colyn
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When out shooting with your meterless RF do you prefer incident or reflected light metering with your handheld and why??
Incident or reflected
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BrianShaw
Well-known
Incident for portraits; Reflected for almost everything else.
eric
[was]: emaquiling
Incident...no no....reflected....no no...incident....oh boy. What was the question again? No really, mostly incident I guess cause that's what I learned on. Reflected (TO ME) seems harder cause of the reflectance values of what you are shooting.
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
If shooting with a meterless camera, then incident, otherwise reflected or a combination thereof. It seems to me there isn't much difference between the two, and comparisons that I've done usually result in the same exposure settings. With incident I usually need more than one measurement (looking for the range). With a reflective in camera meter one is usually enough, but I'm always moving the f-stop ring with both. I think I prefer incident, though.
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N
Nikon Bob
Guest
For a meterless camera I prefer incident where possible and if it is not feasible then reflected will do nicely too.
Bob
Bob
FrankS
Registered User
You should learn how to use either, then it doesn't matter. Either way requires interpretation and thought on the part of the photographer in order to get a good exposure.
Read through this thread for more info on this topic: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11120&highlight=chasing+needle
Read through this thread for more info on this topic: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11120&highlight=chasing+needle
colyn
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FrankS said:
Actually I've used both for years. I started with a Weston Ranger 9 with incident dome and still use it. I also have a Minolta Autometer Pro for both incident and reflected metering.
My personal preference is incident but find myself using reflected more often than before and was wondering why others use one or the other.
FrankS
Registered User
I'd say it simply boils down to personal preference. That, and what meter is handy at the moment.
colyn
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RayPA said:
I usually find that when using incident one reading is enough because you are reading the light falling on the subject but with reflected I take more than one reading to determine a middle range between the high lights and darker areas..
colyn
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FrankS said:
Agreed..
There was an arguement several months ago on another forum about the merits of both. It turned somewhat bitter.
FrankS
Registered User
We try to avoid that here. 🙂
colyn
ישו משיח
I prefer friendly discussions and will run away from those that turn nasty.
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
colyn said:
Example: you're shooting on a big city street at between noon and two PM. That means open bright light and deep shadows (caused by the shadows from the buildings), using an incident meter what and where do you meter? You'll need at least two readings to determine the range, unless your subject will always be in one type of light.
I generally trust the averaging ability of a reflective meter, because I can see what is driving the meter (e.g., a bright wall, a large dark area), especially with an in-camera meter—if I don't have an in-camera meter, I go incident. Based on the reflective reading and what I see driving it, I'll adjust the f-stop (or not).
🙂
BrianShaw
Well-known
In general I agree with the philosophy that it often doesn't matter too much, but learning how to use both is quite important. I'd amend Frank's words only slightly... I'd say "... , then you can choose which to use."FrankS said:
Using incident for landscapes, for instance, requries that you are in the same general lighting as the scene. If the lgihting of your camera position is about the same as the lighting of the subject, there is likely to be not enough of a difference to worry. But... if you're camera position is deeply shaded, like under trees, and the mountains you are photographing are brightly sun it, then there might be a significant difference in exposure values. Maybe it will be within the film's lattitude, maybe not. It depends. This is what Frank is refering to when he talks 'interpretation' and 'thought'... considering all of the important variables and how they interact.
This is another one of htose questions where the best answer is "it depends". 🙂
[Edit... all that being said, what I meant was "I agree with Ray WRT metering landscape photography".]
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MartinP
Veteran
I can't be the only person who often takes "incident" readings by TTL metering off my palm, in similar light to the subject ? Just add 1/2 a stop, or whatever value you have previously worked out using a dual-purpose meter. It is very, very fast and reliable (assuming you have two hands of course).
All the usual stuff about your location/lighting vs that of the subject, and the reflectance of the subject needs to be considered too naturally - but often your palm is very handy (sorry, couldn't resist it).
All the usual stuff about your location/lighting vs that of the subject, and the reflectance of the subject needs to be considered too naturally - but often your palm is very handy (sorry, couldn't resist it).
rvaubel
Well-known
MartinP said:
MartinP
Frankly, I find bringing my palm tree with me to meter off, has become more of a hassle than it is worth. Just getting the damn tree on the plane, is a PITA since the restrictions on carry-ons.
Rex
Dougg
Seasoned Member
With either it's useful to be thinking about what the meter is doing, and applying some intelligence to the reading. I generally prefer incident metering because it seems more direct to go with the light and let the subject reflectance fall where it may. If you stay in the same light for a while, no need to take meter readings for each shot. I sort of do this with reflectance readings on manual cameras too, or a reflectance meter; wave it around a bit to get an idea of what the light is like and leave the camera settings the same for each shot.
In the stated problem situation where there are distinctly different light on different subjects, I'll take an incident reading in both and keep them in mind. If I'm set for sun and see a subject in shade, a fast response can be to just open up 3 stops + or - and go for it. Experience can guide you, as there're differing depths of shade.
If you just can't get into the same light as an important subject, for instance a stage performance or some landscapes, then a spot meter for reflectance readings is really useful. But I find myself so rarely in that situation I'm considering selling my Pentax Digital Spotmeter.
In the stated problem situation where there are distinctly different light on different subjects, I'll take an incident reading in both and keep them in mind. If I'm set for sun and see a subject in shade, a fast response can be to just open up 3 stops + or - and go for it. Experience can guide you, as there're differing depths of shade.
If you just can't get into the same light as an important subject, for instance a stage performance or some landscapes, then a spot meter for reflectance readings is really useful. But I find myself so rarely in that situation I'm considering selling my Pentax Digital Spotmeter.
RayPA
Ignore It (It'll go away)
MartinP said:
Actually, that would be a reflective reading, and no you're not the only one that uses that technique. 🙂 🙂 It's very handy (pun intended).
(EDIT: Wait, are you actually using an incident meter to read the palm of your hand? If so, then yes, you may be the only doing that. 🙂 )
🙂
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FrankS
Registered User
Generally speaking in walk-around shooting, I'll use a reflective meter, either the one in my M6 if I'm using that camera, or a VC MeterII in the acessoery shoe of a meterless camera. Instead of metering off my hand and adding exposure, I point the camera/meter at the ground (pavement or grass) and use that reading straight up.
richard_l
Well-known
If you know what you're doing, it usually doesn't matter. I probably use reflected more than incident. However, I sometimes use both, just for reassurance.
Richard
Richard
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