Any Amateurs Use External Light Meters?

BMW Kurt

I would like to buy a light meter but I really don't know if I would use it so much. I have always been satisfied with my built-in meters, but I am a gadget freak. I guess my question is, will my photos benefit from using an external light meter or should I save my money and put it towards a new piece of glass? :scratch

pathfinder

I carry a Sekonic 358 with me, but rarely use it out of doors. The light meter and histogram combination in modern DSLRs are so good, that I never use the hand held incident light meter out of doors. Even though I tend to prefer incident light meters, because they are more accurate, and less bothered by white,dark subject tonalities than reflective meters are.

I DO ALWAYS USE IT as a flash meter in the studio. I use its built in transmitter to fire my PWs when setting up studio lighting. For that purpose it is absolutely cracker jack!

Art Scott

I use mine.....outdoors as well as indoors.....HOWEVER if all your shooting is Landscapes or sports or street photo9graphy or candids....it may not be of use.....for me shooting portraits and weddings.....I put my photos life into the hands of the hand held incident meter now for over 25 yrs..............

Nikolai

BMW Kurt wrote:

I would like to buy a light meter but I really don't know if I would use it so much. I have always been satisfied with my built-in meters, but I am a gadget freak. I guess my question is, will my photos benefit from using an external light meter or should I save my money and put it towards a new piece of glass?

Unless you're shooting with lights, I say save the $ and get a better glass.

swintonphoto

I really only use mine when I shoot with artificial light - specifically my strobes.

BMW Kurt

Thanks for the replies, it seems my hard earned dollars could be spent more wisely elsewhere. Once again, Thanks!!

TonyL

I picked one up for portraits, the sekonic 358 on ebay for a good price brand new. however i seem to be overexposing. I was using 1/125th and it was metering at 5.6, but at 6.3 images were better IMHO.
could I be using it wrong?

Nikolai

cadguru wrote:

I picked one up for portraits, the sekonic 358 on ebay for a good price brand new. however i seem to be overexposing. I was using 1/125th and it was metering at 5.6, but at 6.3 images were better IMHO.
could I be using it wrong?

I know what you're talking about, but I think it's mostly unevennes of the light field, which is hard to measure correctly in case of strobes. Modeling lamps do help but often modifiers behave differently at different power level.
If say, if you're running the same setup just make a mental adjustment

TonyL

Nikolai wrote:

I know what you're talking about, but I think it's mostly unevennes of the light field, which is hard to measure correctly in case of strobes. Modeling lamps do help but often modifiers behave differently at different power level.
If say, if you're running the same setup just make a mental adjustment

Thanks.
I do have modeling lamps built into the strobes.
It was hard. I got some nice pics, but nothing extraordinary.
I shot 60 infants and toddlers the past two days and was lying down half the time to get the shot...:whew

Art Scott

cadguru wrote:

I picked one up for portraits, the sekonic 358 on ebay for a good price brand new. however i seem to be overexposing. I was using 1/125th and it was metering at 5.6, but at 6.3 images were better IMHO.
could I be using it wrong?

Probably using it correctly........see owners manual........and it is not uncommon for the human eye to prefer sometime very slightly over / under exposed.....or slightly over / under saturated for that matter......f5.6 to f6.3 is around 1/3 (or less) of a F-STOP.......I would be worried if the meter read f5.6 and the photo looked better at f11 (a full stop down)........then I would suggest that you get a replacement or refund from seller or return to Sekonic for calibration and repair.

TonyL

Art Scott wrote:

Probably using it correctly........see owners manual........and it is not uncommon for the human eye to prefer sometime very slightly over / under exposed.....or slightly over / under saturated for that matter......f5.6 to f6.3 is around 1/3 (or less) of a F-STOP.......I would be worried if the meter read f5.6 and the photo looked better at f11 (a full stop down)........then I would suggest that you get a replacement or refund from seller or return to Sekonic for calibration and repair.

Thanks. That makes sense. When I had the lights a lot closer without any natural light, at another location the meter read f8 and was great.

Maybe I am just wrong with my terms. 1/3 stop really isn't a huge difference IMO in the 5.6-8 range.

Code Blue

I was required to buy a light meter in order to attend a photographic program at a college, but since my disenchanted departure I dont actually think I've ever used it once, I think its the Sekonic L558... I might actually sell it to free up more cash for some glass

Nikolai

Code Blue wrote:

...I think its the Sekonic L558... I might actually sell it to free up more cash for some glass

And that's what AndyBay is for :-)

Art Scott

Nikolai wrote:

And that's what AndyBay is for :-)

I am currently waiting for a price.....Pfffffffffffft

Nikolai

Art Scott wrote:

I am currently waiting for a price.....Pfffffffffffft

too late, partner

Scott_Quier

Art Scott wrote:

Probably using it correctly........see owners manual........and it is not uncommon for the human eye to prefer sometime very slightly over / under exposed.....or slightly over / under saturated for that matter......f5.6 to f6.3 is around 1/3 (or less) of a F-STOP.......I would be worried if the meter read f5.6 and the photo looked better at f11 (a full stop down)........then I would suggest that you get a replacement or refund from seller or return to Sekonic for calibration and repair.

- Last time I checked, the jump from f/5.6 to f/8 was one stop and then from f/8 to f/11 was another.Just messing with you!

I'm guessing you meant to say two full stops down - yes?

TonyL

Scott_Quier wrote:

- Last time I checked, the jump from f/5.6 to f/8 was one stop and then from f/8 to f/11 was another.Just messing with you!

I'm guessing you meant to say two full stops down - yes?

I hope so, or I need more advil or liquor to figure this out