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Posted by Mike Graham on July 26, 2001 at 00:46:00:
In Reply to: Light Meters posted by Vic on July 25, 2001 at 21:48:51:
Hi Vic,
A hand-held meter is a terrific tool, and you'll not regret getting one! Most people believe that it's harder to work with hand-held a meter than trusting the built-in meter on an SLR, but it can actually make life easier for you. Here's why:
Let's assume the light level is pretty constant. As you move around, framing your SLR on different subjects, the camera adjusts the exposure up and down according to whether you're focusing on something lighter or darker. If there's a really bright area in your viewfinder, the camera "thinks" (using an IQ only slightly higher than your coffee machine!) it's looking at a standard 18% grey. So it adjusts the exposure down so that the bright area comes out at 18% grey. So far, so good, but you wanted that area to be bright, and now everything else is too dark!
With a hand-held, that changes. Flip the little dome over its sensor and take an incident reading of the scene - the light that is actually falling on the whole area. The meter will tell you the amount of exposure you'll need for an on-the-money shot. Not only that, but you can read off all the various combinations of shutter speed and aperture that add up to that particular amount of exposure. Keep an eye open for changing ligh levels, and check the meter once in a while to adjust.
I hope I haven't made it sound complex; it's much simpler than it sounds and you'll get the hang of it after playing with a hand-held for half an hour, believe me!
As for meters, my personal favourite is my Gossen Lunasix-F, now nearly 20 years old. Not only is it a superb conventional light meter in the Rolls-Royce class, it also meters flash exposures with uncanny accuracy. If you have a studio or use multiple flash units, you'll love it. Expensive, but worth every penny, a long-term investment.
But you don't need to spend that much. I have a variety of second-hand CDS meters picked up at photo fairs and on eBay, and none costed me more than $25. It doesn't have to be a Gossen or Sekonic: even the no-name brands can be very accurate. Tips for buying used:
1.) Check the accuracy against your own camera's meter using several different light levels, indoors and outdoors.
2.) What kind of battery does it take? Careful - many older meters run on the hard-to-find PX625 mercury and won't work properly with the modern 1.5 volt equivalent. Don't be shy, open it up and have a look!
3.) Avoid the battery-less selenium cell type. Fragile and slow, stick to CDS types.
4.) Smaller doesn't necessarily mean inferior, and will fit better in your pocket.
5.) Most meters have a small adjustment screw for calibration. If you’re looking at a nice meter that appears to be one stop off the mark but consistently at all light levels, haggle the price down and fix it in 30 seconds when you get home. However, if it’s half a stop up at EV5 and two stops down at EV11, walk away from it!
I have some more info on my site if you click the link below.
Good luck!
Mike
end of archived message
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