed and your lens aperture work together to give you the correct exposure as determined by either you or your camera. (more on how to determine best exposure later). This means that if you change shutter speed you must also change f/stop (aperture) in order to keep the same exposure value.

Lets assume that your camera's light meter tells you that 1/60 second exposure time @ f/11 will give you the correct exposure. If you were to place the shutter speeds and the f/stops (aperture) on a scale the following combinations would also give you exactly the same exposure value.

1/15 - 1/30 - 1/60 - 1/125 - 1/250 - 1/500 - 1/1000
f/22 - f/16 -- f/11 - - f/8 --- f/5.6 -- - f/4 - -- f/2.8

Deciding which combination to use depends primarily on which is more important to the photographer, shutter speed or depth of field for this particular picture. Remember however, if you change shutter speed setting (or aperture) you must change the corresponding aperture (or shutter speed) setting to keep the same exposure value.

For example. If your camera light meter tells you that 1/60 second at f/11 will give you the correct exposure and you want to increase your shutter speed to 1/250 sec you must open your lens aperture to f/5.6 in order to keep the same exposure value. You have to let in more light to compensate for the fact that you're now cutting the amount of time that the light will be exposed on the film or pixals.

Remember, f/5.6 is two stops wider than f/11 and 1/250 sec is two shutter speed settings from 1/60. This is the easiest way to remember this as opposed to thinking; "hmm...1/250 is four times faster than 1/60 so I need four times as much light...." The math is much easier if you simply remember if you change your shutter speed by x number of clicks you must change the aperature the same number. And vice versa obviously.

Faster shutter speeds means you need more light. Less light means you need slower shutter speeds.

 

[jols]

this is helping i just need to get my head around it thanks

any chance of a link to the other website:thumbup:


so does the light meter actually tell you what to set the camera at.

does it tell you the shutter speed and aperture setting that is needed?

 

[jcolman]

this is helping i just need to get my head around it thanks

any chance of a link to the other website:thumbup:


so does the light meter actually tell you what to set the camera at.

does it tell you the shutter speed and aperture setting that is needed?

Basically...yes. The light meter in your camera will tell you what f/stop & shutter speed combination it thinks is the right combination under any given lighting situation. A hand held meter will tell you what the intensity of the light is that is illuminating a scene and will give you a f/stop & shutter speed combo that will result in a correct exposure.

You still have to determine if you believe the camera or not. This is why many photographers will shoot a shot one stop over exposed and one stop under exposed in addition to a "normal" exposure.

Here is a link to my complete article.

http://forums.offtopic.com/showthread.php?t=2292040

 

[jols]

thanks soooooooooooooooo much this has been really helpful



i cant access the thread but no worries your info has been more than helpful

thanks again

 

[Seefutlung]

I've been shooting since the days of "film Only" (pre-digital). The first thing I bought after the purchase of a dSLR was a hand held light meter (because analog film meters were not all that accurate.) I quickly found the in camera light meter to be wonderfully accurate. I wouldn't worry about a handhold meter at this point (unless it was a flash meter.)

More importantly, is to understand how the meter works. The meter is more of a guide than a law. Based upon the information provided by the meter, you need to adjust your settings accordingly (depending upon what you meter and what you desire in the final image.)

Gary

 

[jcolman]

thanks soooooooooooooooo much this has been really helpful



i cant access the thread but no worries your info has been more than helpful

thanks again

Yeah I guess you have to be a subscribed member to access the link. If you have any questions, you can always PM me and I'll do my best to help you understand.

 

[jols]

cool

thanks again